Palma de Mallorca, was one of the few places, that I always tried to avoid, because mainly since growing up, it became well know for its invading german & british tourists, taking over the beaches and streets of “El Arenal” on Mallorca, for binge drinking nights. Not that I dislike drinking, however the whole package of very bad music, sweaty testosterone mollecules and loud german chants, just doesn’t fulfill my interests.
During these last few months of time spent at home, partially closed country borders, we were looking for a destination, that we could visit, with one of the few airlines available. We split up our summer holidays on 3 different locations. As our first trip, since march 2020, we opted for Mallorca, because we just wanted to get away for 4 nights, into the sun, with good food & wine, no big expecations, just “away from Luxembourg”. As Spain, looked pretty safe among the corona-virus invaded countries, we decided fo fly over to Spain.
It quickly turned out, that we had a completely wrong approach towards the big balearic island. Getting out of the airport, jumping on the first taxi, it only took around 10 minutes to make it to the city center. Of course, our taxi driver added a fixed fare of 9,80 euro, instead of the usual 4,40 eur. Something a visitor wouldn’t know. The short ride cost us around 28 euro, instead of the usual 20 euro, which we found out on the next day.
This was something, that I really appreciated. You don’t have to spend much time in a taxi, or in a car, to reach your spots in Mallorca. Everything felt very close. On the 2nd day, we picked up our rental car, which by chance, turned out to be a very convenient and cosy MINI, in red color. Getting from the aiport, to Valldemossa, took us only 15-20 minutes driving. Later on, driving on towards Port de Soller, took us another 20-25 minutes. Nothing seemed really far, from the main city of Palma. You just don’t loose much time, driving around.
Palma.
The main city of the mallorcan Island, is pretty alright. We had absolutely no expectations while booking our first night in the city center. It turned out to be ok. The center offers a bunch of lovely shops, selling locals crafts, the tradional & trendy summer clothes, all kinds of food and booze. Just the usual nice things you expect to find in a touristic place, where you can spend on your money on.
Reading online, that Santa Catalina, was the place to go out, in Palma. We headed towards S-C on foot, which only took about 10 minutes. Despite the virus spread, and the early closing hours of most places during this year’s summer season, Santa Catalaina seemed still enough lively to have a good time. The bar “Cuba” offered a great roof-top bar, however too many people were waiting in line to make it on top of the building. There was a right mix of cocktail bars and local pubs.
The cathedral “Santa Maria” was the most eyecatching building in the city. Definitely beautiful as you walk by the edges of the city center.
Maybe it was because of the virus disease, that the whole vibe in the city wasn’t that attractive. Palma is definitely an enjoyable place, however nothing more nothing less.
Port de Soller .
After picking up our rental car, we drove straight to Port de Soller, where we spent 2 nights. We had a stop at Valldemossa and Deià, two little towns, offering the traditional historical buildings, a couple of viewpoints, and of course the delicious pastries with its coffee & cafe crema.
As we’ve seen those kind of town already in Spain, Portugal and Italy, nothing seemed very new to us.
Making it to Port de Soller, we got a smile on our face, as the coastal bay, with its surrounding hills & white houses, looked convincingly beautiful. We had booked two nights at the hotel “EDEN” which was just right in the front of the port. The whole area seemed very cozy and quiet. There was a tram on the alley along the shore, that was passing by every hour, to bring people form Port de Soller, to the oldtown of Soller. Everything in Port de Soller, felt like “being on vacation”.
Allong the shore, there were bunches of fancier lounges, the traditional seafood restaurants, ice bars, and the beach shops where you could also rent a board for stand up paddling. The view in the evening was very satisfying. It just felt like being in one of those fancy spots in the south of France.
Caló des Moro.
On our 3rd day, we left Port de Soller in the early morning, and headed over to the east-coast of Mallorca. We had read about Calo des Moro, and couldn’t wait anymore to witness the beauty of the blue-greenish colored water of the popular cove. We were lucky that we arrived around 09:30 in the morning, as the place wasn’t that much crowded. Later when we were leaving the cove, lots of tourists were visiting the place with inflatable toys & boats, and any kind of rubbish you should’t bring to a beautiful place like this one.
As you can see on the photos below, it’s a must-see in Mallorca. The way to make it to the water, is a little bit adventurous, and not really convenient for the older generation, nor kids, as you have to climb down a bunch of rocks to make it o the water.
We visited three different coves in total, and the Calo des Moro was by far the most beautiful of all 3. The second nicest one was the “Port De Sa Calobra”. If you’re heading to the “Sa Calobra” serpentine roads, the way up will lead to the a road-bar on the highest point of the mountain. The opposite side, which obviously leads down to a lovely cove which goes by the mentioned name “Port de Sa Calobra”. It’s a mix of port, bathing place, stoney beach, surrounded by two restaurants. It’s definitely worth to visit. The location and its nearby hills & woods reminded naturewise of California.
Cap de Formentor.
Another must-see would be the Cap de Formentor on the most northern spot on the west-coast of Mallorca. After having seen the Capo da Rocca in Portugal, it wasn’t as impressive, as if it would have been for a first-timer. Although the lighthouse here in Mallorca was nicer than the one in Portugal.
We got the best views with our drone shots. However you’ll witness a beautiful scenery of rocks, the sea, and the neverending distance far into the ocean. The scenic drive to the point is pretty convincing, and you get the feel of a national park drive. Even though having seen many light houses, the drive to Cap de Formentor, in my opinion is definitely worth the time & drive to the northern spot.
Why Mallorca?
After having visited many cities in Spain, Portugal and Italy, why would I recommend Mallorca to anyone? Just getting from the airport to the next city is very convenient. It takes you maximum 20-30 minutes driving. The roads actually weren’t that busy when we were visiting. Everything was hassle-free without any traffics jams or packed roads.
getting around with the german & english language, might be easier than in Italy.
the flight for us lasted only 90 minutes, compared to 3 hours for Portugal.
the spanish food, definitely beats the portguese cuisine (even though i love both).
Would Mallorca become one of my favorite destinations ever? I guess not, it lacks that kind of soul, that makes you fall in love with a special place. However Mallorca definitely has its own kind of beauty, that mediterranean island vibe. It really feels like driving around an island, as the scenery can change pretty quickly, among thousands of narrow roads.
I’m so glad that we gave Mallorca a chance, as we initially didn’t have such a positive image of the island. The spanish island has much more to offer than just the party destination at “El Arenal”.
We would definitely get back to Mallorca anytime soon, especially with kids or other couples. As we had the impression, that most restaurants or lounges were booked by pairs or groups.
There’s a fancy gin-brand that comes from Mallorca. The name of the gin is “Cabraboc”, a simple design of a clear bottle with a label depicting the head of a buck (goat). Making it to Mallorca, I finally understood why they used a buck head on their local gin brand. Driving around the island, you will notice endless goats on the side of the road, and obviously in the middle of the road. Definitely a funny thing to see! Drive carefully.