British author, Agatha Christie, the Queen of Crime, was a loyal visitor to Mallorca’s north eastern shores during the Thirties and Fifties when she stayed at the Hotel Illa d’Or in Port de Pollença. This small family-run hotel was founded in 1929, or ninety years ago this year, at a time when the term tourism was still in its infancy. The hotel was top of the class with three stars at the time; modern day tourism, however, made it inevitable for the hotel to be expanded and modernised to a contemporary four stars standard.

Ms. Christie is said to have taken the hotel as her inspiration for the Hotel Pino D’Oro in her novelette Problem at Pollensa Bay. The short story was first published in Strand Magazine in 1936.

The hotel is closed during the Winter months but will re-open in time for Easter. Then, you could take your Five o’Clock Tea at the hotel’s attractive seaside terrace and reminisce about the years of yonder as you admire the views over the Badia de Pollença, just the way Agatha did.

The photo was taken in Port de Pollença, Mallorca, Spain. The date: December 22nd, 2008. The time: 15:55:31.