Week 131-132: Four days in Mallorca

We found a direct flight from Salzburg to Palma and could not resist, so we hopped on a plane and spent four days in Mallorca. An island off the coast of mainland Spain and the largest island of the four Balearic Islands.

This was our second time travelling to Spain since living abroad. The first time was to San Sebastián and the Picos de Europa for my 30th birthday in Week 93. After our first Spanish experience, we were a little concerned about finding vegetarian-friendly food, but to our delight there were plenty of options.

Mallorca is a popular destination for hiking and cycling enthusiasts as well as famous figures and celebs like the late Princess Diana, the Obamas, Gwyneth Paltrow, Harrison Ford, Richard Branson, Sting, and Elton John. Needless to say we were excited to see what the hype was all about. From spending time in the largest city in the Baleric Islands, to walking around the highest village in the Serra de Tramuntana mountains and sleeping in the prettiest town in Spain, it is safe to say Mallorca offers beautiful scenery, the juiciest olives, the sweetest oranges, and some of the coolest outdoorsy adventures.

This is our recap…

Friday, April 28

7:00 AM - We boarded a flight from Salzburg to Palma.

9:00 AM - We landed in Palma, picked up our rental car which to our delight was a Peugeot SUV, and headed for the western coast to the Serra de Tramuntana Mountains

10:30 AM - We arrived in Fornalutx. This little town of less than 700 inhabitants, 6 restaurants, 3 cafes, and has been voted the prettiest village in Spain. With the amount of olive trees, orange trees, lemon trees, cactus plants, and flowers dangling on almost every cafe, house, and store front, this entire town smelled as if we were walking through a flower shop.

We checked into this Airbnb.

Our rental unit was located within a 400-year old house with terrace overlooking an orange grove, with a private kitchen, bathroom, and a little reading nook.

We learned the owner of the property is an interior designer, author, and lives on the top floor. His books were displayed in the common room library and in several shops in town.

Saturday, April 29

9:00 AM - Breakfast at a local bakery named Forn Barri that was recommended by the Airbnb hosts.

10:00 AM - We were in the car heading to an epic coasteering adventure. Coasteering is where you get to explore a rocky coastline by climbing, jumping, and swimming in the sea. Using our past experiences rappelling waterfalls, climbing via ferratas, and canyoning, Coasteering sounded like such a cool thing for us.

However, after a few minutes into our drive, the road was blocked. The Mallorca 312 Cycling Event was in full effect. 8,000 cyclists from all over the world endure a one-day race of 312km. We tried to go an alternate route but Google Maps took us down the tiniest streets and it became too overwhelming and clear that getting across the island was impossible.

So we had to cancel our excursion and went back to our Airbnb, later making our way back out for lunch at a cafe in the town square where we had the best olives we’ve ever had. Flash-forward to typing this recap and I find myself day dreaming about these olives since we arrived back in Austria.

3:00 PM - The cyclists had finished the mountain section of the race, the road blocks were cleared up, and we headed to a beach called Port d'Alcudia Beach. Alcúdia is the oldest town in Mallorca an hour north of Fornalutx, the beach was spacious, and the weather was perfect.

The water was still too cold for us to really enjoy, so we just took the time to sit in the lounge chairs and watch all the kids who don’t care about the cold water splash around in the water.

5:00 PM - After an hour at the beach, we were on to the next spot headed for the Cap de Formentor Lighthouse. The highest lighthouse in the Balearic Islands located on high cliffs at the tip of Cap de Formentor. This Spanish peninsula offers views of jaw-dropping cliffs and dreamy beaches.

With a single winding road leading to the lighthouse, and practically zero parking, you can imagine the traffic cluster it creates at the end of the road, but the views from lighthouse were epic and definitely a reason to visit and deal.

As we were leaving the Cap de Formentor area, we stopped off on the side of a road for a photo opp because clearest turquoise waters were catching our eye and the Cala Figuera beach was down below.

*Looking down at the Cala Figuera beach*

The Cala Figuera beach is surrounded by the high mountains making for great scenery for a swim. With most people only visiting it from above to take a photo, I imagine this rocky beach offers a quieter experience than most of the other beaches in Mallorca.

One more stop along the winding road at Mirador de Es Colomer for a panoramic view of Cap de Formentor peninsula.

From the same Mirador de Es Colomer view point, we were able to see the Albercutx Watchtower. This watchtower is what remains of a centuries-old surveillance tower built to spot pirates!

*Eric looking up at the Albercutx Watchtower*

Sunday

9:00 AM - Another Fornalutx cafe breakfast and we were off to Sóller 15 minutes away from our Airbnb and a much larger town than our Spanish village.

Known for its church of Saint Bartomeu, charming historic center, orange groves and production of orange-based products, such as marmalade, which are exported all over the world, Sóller also has its famous 100-year old wooden tram linking the city to the sea in 30 minutes. This tram is a very popular form of transport for tourists as well as working cargo transport bringing oranges to the dock and fish from the sea to the village. Unfortunately, it was so popular that we never got a chance to hop on.

It was the festival of oranges when we were visiting. There were bands playing music, crafters selling their handmade goods, and cafes selling their finest orange dishes and desserts. We had a “Sollier Bomb” which is a drink made with orange juice and sherbet.

2:00 PM - We boarded a rib-boat with SollerMar for a two hour excursion on the sea. From Port Soller to Sa Calobra, we made stops to see the spectacular canyon of Na Mora and it’s gigantic cliffs, the Sa Costera electricity factory, a small but beautiful waterfall, and for the grand finale we made stops at the Cala Tuent and Sa Calobra.

The plan was to swim and snorkel in the crystal clear waters in the heart of the Sierra de Tramuntana mountains, but the water was just too cold. We also spotted several jelly fish, so opted to just take in the sights and walk around the beaches.

Monday

9:00 AM - One last breakfast Fornalutx before packing up and driving through Deia. The small coastal village perched on a ravine with views out to the Mediterranean below. Deià has been a magnet for famous artists, writers, and creators and it is the town where Richard Branson built his first high end, 5-star hotel–La Residencia.

Its sandy-colored stone houses, pretty winding lanes, and lush Sierra de Tramuntana surroundings.

There were maybe 6 parking spots in the whole village. If you aren’t sleeping in the village, finding a parking spot is near impossible. So we quickly drove through before stopping in Valldemossa, Mallorca's highest town in the mountains. Buses of tourists unloaded as we arrived as this town makes the list of every person who travels to Mallorca.

Icons over the years, including composer Frédéric Chopin, lived here for a time where he composed and completed 24 preludes.

3:00 PM - We were enroute back to Palma, the city we flew into, the capital of the island, and the largest city of the Balearic Island chain.

Google maps had us drive down several questionable, tiny cobblestone streets where only people were walking. We finally parked with a sigh of relief and walked back down the streets we had just driven down. As we walked passed the massive Santa María cathedral, we couldn’t help but laugh at the moments before when we drove our car right infront of the cathedral entrance where we clearly were not supposed to be driving. We rounded a corner to see another lost tourist doing the same thing presumably with their butts clenched, the passenger covering their eyes, and the driver white-knuckling the steering wheel navigating the tight corners. So, we were not the first and certainly not the last.

Next to the cathedral, is a fortress converted to a royal residence.

Our Spanish getaway ended in the heart of Palma's “golden mile” meandering the streets and eating along the Passeig des Born at Borne 8 before we made our way back to the airport to fly back to Salzburg.

Week 131-132: Four days in Mallorca

Friday, April 28

Saturday, April 29

Sunday

Monday

Week 133: Friends in Austria

Week 130: 2.5 Years in Austria