After a long and miserable UK winter, we decided to seek a little sunshine (it's been a while since we managed to get a holiday together!) and book a short city break. After debating on Italy (too expensive and Anne H will be visiting family there soon), Greece (Anne C going there later in the year) and other European destinations, we listened to friends' recommendations and booked Majorca.
Now Majorca is probably one of the place I have previously ignored as being famous mostly for Hen and Stag holidays, with my only previous experience of a holiday there being 50 years ago with my Mum and auntie!
But a fabulous surprise was in store for us. First off, it's just a two-and-a-half hour flight for us flying from our local airport. It was also quite a special occasion, as Anne H had booked wonderful surprises for me as part of my pre-big-birthday celebrations coming this summer.
We fast-tracked through security and settled into the luxury of a travel lounge before departure, with a tasty breakfast, followed by a smooth and trouble-free flight.
Our accommodation was a two-bedroom apartment at the Borne Suites in the centre of the old town in Palma, which was perfect for exploring the many fabulous bars, restaurants, art galleries, shops, and was also very close to the marina. It was situated above the Hugo Boss store, with a perfect view of the sparkling fountain in the middle of the road! The apartment had all the necessary amenities, though we didn't do any cooking or food preparation - but we could have done if we had chosen to do so.
While the building looks modern, it is actually built on Roman remains - a fact which escaped us as we entered the building, but on leaving and stepping back out of the lift, it was disconcerting to see a glass floor featuring the stone remains beneath it - causing me to do a double-take and step back into the lift.
EXPLORING - Day One
Arrival day was spent getting our bearings and exploring. We came upon a lovely little restaurant EG3 (very mixed reviews on Tripadvisor - maybe we were lucky!) and ordered our first sangria and delicious tapas. The pavement restaurant was full - always a good sign - but we managed to squeeze onto a table.
Although it is a city, there is a beach nearby and a marina boasting some very impressive super yachts. There is plenty to do and see - if only to people watch - which we did a lot during our trip, over a cocktail or three.
There are more independent boutiques than I have ever seen in one city, but beware - the shoes can be very expensive, and designer boutiques are not for those on a budget.
We spent the evening wandering through many of the tiny backstreets, alleyways and courtyards. There is an eclectic mix of architecture, from quaint gated courtyards to wide modern streets, but it was all completely accessible and felt very safe.
We wandered up to a central plaza - known as a patio in Spanish - opposite the City Hall and decided we just wanted a light bite for dinner. The Hotel Cappuccino provided a perfect, delicious small plate. It is obviously part of a chain, since we did find another restaurant of the same name close to the magnificent cathedral. Decor was very modern, boasting some impressive tiles, which we found were a feature in many other restaurants, thanks to the Moorish influence which pervades the city. We loved the place so much, we returned another day for a meal. It looks fabulous to stay there - but expensive!
City Hall
Hotel Cappuccino
Day Two
One of the first things we do in a new city is to get the hop on-hop off bus so we can scout where we want to go. Being over 65s meant we paid only 10 Euros for our tickets, and the bus took us around the city area into the suburbs, so we knew where we wanted to go for the rest of the holiday.
The bus took us through many of the residential streets and up to the Bellver Castle, with its impressive panoramic view, as you would expect from an island which has been invaded several times. We didn't hop off this time, but you can read about it here.
Back at the terminus, there was a little market in the shadow of the cathedral, selling all manner of jewellery, trinkets, souvenirs and artworks - all well worth a browse.
Cocktails by the Marina
Dinner on the second evening was at THE place to be seen - the Mar de Nudos brasserie overlooking the marina. Our pre-dinner cocktails (Porn Star Martini for me (my new favourite) and G&T for Anne) were delicious, but as we sat for dinner, it was obviously the place for all the beautiful people to congregate. Nevertheless, the food - a mix of Mediterranean and Japanese cuisine - was perfect. It was also a great place for people watching, and for soaking in the atmosphere.
Day Three
Day three saw us visit the very impressive cathedral - actually called the Catedral-Basilica de Santa Maria - which is an absolute must for any visitor to Palma. We had pre-booked our tickets, enabling us to skip the queues, which had stretched around the side of the building by the time we exited.
We took hundreds of photographs in the cathedral, so difficult to show you all of them, but this one features the Dormitrion of the Virgin Mary who "fell asleep before she is taken up to Heaven, body and soul." The exhibit is removed to the centre of the cathedral on the 15th August in celebration of the Feast of the Assumption of the Virgin.
The beautiful stained glass window, which perfectly aligns with another window at the exact opposite end of the cathedral
Construction of the Cathedral of Mallorca started in the 13th century and ended in the 1630s. The Cathedral is in the Mediterranean Gothic tradition, but over the centuries, it has incorporated cultural forms of the modern and contemporary periods.
The history of the Cathedral is intimately linked to the local monarchy. After the conquest of Madina Mayurqa in 1229, James I, who was king of Aragon and Count of Barcelona, ordered the consecration of the former great mosque to the Virgin Mary as a site for Christian worship and the building of a new church in the style of that time, using part of the site of an old mosque.
Interestingly at the end of the 19th Century there was a plan to make the cathedral more accessible and to remove many of the original Gothic features. Its young bishop had met Antoni Gaudi in 1899, and two years later he moved to Majorca to take on the mammoth project.
Gaudà adapted the inner space of the Cathedral to meet those new liturgical and pastoral requirements. His renovations, promoted by the bishop, Pere Joan Campins, were carried out between 1904 and 1915. This liturgical restoration recovered space for the faithful and opened up the choir’s chancel, the bishop’s throne and the Chapel of the Holy Trinity.
While he succeeded in making those renovations, his radical plans did not meet with approval of the church and he finally left in 1914 (obviously after some major disagreements) to devote his time to the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, while his assistant succeeded in finalising the changes. Apart from his influence in the cathedral, there is an interesting Gaudi-esque building in the city centre shopping area, adjacent to the Carrer de la Bosseria.
We moved from the Cathedral to the Royal Palace of Almudaina next door. While the palace is the traditional summer residence of the Spanish royal family, it is also used for more formal royal events.
The royal castle has been the seat of power on the island possibly since Roman times. Remains of the Arab citadel, which was mentioned in the 12th and 13th century references, can still be found in the layout of the present castle, which was built between 1305 and 1314 for James ll.
Lunch was at the Bocalto restaurant, featuring more tapas. We spied a delicious old-fashioned bakery next door and planned to buy cakes for later, but in the end, we were too full, so gave it a miss. It's on my list of places to visit next time though!
The afternoon was spent browsing the impressive buildings and window-shopping the fabulous clothes and even more fabulous shoes, but you will be spoiled for choice. There are of course some recognisable shops - Zara, H&M, and Massimo Dutti, but many more independent Spanish boutiques.
The beauty of our central apartment was that if we needed a rest or a coffee, we could just nip back and put our feet up for an hour - which we did.
Dinner was another treat - a vegetarian tasting menu at the Botanic - a little haven tucked away in a back street, and entry through a large wrought iron gate, leading to a large secret garden. The food here was exquisite.
Dinner at The Botanic
It is worth mentioning a small cafe/restaurant right next to our accommodation - Ombu. We planned to have lunch or an evening meal there, though it never happened, but we did eat breakfast there every day. We can highly recommend the creamy scrambled eggs or the pancakes with your cappuccino!
DAY 4
I think I have said before that I am a compulsive shopper, but Anne kept me in check, though I did manage to buy a jacket and a handbag. For those who love jewellery, it is probably worth visiting the Mallorca Pearl Factory. Although we didn't get there, there are plenty of shops in the city selling beautiful pearl jewellery from Majorca. A lovely young assistant explained there are three qualities - two of which depend on how long the pearls have been in the sea, while the third are man-made in their local factory.
There are also a number of small galleries showcasing interesting works of modern art - particularly if you move away from the main shopping area into the back streets.
For our last visit, we took a taxi to the Pueblo de Espanol, which we had seen from the bus n our second day. This is a small "miniature village" - though the buildings are full size - which has been especially built to represent the different architectural styles on the island and in wider Spain. From traditional Spanish buildings to the Moorish influences from the time Majorca was controlled by the Turks, we strolled through pretty streets decorated with beautiful tiles and flourishing orange trees. It wasn't busy - and I felt more could have been made of it since it looked as if it was mainly used as an evening event centre.
We walked back through the shopping area, visiting El Cortes Ingles department store, which had all the well known designer brands of perfume/make-up and handbags etc, and Spanish clothing.
Dinner on our final evening was another treat and had been recommended by a friend. We struggled to find the Tast Club since it was tucked away down a side street with very little signing. It was another interesting building, which we entered through a cobbled yard and into a back door, through a library and eventually into the dining room. Decor was reminiscent of a traditional gentleman's club - not that we have ever visited one! However, once again the food was outstanding (although the ice crushing machine - if that's what it was - was exceptionally noisy). Fortunately it didn't detract from the evening.
Abaco Bar
We had been recommended to visit the Abaco Bar, and finally managed to get there on our last night. The place is just WOW! I wish we had gone sooner - such an interesting place hiding behind a huge wooden gate. Originally a 17th century house - apparently the previous home of the noble Marcel family, the bar is situated in what was the carriage house and stables, but is now interestingly decorated with flowers and an abundance of fruit which would put a market garden to shame. The garden was prettily decorated with tables, and candles, while the upstairs rooms - which originally housed the family, gave us a peek into life from another century. Well worth spending an evening there! Please click the link to browse their website and see other wonderful gallery photos!
Day 5
Our final day meant we had to check out at 12, while our flight wasn't until 8 in the evening. (having said that, it was delayed an hour due to bad weather - yes it poured just as we got in the taxi to leave). The weather, much like the rest of Europe at the end of May, was very mixed. There were a few spots of rain throughout the week, but it was generally warm and sunny, interspersed with cloudy intervals, followed by an almightly cloudburst as we were leaving.
We headed to the marina again, where we had lunchtime cocktails (oh dear) but the friendly staff were in no hurry to move us on, so we moved onto lunch, and then eked out the time by finishing with coffee. We had left our luggage in the free lockers at the Borne accommodation, which was useful.
If I am being honest, I probably wouldn't have had Palma high on my bucket list, but we had a wonderful break, and Palma is lovely. Would I go back? Oh yes - I need to visit the pearl factory and the Cuevas del Drach in Porto Christo next time.
