Mallorca, how the locals like it
- Claire Ottaviano
- Jan 17, 2017
- 3 min read
Mallorca and her archipelago sisters Ibiza, Minorca and Formentera make up the Balears Islands and are often matched with party lovers and beach goers.
Arriving at Mallorca’s only airport, in the capital city Palma, on December 13 we had no idea what the island had in store for us over the next month.
Only one month prior to our arrival we met a family online (through www.workaway.info) and arranged to live with them for cultural exchange over Christmas and New Year.
We chose Spain because we had been slowly learning Spanish while on our American road trip and we fell in love with the country when we visited Malaga and Barcelona in May last year.
Not only were our family warm and welcoming they spoilt us with excursions around the island and treated us like family at their Christmas and Three Kings Day celebrations.
After my time across Canada, America, Europe, Britain, China and Japan I can say I am yet to find a place that has every desirable holiday destination within a two-hour drive of another.
From white sands and turquoise beaches, to soaring mountains, bustling cities and hidden villages, Mallorca has it all.
More favourably among tourists, Mallorca is a summer destination where expensive world class beach resorts open their doors to those seeking cocktails and sun tans.
But there is so much more to enjoy outside these peak periods and I wanted to share my locals insight.
In order of my favourite places:
Valldemossa After Christmas lunch the family took us on an excursion into the mountains, just 30 minutes from Palma we spied little cottages built into the side of a valley. In Valldemossa you will find narrow streets and homes decorated with beautiful greenery. Writers, artists and composers found inspiration in Valldemossa including composer Chopin, who lived in Valldemossa between 1838-39.
Santurario de San Salvador Second on my list for its views. Just beyond the town of Felanitx you will begin your ascent up this mini mountain to Santurario de San Salvador, a senior house of Mallorca's monastic order and the last to lose its monks in 1992. I had thought Mallorca a relatively large island until we scaled this peak and saw that the inland towns of Campos, Felanitx, Manacor and coastal towns of Porto Cristo and Cala Santanyi, and indeed the whole island, almost fit inside my camera lense. You can also see the National Parc island (Archipiélago de Cabrera National Park) off to the South and Palma and the mountains to the west.
Sóller Sóller is magical. It reminded me of my favourite Canadian town Lake Louise (but without the snow), beauty nestled amongst the towing cliffs of the mountains.
Cala Santanyi A beautiful beach-side town that we cycled to from Campos on Christmas Eve. Not much more to say, it's more secluded than some of the more popular beaches with less accommodation around.
Lluc I added Lluc mainly for the amazing views of Port de Sóller and of the surrounding mountains on the way from Sóller. The Santuari in Lluc is worth a look in also.
Santuari de Cura Only second from the last because the views are better from Santurario de San Salvador but I think this is more of a locals spot and I don't think it would be on any of the big hit lists for Mallorca.
Palma Ok I had to have Palma on the list because you can't go to Mallorca without going through Palma. We loved Castell de Bellver and the amazing views over the bay. We loved the Christmas markets and streets performers. Cahtedral de Mallorca was once the biggest Cathedral in Europe and is spectacular.
You may be thinking, what about Porto Cristo! What about Port de Soller, Calla D'Or and Es Trenc. Well they're all amazing but they're also where all the major hotels and tourist destinations are, and by all means go to these places also, but I hope I have given you more of a locals perspective on this beautiful place.
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