The Mediterranean getaway – a week in Mallorca

The first trip after the pandemic. Has to be in the Mediterranean, right?

When my mom promised me a trip to somewhere in Europe for my 25th birthday, I ran to my computer and headed to Skyscanner’s website. After seeing some gorgeous pictures of the beautiful beaches of Mallorca, I wanted to explore the Island!

I know I’m not the only one who dreamt of those nostalgic and relaxing beach vacations during the pandemic. You know, those, where you spend the whole day laying on the beach, swimming in the ocean and eating lots of good food.

I did this trip back in September 2021 and decided to look back at the time spent on the beautiful Island of Mallorca.

My expectations of Mallorca

Turquoise waters, beautiful beaches, historic old towns, good food, and beautiful architecture were one of the reasons why I was so drawn to Mallorca. I also love islands. And the Mediterranean. So what’s not to love about Mallorca I thought.

We also wanted to go somewhere where we could practice Spanish, so there’s that 😆

Although I had wanted to visit Mallorca for quite a while, we had no idea which part of the island we wanted to visit. There are beautiful sandy beaches and cute towns all over Mallorca!

We couldn’t decide on just one place, so we resolved this by splitting our holiday into two parts. Since we wanted to experience the “typical” beach vacation, we chose to spend the first four nights in Playa de Muro.

Visiting Palma de Mallorca was a must, so for the rest of the holiday, we wanted to head out to the south of Mallorca. We ended up choosing a hotel in Can Pastilla.

Playa de Muro

Our first stop was at Playa de Muro, northeast of Mallorca. We stayed at the Be Live Palace de Muro for four nights. Playa de Muro was a gorgeous, white sandy beach that I was dreaming about!

Sipping on a coconut smoothie at the pool, doing morning yoga on a sleepy beach, and eating gelatos after lunch was just what I needed after having a break from traveling.

And this place was the perfect spot to just be. do nothing. enjoying. ☀️

Alcudia

The town of Alcudia was located about 10 kilometers away from our hotel. It’s a beautiful old town with narrow streets, nice restaurants, and little shops. The resort area of Playa de Muro doesn’t really have that many restaurants, so we had our dinners in Alcudia. I enjoyed fresh fish and seafood every night and it was perfect!

Mirador Es Colomer

Mallorca is super beautiful and full of natural attractions, so we decided to rent a car and explore the sights for a day. First, we headed out to Mirador Es Colomer. I had seen gorgeous photos of it, and it was only a 45-minute drive away from our hotel. The drive up and the breathtaking views were sooo much more beautiful in real life.

We only visited it in the daytime, but I can just imagine how gorgeous the sunset would be up there. I had to face my fear of heights and get past the nausea that came from the drive, but it was well worth it 😄

Cap de Formentor

The road to Cap de Formentor was closed when we were visiting the island (apparently is closed during the high season). You could have taken take a bus there, but we decided to skip it this time. Mainly cause I was terrified of the idea of sitting on a bus while driving through the mountains 😀

Cap de Formentor is located in the northernmost part of Mallorca, so if you decide to visit it, I’m sure you’ll be able to enjoy some gorgeous scenery.

Playa de Formentor

If you’re visiting Cap Formentor or Mirador Es Colomer, I would highly recommend adding a stop to see the beach as well! It’s situated between these two attractions, and it’s about 10 minutes away from either of those.

It’s one of the most “hyped” beaches in Mallorca so I was very (pleasantly) surprised that it wasn’t packed with other tourists when we visited it.

The narrow beach is surrounded by pine trees, rocks, and untouched nature. The water was super calm, and the atmosphere was so serene.

My favorite place where we visited – Playa de Formentor

Port de Pollença

After driving down from the Mirador Es Colomer, we stopped at Port de Pollença to walk around and visit some shops. We ended up having lunch by the water at one of the beach restaurants. Port de Pollença is a cute, and fairly small town, and it’s also the most northern town in Mallorca! The coastal town attracts tourists, but it still had a laidback vibe to it.

Can Pastilla

After spending 4 super chilled days in the north of Mallorca, we headed to the south part of the island. For the rest of our trip, we stayed in Can Pastilla. Can Pastilla is the closest resort to Palma de Mallorca, and it has a long and sandy beach that goes for 4,5 kilometers.

Bike rental in Can Pastilla

There are lots of bike rentals across Mallorca, and we rented our bikes from BQ Apolo Can Pastilla Mallorca. I can’t remember the exact prices, but it was around 40 euros for 2 days.

I love biking and Mallorca is great for that! On our first day, we biked along Playa Arenal and just explored the nearby areas.

The next day we decided to bike from Can Pastilla to Palma de Mallorca. It’s about 9 kilometers, and the best part is that the bike trail goes along the beach the whole time!

The scenery was so beautiful throughout the whole route, and the best part was seeing other smaller beaches and calas. There are also nice beach restaurants along the route if you want to stop and have a break. (Like we did! 🍮)

Palma de Mallorca

I really, really liked Palma de Mallorca! In general, I prefer smaller cities. Palma de Mallorca seemed to be a city, where there are lots of things to do and see, without being overly populated or “too big”.

It has a bit of everything; cute boutiques, as well as well-known clothing stores, lot’s of cute restaurants and cafés, culture, museums, and beautiful architecture.

I love the old Spanish architecture, and just watching the buildings is sightseeing of its own! I also loved how close to the beach it’s located.

The closest beach is called Can pere Antoni, and there are also other beaches nearby. For example Cala Gamba, Cala Mayor, Playa de Can Pastilla, Cala Estancia, and Playa de Arenal. If you have a dog with you, you can go to Es carnatge or Playa per a cans, which are dog-friendly beaches 🐶🤍

If you speak Spanish or Catalan, you can check the upcoming concerts, exhibitions, and other cultural events at https://www.palmacultura.cat.

A laidback week in Mallorca consisted of

good food, lots of swimming in the ocean, and enjoying the sun. So just the things I was dreaming for. My first thought after spending a week in Mallorca was that I can see why it’s such a visited destination!

I think it’s one of those destinations that gets a bad rep for having a lot of touristy areas, but there is also so much more to the island. I would definitely like to go back to Mallorca to see more of it.

Nature was by far my favorite part of the island, and I would love to spend more time in the rural towns of Mallorca. Next time I want to visit Deía, Valldemossa, Sóller, and Cala Figuera! And just wander around the island 🗺

A tip if you’re visiting Mallorca

If you have the chance, I would highly suggest that you rent a car if you want to see the different parts of Mallorca. Especially if you are staying in a resort area, having a car is the best way to see the local, and more hidden places of Mallorca. Another recommendation would be to rent a bike or find a gorgeous hiking spot!

Hotel recommendations for Mallorca

Be Live Collection Palace de Muro ★★★★★

Location: Playa de Muro

If you’re looking for a place just to relax and wind down, this is it! Palace de Muro was a super cool, luxury beachfront resort. It’s It also has a gym and spa – which we didn’t have the time to enjoy. It was located 500 meters from the Natural Park of S’Albufera de Mallorca (Parque Natural S’Albufera de Mallorca) where you can see more of the natural beauty of Mallorca. We had a room with a beautiful view of the ocean. I don’t know if there’s anything better than waking up and seeing the Mediterranean in front of you!

Plus points for their super good breakfast 🥞🍉

BQ Aguamarina Boutique Hotel ★★★★

Location: Can Pastilla

The hotel was located on the Cala Estancia beach and it had a few other beaches and calas nearby. The rooftop terrace of the hotel was a beautiful place to catch the sunset and the staff was super nice! The location is also ideal if you’re planning to visit other parts of Mallorca. Also, it’s close to the airport and about 9 kilometers from the city of Palma de Mallorca.

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