Mallorca is such a dream. When I first was planning the trip i was shocked to see how big the island was. Something I learned as I was planning our trip was it takes a lot of time to get from one side of the island to the next. Even village to village can be minimum 30 min in the car (lots of mountains and small roads). Before visiting the area, I had heard the most about Deia & Soller.
I focused my trip on the East side of the island. I split my time between Palma and Deia/Soller. Something I loved about Mallorca was it felt so authentic & untouched. Especially in the beautiful mountainous areas of Deia & Soller. One of my favorite days, was when we hiked from the village of Deia down to the beach. We ate at the beach club Cas Patro March. The seafood here was unreal, we had squid & monkfish. It was some of the best seafood on the trip. As a bonus, everything is served with potatoes. And let me tell you, these potatoes are not to be wasted. There is the cutest man that sits outside the restaurant and individually peels all of the potatoes. So, you know they are made with love. After we ate at the beach club, we swam for a bit before hiking back up to the main village. In the main town, we had drinks at the Belmond hotel. The views from this hotel, La Residencia, are incredible- mountains, florals, and the sunset! Wow! It was such a magical evening with live music, great wine & bar snacks (i always love a good bar snack, especially a trio of olives, almonds, and chips!). We finished up the day at dinner near Palma Nova. Palma Nova is a harbor that had a bunch of trendy spots- it gave me Newport Beach vibes a bit. We had sushi at this spot called Portal Yara (sister restaurant to Michellin star, Fera in Palma). This spot was very trendy with excellent quality sushi! We booked a boat through viator that left out of Palma and had great reviews- it had a full bar and served tapas. It was honestly such a luxury experience I was blown away by the quality. It was a group excursion and normally I have mixed feelings about this, but I thought it was great. We spent four hours on the boat before heading back to Palma. That evening, we had cocktails at hotel Cappuccino (very charming option to stay at in Palma). Then we had late dinner reservations at Bodeguilla. This was a fantastic restaurant- one of my favorite meals on the trip. We way over ordered but I still dream of the sweetbreads. We had a giant lamb and seabass. All excellent. The next day, we did another hike from Deia to Soller. People were shocked we were hiking in the summer months but it was actually not bad, plenty of shade. The hike was hilarious, we were on the main road for a lot of the hike & then would all the sudden weave back onto a trail for a bit. It really was not the best marked trail. Towards the end of the hike, we stopped into Hotel Corazon. I had been dying to go here. I kept trying to book this hotel to actually stay at but it was completely sold out. So, when we quite literally ran into it, it was meant to be. We got drinks on the patio which was very necessary to have a bit of hydration. The best part of this story is that we kept going on our hike after drinks and all of the sudden we saw a walk down to the beach so we took it. Well my google maps was showing we were not in the Soller (the goal was to get to Patiki beach in Soller). Instead, we were at Es Canyaret. Which if you look on a map you will see we were way off. We hiked down to this beach, where nothing was. And decided what the heck lets go for a swim. This ended up being my favorite moment of the trip and my favorite beach we swam in. Now a little tip in Mallorca, you need taxis. Start collecting taxi phone numbers so you have some contacts. Well we did not have service, so we needed to find the closest hotel to call us a taxi. We walked back up to a hotel called Hoposa Hotel. It was stunning- i am actually tempted to stay here next time I visit Mallorca. We sat and had a wine while we waited for our taxi. Luckily we were in no rush because our taxi took about an hour to arrive. That night, my husband was arriving and we had checked into a charming hotel, Palma Riad. It was a very chic trendy hotel. Our room was massive and had a huge bathroom with a shower that led into a gigantic bathtub. We loved this room (although Evan kept complaining it was a tad dark inside). My friend and I met him at dinner at Quadrat, which is an amazing restaurant at the Sant Francesc Hotel Singular (Marriott affiliated). It has a great patio- i recommend requesting this. Dinner was lovely, excellent seafood & meat options. The rest of the trip, we spent in Soller at Finca Can Coll (read below on my thoughts. Spoiler, I loved it). This part of the trip was focused on road cycling. We biked from Soller to Valldemosa. Had some small plates in Valldemosa before cycling back. We were recommended Es Taller to eat at once we got to Valldemosa, but it was not open yet. For lunch, we went to Patiki Beach. We waited over an hour for a taxi which is when we discovered the public bus system- very easy. However, we should have taken the train to the port. It goes directly from the main town of Soller to the port and runs every 30 minutes! Stops super close to Patiki Beach as well. Patiki Beach was a blast & such fresh food. Next time I go to Mallorca, i will return here. We did not want to fill up too much as that evening we had dinner plans at Bens d Avall. A Michellin rated tasting menu, this was our favorite meal of the whole trip. Our last day, we did a final bike ride. Headed to town and had pastries at Confianca, a popular bakery in Soller. They had some markets going on Sunday. We took the train from Soller to Palma- it was such a fun experience. It is 20 euro a person. Which is about the same price as a taxi back to Palma would be (if you are two people, taxi is 45 Euro) and it does take generally the same amount of time. So up to you on your mode of transportation, but the train is an old school wooden train that is so cute. It is quite a treat. We spent the rest of our trip at Puro Beach as it is so close to the airport (10 min drive). So we hung out all day there before flying out. Very expensive for beach chairs and the price includes a credit for the food and alcohol (basically a minimum you must spend). But its great to store luggage as they have lockers, showers, etc. And the food was nice and fresh. Restaurants- Jen de Adelfas- in the Santa Ponca region of Mallorca. A great patio, charming staff, excellent fresh food. I had a vegetable curry dish with fresh shrimp. A highlight dinner. Bens d' Avall- Michellin star, amazing terrace with gorgeous views of the water & sunset. Tasting menu that highlights key ingredients in Mallorca. Really great as they know the terrace is hot with the sun beating and a lot of their food served cold (like desserts) which makes it such a refreshing experience. Quadrat- located in Palma, excellent restaurant in the Sant Francesc Hotel Singular. Michellin quality meal serves amuse bouche at the beginning of meal. Charming interior but excellent patio. La Bodeguilla- one of my favorite meals in palma. Note this spot does not have cocktails only wine. The tapas are all excellent but my favorite was the sweetbreads. The seabass & lamb shoulder were highlights from the mains. Sea Club at Cap Rocat Cas Patro March Patiki Beach Fera- Michellin star in the heart of Palma. Tasting menu (choice of size). We loved this spot. They have a huge back yard where everyone dines white tablecloths, the tables are far enough apart and service is excellent- very romantic spot. Yara Portals- same owner as Fera. Very fresh sushi and trendy spot with large patio space. Es Taller Valldemossa Tast club- Tapas spot in the heart of Soller, great wines! Sumailla Stagier Bar- tapas spot in Palma, Latin Mediterranean fusion. Can Costa- cute spot in Valldemossa serving paellas, meats, seafoods. Restaurante Illeta Nautilus Restaurant- another popular lunch or dinner spot at the port of Soller, excellent water views. Arrels- in Calvia along the coast. Located at a hotel this is a Michellin rated tasting menu. Assaona Gastrobeach Palma Club- palma La Confianca- bakery in the main village of Soller Es Pi by Marcel Re[ss]- Mediterranean food in Deia at the hotel Sa Pedrissa Ca's Patro March- mentioned above. One of my favorite lunch spots on the island. Super charming & excellent views. Beach club restaurant in Deia. El Olivo- super charming restaurant at the Belmond property in Deia. Large outdoor terrace. Restaurant Nama- Thai restaurant in Deia, really great food, also different cuisine for Mallorca. Has a terrace. Sumaq- peruvian restaurant in Palma Aromata- Tasting menu in Palma La Vieja de Jonay Hdez- cocktail spot in Palma serving a small but mighty menu DINS- tasting menu michellin star spot in Palma. Zaranda- Michellin recommended fine dining spot in Palma Mestis- "baja californian" spot in Palma. Great cocktails. Breakfast/Brunch in Palma: Santal Cafe- brunch spot in palma Cafe Poupette- cafe for brunch palma, french inspired. really trendy. Umai Cafe- coffee shop in Palma Bacan- breakfast spot in Palma Beach Clubs: Puro Beach Patiki Beach Mhares Sea Club Hotels: Hotel Corazon Hotel Sa Pedrissa Kimpton Asyla - great if you want amenities & a fantastic gym with access to tennis courts. The best restaurant near by is Adelfas by Jen. Can walk to a beach (less cute than others). This hotel is a bit of a drive from Palma (30 min) but gym is unreal. Palma Riad Sant Francesc Hotel Singular- marriott affilated hotel in Palma, has a restaurant, Quadrat, that is very highly rated. Rooftop pool & trendy bar. Small gym but high end equipment. Hotel Valdemossa Finca Can Coll - Evan and I stayed here in Soller. The hosts are amazing & go above and beyond to make you feel comfortable. Such a cozy place that feels like you are at home. They cook breakfast in the morning al fresco. Amazing views and a pool with an honesty bar. They have a wine collection that they open up to their guests (again honesty bar). We loved seeing their collection and trying one of the local whites they had. Zafiro Palace Alcudia Cap Rocat- 5 star hotel, with amazing restaurants. The property architecture and views are stunning. Loved dining at the Sea Club. Hoposa Hotel Costa d' Or- (funny story above), secluded hotel in Deia. Close to one of my favorite beaches that I have been to so far. Has a gym, pool and excellent terrace for dinner and drinks. |