February 3

“We’re in Mallorca! This is our third night here. It has been beautiful weather, unseasonably warm in the low 70’s and sunny! Feels so good. It’s really fun having a car to drive around wherever and explore the island.

The first day we drove to Alcudia’s old town for the farmers/flea market. There was a wide selection of things from fruits and veggies to knock off leather bags and shoes. I think there might be more crafty things in the summertime but when all the businesses in the town are open but right now everything is very quiet during the off season. We wandered around the town looking at the beautiful homes and streets. A really cool thing about Alcudia is the walkway built on top of the cities stone walls surrounding it. You get a birds eye view in and a look at every ones terraces and plants which I loved.

From there we decided to go to a beach the host had suggested, Son Serra de Marina. We stopped at a grocery store on the way to get a bunch of bottled water and some snacks. The beach was very residential with beautiful homes on the water that all looked empty for the season. We practically had the whole place to ourselves! We laid out a blanket and Dan fell asleep as I read. The water is turquoise blue with mountains in the distance, so beautiful and relaxing. We played a couple of rounds of rummy then headed out for sunset at the lighthouse I had found online that morning.

The car has a big screen with a map in it so Dan was able to get us where we were trying to go even though we have no service which is pretty awesome. It took a little bit of figuring out but up a twisty turny road we made it to Far de Capdepera, a lighthouse atop big cliffs, just as the sun was beginning to set. There’s little trails on either side that we explored and had a lot of fun climbing around on the rocks as the sky lit up. It’s so cool to see all the different terrains of the island, it’s much bigger then I imagined with so many mountains.

The second day was a declared beach day because it was so warm. We drove to Parc Naturel de Mondrago, which has different walking paths all around and a beautiful cove with a beach. There’s also a restaurant right on the water that was open much to our surprise! We enjoyed some food and then just hung out on the beach for the rest of the day. The water was definitely chilllllly, but it was a warm day and people were excited, a few dipping in briefly, including myself. It felt nice to be in salt water in February! But it also felt like an ice bath. We walked along the different paths in the park that went along the water and got some ice cream before leaving. Dan drove us to a pretty port town to watch the sunset over the water and then we headed back home. We found a yummy tapas place open in Alcudia that hit the spot.

Our final full day in Mallorca was spent on an epic road trip throughout the Tramuntana mountain range that our Airbnb host had suggested. I’ll just copy and paste the whole thing at the bottom of the post for you in case you find yourself in Mallorca, this whole route is 100% worth doing! The roads along the way are insane and it feels like you are driving through a national park. There is the most incredible views of the sea, the mountains and lots of stops in picturesque villages tucked into the mountains. This was definitely our favorite day on the island!

Valldemossa:

Sa Foradada:

Cala Deyà:

Sóller:

Mountain drive

Before flying out to Barcelona the next afternoon we spent the morning exploring Palma which is the capital of Mallorca. It was so different from the rest of the island which had felt very quiet and somewhat closed down for the winter, Palma was bustling with people and tourists. There is a beautiful castle right on the water and behind that is the historic center with lots of shops and restaurants. (You can park right underneath the castle when you drive around to the front.) I was sad to leave this beautiful mountainous island and hope to return someday!

Tramuntana Roadtrip:
I really suggest spending 1 full day exploring the Tramuntana mountain chain.
I recommend this route:
- Start driving to Valldemossa. They are famous for their almonds and I recommend
that you try their almond cake and almond ice-cream, or their “coca” potato-cake.
Stop for breakfast or lunch.
- Next, Sa Foradada. Short stop for a beautiful sightseeing spot of the Mediterranean
sea from a great height.
- Next, Deyà. A beautiful and picturesque village on a hill in the middle of a valley.
You can stop in town and/or go down to its beautiful rocky beach, Cala Deyà, to cool
down for a swim.
- Then drive to Sóller old town (Puerto de Sóller is not that special), and go to their
main-square for lunch/dinner. Soller is famous because it has an electric train that's
over 100 years old.
- From Soller there are several options available, depending on how early you started
the trip, or how tired you are: You can drive towards Palma to take the highway and
return quickly to Alcudia, or drive through the beautiful (but tiring) mountain road
towards Pollença