Mallorca, Spain - Pollensa Bay

Hello again dear readers and future travellers, are you dreaming of a holiday lounging by the beach, or immersing yourself in Iberian culture? Then let me transport you to a beautiful destination: Mallorca. It is the largest of the Balearic Islands in Spain. There’s something here for everyone. It’s family friendly, scenic and historic with generally good weather all year round. I love visiting here and have probably been over ten times. I’ve been in both spring, summer and autumn. Whilst being a perfect summer holiday destination, rising temperatures are making the Mediterranean region unbearably hot due to global warming. I last visited in October when it was cooler and suitable for exploring. I would recommend visiting around then or September, booking an off-season break. Bar one or two rainy days, it was delightfully sunny with leaves still on the trees. An alternative to the incessant gloom of Northern England, which has become wetter and windier in the autumn months.

I flew to Palma on a Jet2 flight from Newcastle. Unless you are on a cruise or taking the regular ferries from Barcelona and Valencia, Palma airport is the most likely and easy way for arriving in Mallorca. I would rather hitch a ride on a dolphin as I dislike the chaos of modern air travel. My flight was delayed up to one hour due to a disruptive passenger who had to be removed from the plane before take-off. It literally was the ‘Nothing Beats a Jet2Holiday’ meme. The playing of Jess Glynne’s ‘Hold My Hand’ is enough to make anyone crazy; perhaps that was why the passenger kicked off. Nevertheless, air travel is important and a means to beginning your journey – hopefully positively. Three hours later, I touched down in Palma. Hola Mallorca!

There are hundreds of resorts to choose from. Palma itself is good for a mini city break. The medieval Cathedral (La Seu) and Almudaina Palace are fantastic sights. My favourite is the nearby Castell de Bellver, one of the first circular castles in the world.

I regularly go back to my favourite resort in the North of the Island: Port de Pollença (Catalan). In Spanish it is spelt Puerto Pollensa. It is 45-60 minutes away from Palma via a coach transfer up the Ma-13 motorway. Puerto Pollensa is situated in the beautiful, tranquil bay of the same name, and is an established town with a fine frontage on a long sandy beach. The end of the Serra de Tramuntana mountains forms a stunning backdrop to the town – with peaks running all the way to the dramatic Formentor peninsula. Puerto Pollensa is a good base for exploring other noteworthy towns in the area whether by bus, bike or car.

Pollensa town, which gives its name to the Port resort, is charmingly quaint. It contains the dramatic Calvari steps: climb all 365 to reach a hilltop church with spectacular views of the area. Bus 322 takes you to Pollensa old town in just 15 minutes. Alcudia is also another place of interest and was once the former capital of Mallorca. It has the Roman ruins of Pollentia and high medieval walls which defended the Old Town. The HidroPark waterpark is also good fun if you’re travelling as a family. Bus 322 also takes you to Alcudia, taking 25-35 minutes if heading in a southbound direction. For more information click the link for Transports de les Illes Balears (TIB).

Puerto Pollensa itself is laidback and ideal for a relaxing holiday. There is a weekly market held in the main square (Plaça Miguel Capllonch) on a Wednesday. There are many restaurants and eateries in this square. Facing the square is a rather unassuming church – Iglesia Santa Maria – which was open on the Wednesday. I wandered in out of curiosity and inside was stunning. Bathed in a warm light, the limestone bricks glowed due to the pretty stained-glass windows. The vaulted wooden roof was particularly impressive.

Departing the church square, I made my way to the marina which is a yachtsman’s paradise. Here you can get a glass-bottomed boat to the pine-clad Formentor Beach and glitzy hotel. A more affordable experience is probably sunbathing on the narrow public beach, where there are wild goats aplenty wandering down from the surrounding wooded hills. You can also get Bus 334 back to Puerto Pollensa from Platja de Formentor if you’re not on a glass-bottomed boat.

Across the glimmering Badia de Pollensa is La Fortaleza. An old fort now converted into an exclusive residence, it proved to be a handy filming location for the thriller series ‘The Night Manager’, based on John le Carré’s espionage novel.

Puerto Pollensa also has the ‘La Gola’ nature reserve which is home to birds such as Egrets and Hoopoes. North of Puerto Pollensa is the scenic Boquer Valley which was once home to the Ancient Roman town of Bocchoris; it is a 3km walk north to an azure cove for intrepid ramblers.

The sun dipped behind the rocky peaks. I soon returned to my hotel for dinner and planned an excursion into the Tramuntana Mountains which took place later in my holiday. Stay tuned for more Mallorcan tales!