John van Eenennaam, born in Vlissingen, Netherlands, has been living in Majorca’s capital, Palma, since 1991. Before moving into real estate, he was involved in the import and export of leather goods and footwear. Since 2005 he has been working as an estate agent in southwest Majorca. In 2012 he acquired the Southwest II franchise licence from Porta Mallorquina and, in June last year, he opened an estate agency on Boulevard Santa Ponsa. Together with his team (Ursula Gassner, Dieter Linder, Natalie de la Piedra and Corinna Schmid) he is responsible for the areas of Portals and Santa Ponsa. The dedicated long-distance runner has already completed several half-marathons and is currently preparing for his first full marathon.
John van Eenennaam, Porta Mallorquina Franchise Partner in Santa Ponsa.
Mr. van Eenennaam, for you, what is special about Majorca?
After so many years in Majorca, there is a risk that you start “taking it all for granted”. However, I have discovered (not least thanks to my many trips abroad) that there are many beautiful places in the world – some may even be better in certain respects – but, for me, Majorca simply has the best mix of many attributes (climate, landscape, infrastructure, quality of life, etc.), and I think that is precisely why the island is so popular.
If Majorca were a piece of music, what would it be?
The perfect 3-hour concert by Bruce Springsteen with beautiful ballads on the beach and punchy rock numbers in the mountains.
What is the first place that you show to Majorca visitors?
That depends on the visitor’s interests. Because of Majorca’s great diversity of options, there is always something for every taste. I personally think the little fishing village of Cala Figuera near Santanyí with its beautiful harbour is fantastic, and I also like taking visitors to S’Amarador Beach near Cala Mondragó. For those who want to look at beautiful ships, Puerto Portals and Port Adriano are obviously a must.
What’s your favourite restaurant in Majorca?
John van Eenennaam with Porta Mallorquina colleague Stephan Hoffmann at the TUI Marathon 2012
I don’t really have a favourite restaurant. There is a huge and varied choice for every occasion, every taste and every price bracket. Sometimes, for example, you might stumble across the best authentic Majorcan cuisine quite by chance in a small and simple restaurant, in a place that you’d least expect it.
As a Dutchman, living in Majorca is…
I have already been living in Majorca for so long that I’m at home here, and don’t feel like a foreigner in Majorca. I am still Dutch but now when I’m in the Netherlands I feel more like a visitor there.