C.M.W..MaóLast Wednesday saw the inauguration of Sa Vinyeta Youth Hostel which will open next month, increasing the accommodation available to youngsters within the Balearic Islands. The ceremony was attended by Balearic Councillor Rosa Puig, the Mayor of Ciutadella, Llorenç Brondo, and the Island Councillor for Education and Culture, Mateu Martínez.
The Balearic Government has spent 2.3 million euros on the conversion of the original buildings, construction of additional structures, the surroundings and equipping the centre; 500,000 euros more than the original estimate. Rosa Puig praised the hostel´s facilities and said that it was "a project for the youngsters, who will be able to enjoy leisure activities and nature".
Considered to be the most modern in the Islands, the youth hostel stands in 62,000 sq.m. of public land. The 1,125 sq.m. of construction contains 15 bedrooms of differing sizes, capable of sleeping 80.
The original estate buildings have been restored and once again painted in the traditional "English" red. The central house contains meeting rooms, administration offices and bedrooms, toilets and showers for personnel.
A newly-constructed building, which adjoins the original main house, has been divided into three sections: the first houses communal rooms such as the dining room, kitchen, hall, games room and toilets; the second, the services (laundry, changing rooms, etc.); and the third contains the bedrooms.
As Rosa Puig pointed out during the ceremony, the hostel already includes some features, such as air-conditioning/central heating. However, at present there is no swimming pool nor sports ground. The Director General of Youth, Juan Francisco Gálvez, has suggested that these might be installed in a second phase, along with a fourth unit containing extra bedrooms.
Personnel for the centre will be selected this month, with posts available for a manager, assistant manager, two cooks, two kitchen workers, three cleaners, two night watchmen and a person in charge of maintenance.
Accommodation during the high season will cost 21 euros per person per day, full board, and is aimed principally at the young generation, with reservations (from the Balearic Islands, Spain or abroad) being made through the Turisme Jove offices (Maó has one such office, in the calle Miguel de Veri). From 1st January 2007, when the Island Council will assume reponsibility for running the hostel, it will remain open all year round, as an experiment.
The Mayor of Ciutadella described the hostel as the culmination of a dream for Ciutadella and an island-wide demand for youngsters.
