Spain Impressions – Mallorca (3 of 3)

by ccue on December 29, 2022

Mallorca is the largest island in the Balearic Islands located in the Mediterranean. Mallorca is the home town of Rafa Nadal – the tennis nemesis then good friend of my beloved Roger Federer. It is a popular attraction for Europeans. Its size is more than double that of the Hawaii Oahu Island. Its sheer size caused us to change our accommodation plan from the Rafa Nadal Academy, situated in the middle of the island, to the more convenient Melia Palma Bay. We did not regret that decision, with the hotel offering comfortable rooms, a calming view of the Bay, and convenient bus stops at a good price.

Palma, the main town in Mallorca, is quite “complex” in traffic, with busy bus terminals. It is not the easiest place to drive a rental. We canceled our rental at the last minute and did not regret it. The public bus network is decent. The bus has clean, comfortable seating, and delightfully offers usb-b outlets for battery charging. Passengers were required to wear masks to get on the bus and we saw some tourists being turned away due to lack of masks. Riding on the public bus was a good way to tour the island. We did not have a tight must-have itinerary in Mallorca; and could spare double the amount of time to visit the central and the south of the island.

We went north to visit two villages, Valldemossa and Soller, using the public bus network. Valldemossa is a beautiful quaint village where a tourist can walk, from one end to the other, in probably less than half an hour. The narrow streets are lined with eateries, affordable and attractive souvenir stores, beautiful residential cottages and interesting scenic areas, including the monastery where Chopin has stayed in and the Chopin museum. It was in Mallorca that Chopin composed the world famous Rainbow Prelude. All these turned the short distance into an enjoyable leisurely stroll with plenty of mini-stops and a delicious lunch. The extra time in Valldemossa cut short the time in Soller which is another beautiful quaint village in Mallorca. We were still able to relax at the beach at the Port De Soller, and enjoyed our dinner at the downtown plaza.

What better thing to do on an island than visiting beaches. That was exactly what we did. We took the public bus network to go across the island. After a couple of interim stops and a couple of hours, we arrived at the beautiful Cala Agulla, on the east coast of Mallorca. The water was turquoise, the sand was soft, the setting was beautiful. It was very full of people. Just after we had lunch and got settled in the beach lounge rental, the tide turned. It became more wavy and more windy. We were still able to enjoy some dips in the mediterranean. We wished we had arrived earlier.

The Market Oliva displays a mind boggling variety of fish, seafood, fruits and of course Jamon (Ham) all on display for anyone’s taking. It would be the go-to place for grocery should I stay in Mallorca for more days. To short-cut the market experience, we treated ourselves at the eatery in the market, and enjoyed a good variety of Sepia and Clams seafood tapas.

After Madrid and Barcelona, we developed a high expectation on food. Mallorca did not disappoint.