Exploring the History and Nature of Mallorca

Myself and my family stayed in Pollenca, which is a beautiful old town 15 minutes from the beach of Puerto Pollenca. We stayed in a lovely town house with a pool in the back garden, but there are lots of more secluded places to stay around the town. We particularly loved staying in the town as we could walk in at night without having to worry about parking. The town square is packed with restaurants serving delicious food, our favourites are on streets slightly away from the square which are called La Font del Gall, Restaurant Cantonet and our favourite is Celler El Moli which serves simple yet delicious local lunchtime food and they serve a 3 course meal with a glass of wine/pint of beer for a set price, and much cheaper than those in the centre of town. And of course after dinner you can grab a gelato and sit at any bar and enjoy the atmosphere of the town square.

In terms of activities, there are lots of beautiful beaches to see. Our favourites were S’illot which is a stony beach with very clear water, and houses an incredible seafood restaurant, another favourite is Cala Murta which is a secret cove with crystal clear waters, and if you want a more sandy beach then Playa Formentor is your spot. We hired mopeds and rode along the headland to Cap Formentor which is an outstanding ocean look-out spot. Within the town, the Church in the town square is a must-see and the steps up to the El Calvari chapel are a must-do, despite how hard they look! If you fancy a longer walk with a beautiful view, then you can hike up to the Mare de Deu del Puig which is a sandstone religious site that was built in the 14th Century. A stunning sunrise view is at Puerto Pollena, we headed there around 4:30am. On Sundays, Pollenca hosts a huge food and crafts market throughout the streets which is a lovely morning out. There are copious amounts of delicious cheeses, breads, olives, fruit and vegetables and lots of talented artist and craft makers selling their products. Lastly, every year around the end of July the town celebrates the end of the battles with the Moors in 1550, so if you head to Pollenca around that time, be sure to Google the dates of the festival named ‘La Patrona’ as it really is fascinating. The town hosts festivities for a week, including a town march down the streets with horns and all sorts of costumes, and the highlight is the white party on the final night in the main square. There is a lot of drinking going on and you will be sure to have a good dance!

Myself and my family only stayed one night in Palma de Mallorca before heading to Pollenca the next day. We wanted to stay here to explore the architecture and streets of the town, but mainly to see the Cathedral. We first went to the beach in the morning named Platja de Can Pere Antoni which was a great spot to soak up some sun for our first day out of England. For lunch, we were recommended by a friend to try a tapas restaurant named Bar España which was delicious, and then for dinner we went to a restaurant called Provenzal which was located on a gorgeous narrow street in the old part of town, there was live music when we were there so the atmosphere was great. We then wandered down the old, narrow and cobbled streets until we found the Catedral-Basilicia de Santa Maria de Mallorca which is a phenomenal building designed by Gaudi, built in 1601. We then grabbed a gelato ice cream after dinner and sat on the same beach again to take in the sunset.