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Spelt as Mallorca or Majorca and read as Maiorca, this place is a large beautiful spanish island and if you are thinking just beaches then you are as wrong as I was a month back; before digging, diving and exploring the place myself.
Driving around this magical island will be a scenic therapy in itself so I definitely recommend hiring a car as we did. It was a family trip and I had my husband and two year old daughter as my dear companions. Travelling with a child has its own challenges so its best to keep things nice and easy & at a manageable pace so you get time to relax & enjoy and that's the prime purpose of my beach getaway. I assigned five days for this island break, you can always plus minus based on the time and resources at your disposal.
So first things first, we sorted out our bookings we needed to get out of the way. We used #alamocar company to rent a car and booked our hotel through #expedia. The hotel we booked was called #BQApolo. The best part being its location apart from the indoor/ outdoor pool, music nights, massage services and a wide selection of hot/ cold items in their luxury breakfast buffet & fantastic clubs to stroll around in the night. It is just 2.2 kms away from the palma city airport & right on the beach. So whether you are a morning person or a night owl, you will be able to enjoy the views at sunrise and sunset; both being dramatic and in contrast. Here is a small 4 to 5 day itinerary for those of you in search of sun, sand and Spain..
Day 1- Exploring the city, its historic monuments.
Hoover in the capital city of Palma & explore the famous landmarks & stuff up on some tasty treats and nibbles throughout the day. There are two main attractions in Palma which are most popular, one is called Bellver Castle and the other one is Cathedral of Palma. These are not too far from each other so you can club them in a day but as we pride in being a totally lazy lot we chose to visit the two on separate days.
This round circular building here is the Bellver Castle, its a century old gothic monument that stands on top of a mountain and prominently dominates the view of the city and the ports nearby. Take a look below..
Tips
1. It is quite a walk from the parking lot so be prepared for that. Don't forget to carry a bottle of water, you will need it after all the hard climbing.
2. Most important one, don't bother carrying that stroller in the building because the routes aren't meant for it. Most parts don't have a step free access which means you will have to lift the buggy & I am sure you are better off lifting your child than the stroller.
Now roll up your sleeves and get ready to climb up a flight of steep stairs if you want to enjoy the views of the port & the city in general. Of course, take pictures & catch your breath and relax when you can.
There are a lot of food options in Palma so as far as food choices are concerned you would not be disappointed. After all the hard work, we rewarded ourselves with some great delicious Indian food at Jonny's Dhaba in the capital city.
Day 2: Get ready to burn a lot more calories today as you stroll around in the old town of the capital city, Palma and visit the iconic cathedral.
The spectacular Palma de Mallorca Cathedral is city’s finest historical attraction. Staggered to almost as far as you can see, this magnificent architectural masterpiece is truly unique inside out..
Tip
1. You can walk and explore the old town surrounding the cathedral. A fun alternative is a horse cart ride and exploring on a guided tour. While the rider explains the brief history of the place, you can sit back, relax and enjoy the ride. It takes about 30-40 minutes to finish this ride. We did both as we had enough time.
We then called it a day as we headed off to this beautiful cruise shaped beach side club / restaurant called 'Purobeach' for a elaborate dinner.
Tip
1. This is a very popular club and gets extremely busy in the evening. Chances are you may have to patiently wait for a couple of minutes but be assured the balmy sunset, foot tapping music and that cool ocean breeze is worth the wait.
Day 03 Visit seaside towns of Valdemossa & Soller
On the outskirts of the main city of Mallorca lies this huge and very sparsely populated town of Valdemossa, a place that primes on agriculture; predominantly olive farming. And maintaining its symmetry with the rest of the city it also has a small mooring harbour, couple of boats , and brave swimmers battling the sticky algae soaked in the sea..
Tips
1. Drive to Valdemossa is definitely scenic but its equally risky. A very narrow hairpin kind of road with traffic flowing from both sides, this route will definitely test your driving skills.
2. Another useful tip is that the walking path that leads to the water is extremely slippery so wear appropriate shoes or you may have to accidentally swim in the sticky algae infested water. So be mindful of what to expect if you fancy swimming here.
You can easily spend half the day exploring around Valdemossa and the port. Stretching this day a bit further you can also visit the small rural town of Soller that has preserved its old world charm. Its just a 15 minutes drive from Valdemossa.
The vintage tramway passing through the narrow cozy streets add a special element to this place. Grab a coffee or a bite and lull peacefully into this pretty horizon hemmed by the mountains of Tramuntana.
Tips
1. You can get on to a train from Palma & reach this nice and quiet town of Soller. It is approximately an hour ride and will be a enjoyable experience as you get to see the offbeat countryside of Mallorca
2. Once you reach Soller, you can hop on to a vintage tram and reset your time machine to the old yesteryear days as you rumble along in this slow paced 30 minutes ride that takes you to the Soller port.
Finally, end your day at one of the beach spots in Soller. We chose Platja des Traves, its a clean golden sand beach. You can rent a sun bed, grab a drink or ice-cream or swim in the warm, shallow waters of the ocean..
If quintessential beach is your vibe and only the best will do , then Mallorca is your place to be. We are talking pristine, polished and serious pose worthy beaches..
Interestingly, couple of them have huge wooden pier like structures that takes you right in the centre of the water and this is where you see divers hooked up in a queue waiting to jump straight in.
So spend the day relaxing on the beach or dab a generous dose of sunscreen and get ready to swim with your fishy friends..
Can't get enough of beaches?? Well, that's exactly how I feel even after spending a whole day soaked in sand & water..
Ok. I am an addict. I admit, but if you are as beachaholic as me then treat yourself by lounging around at this amazing white sand beach of Platja de Alcudia.
Enjoy a swim in the shallow water here or take a stroll in the ocean. Stroll in the ocean may sound crazy but believe me this is a super shallow beach which means you can literally walk up to a mile without catching your breath. So the good news is even if you don't know swimming you still can manage to stay in the water and enjoy as much as other swimming enthusiasts.
If you are guilty of too much relaxing then drive to rural town of Pollenca, which is a short 15 minutes drive from the Alcudia beach. It's a quaint ancient type of town which has some 365 steps that leads to a chapel. There is a separate viewing platform at the top which offers spectacular views of the town and the monstrous mountains around.
The place is tranquil and unlike majority of tourist infested places, it has managed to retain its unspoiled vibe.
After all the hard work, its time to reward yourself with a well earned drink or ice-cream, so ignore the calorie count & forgive yourself and binge.
Tips
1. Best time to visit the place will be around the sunset as afternoons will be too hot and you can practically bake yourself in the scorching heat.
2. Before its time to head back don't forget to sip on to an extra shot of rum / brandy blended in caffeine. I am talking about a special coffee preparation called 'Carajillo' which is espresso with a shot of brandy/whisky which you can easily find on any decent restaurant / bar.
Now that this deadly caffeine fix must have worked its magic, it is time to head back to your boring routine life until you hear that beach calling you again...
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