My Mallorca Travel Guide To Save For Your Next Visit
Five trips worth of tips condensed into one post.
I’m skipping this week’s Style Edit as I’ve just got back from holiday and I can’t concentrate on anything else until I write this post (breaks make me want to TYPE!), but I’ll be back on Sunday with a review of everything I packed, wore, and the pieces I unexpectedly reached for the most. If you missed last week’s Style Edit, you can catch up here.
My parents visit the Lake District multiple times each year and have done so for the past twenty years. When I was younger, I didn’t get it. You’ve been?!? Why feel the need to revisit? This week I got back from my fifth trip to Mallorca. What can I say? I get it now. When you find your place, a return holiday feels like a home away from home, and instead of feeling rushed to see and do it all, you can take it easy, explore off the beaten path and turn down pressure. If I manage to go annually, my cup feels full.
Now I’m not pretending to be a Mallorca expert by any means, but I’ve been enough times to know the lay of the land and having just been on holiday with our friends and our kids, I now have recommendations for both adults-only travel and family-friendly tips too. So let’s crack on, shall we?
PRACTICAL TIPS
You’re going to need a car to get around. There’s a pretty robust public bus system, but for ease, a car is best. My advice would be to get the smallest car that can fit your luggage. The roads can be tight.
Speaking of which, car parking can be tricky. I’d always plot the location of a public car park into your navigation before you start driving, instead of relying on on-road parking. We always use this one in Palma.
Plama-aside, a lot of restaurants and shops are closed on a Monday, so plan your trip accordingly.
A bit of loose change can be handy. Some public toilets charge 50 cents.
I’d recommend pre-booking lunch and/or dinner reservations, especially if you’re making a special trip there.
In terms of when to visit, I’ve visited in April, May and September, and I’d recommend May and September the most. April was the quietest, but the weather was… unpredictable. Visiting in late May/early September, you’ll avoid the largest crowds, but you’ll still have a good chance of being able to sunbathe by the pool.
WHERE TO STAY
I’m a sucker for Finca Serena; we’ve stayed there three times, so that tells you how much I love it. It’s based in the centre of the island, so although you’re not particularly close to much, it acts as a good base and means you’re never driving for longer than 30 minutes if you want to visit Palma, a hilltop village or the beach. The views are spectacular (especially the sunset from the restaurant every evening), and I genuinely dream of the fresh Mallorcan-style breakfast that’s included. It’s adults-only, so extremely quiet, and there’s an on-site spa with gym facilities and treatment rooms. The only cons for me are that some of the rooms can be dark, and the restaurant feels samey after a night or two as the menu is pretty limited. Aside from that, it’s perfect.
Their sister hotel, The Lodge, opened last year, so naturally I had to give it a go. Aesthetically, they feel the same, although I’d say that the rooms at The Lodge are more intuitively designed, lighter and brighter. The breakfast is the same (THANK GOD!), and the poolside is equally as chilled; however, the gym facilities aren’t as extensive, and there’s no spa. They host a weekly sunset paella dinner in their lavender fields; if that coincides with your trip, do it. It was lush. The only con here is that it overlooks a motorway. You can’t hear it, but it’s there. It’s not helpful, but I would personally return here over Finca, but my husband said the opposite.
A few more recs that I’m desperate to try: Covent de la Missió in Palma for its city-centre location; Predi Hotel Son Jaumell for a fancy hotel that you can take your kids to; Sa Pedrissa for sea views and Es Raco D’Arta for wellbeing vibes.
I’ve only been once with kids, so I don’t have a ton of suggestions, but we stayed in an Airbnb by Pollença, and I 10/10 recommend that area. To be honest, we were more focused on the villa having more than one bathroom, off-street parking, and a pool, but the location turned out to be a gem. We were 10 minutes from the main town, plenty of local supermarkets and Port de Pollença if we fancied the beach. Alcúdia was close by and a great day out, and we could get back to Palma in 40 minutes. It was the perfect base. We’re already planning to go back to the same place with our friends next year.
WHAT TO DO
Palma is one of my favourite cities I’ve visited. It’s beautiful. You could while away a day or three here easily:
In terms of where to eat, you know I’m going to say, El Camino. I LOVE THIS PLACE!! But book once you know your travel dates. It gets packed, and you essentially have zero chance of securing a walk-in. They do have a sister restaurant, El Caminito, a short 2-minute walk away, which is a good backup.
La Rosa Vermuteria is also a great pick for lunch or dinner. But again, one to book, the queues go down the road.
Tacos and cocktails!! Aquanauta is a vibe.
Try Cafè Riutort for coffee or the BEST jamón sandwich I’ve ever had.
If you want to shop, Palma does not disappoint. Try Seattle Vintage Store and UNICO Vintage Store, the latter has an unrivalled selection of vintage denim. Everyone is going to mention Rialto Living to you, and they are right, you need to go, shop and then rest your feet in their airy cafe.
If you’re with kids, a wander around the Cathedral isn’t a bad idea, and there’s a little playpark nestled in the grounds that our little ones loved. There’s another great one at Plaça de sa Feixina.
Go and get yourself a €1 mini print by a local artist at Cafespehere.
Deià is often people’s top pick as a day trip spot, and I’d agree. It gets very busy and is relatively small, but the food is always glorious, as are the views.
The setting of Restaurante Sa Vinya feels unreal. El Olivo, Xelini and Restaurant Nama come highly recommended by friends, although I haven’t had a chance to try them myself.
If you want to feel like you’re in an episode of The White Lotus, then grab a cocktail at La Residencia for some top-tier people watching.
Ca’s Patro March is a short car journey down the hill - you’ll recognise it from the first ever episode of The Night Manager. A seafood-heavy menu that’s literally on the beach. It gets packed, so make a reservation.
Other suggestions:
If you want a VERY boujee meal, La Fortaleza at the Cap Rocat Hotel is unrivalled. I went for my 30th birthday and felt like I was in a film.
You could take the tram between Sóller and Port de Sóller - cute!! If you fancy a longer journey, there’s a wooden train that operates between Sóller and Palma. There’s also a market in Sóller every Saturday morning.
Other towns to visit: Valldemosa, Fornalutx, Pollença and Alcúdia (more on the latter two below!).
Calma Pilates is the most picturesque Pilates, Barre and Reformer studio run by two sisters on the east side of the island.
There’s a hike between Fornalutx and Biniaraix that takes around 90 minutes for the round trip and is perfect for when the sun sets (more details here).
I’m not really a beach gal, but these spots always get recommended:
Cala Mesquida and Cala Torta in the north east.
Cala Romantica and Cala Murada in the east.
Cala Lombards, Mondrago Natural Park and Cala Sa Nau in the south east.
MALLORCA WITH KIDS
I’ve just returned from a five-night trip there with friends and our kids (three under five for reference), so here’s a little rough itinerary for you in case you need some kid-friendly picks:
FRIDAY: We arrived at the villa in the afternoon, then drove into Port de Pollença for dinner at La Llonja Restaurant, which was a short walk along the beach. The table next to us ordered some kind of grilled fish to share, and it looked INSANE.
SATURDAY: We headed into Alcúdia for a wander around, and it almost felt like a mini Palma. The kids flopped out and needed food, so we made an emergency stop at a restaurant in one of the squares with outdoor seating (sorry didn’t catch the name!), and the tapas hit the spot. Back to the villa in the afternoon for pool time and a BBQ.
SUNDAY: The weather gods were starting to turn, but we managed a quick zip around Pollença market to pick up some fresh fruit, veg and PLENTY of olives. Then we grabbed an ice cream in the rain at Cala Molins, which I’m sure is lush on a sunny day, before heading to Pizzería 011 Italia in Port de Pollença for a quick slice for dinner because we CBA to cook.
MONDAY: A cloudy one, so we made it our allotted Palma day. We’d prebooked lunch at La Rosa Vermuteria, and it was the best meal of the trip. Then we wandered around the streets, getting a €1 print from Cafespehere (for the girls), ice cream and a visit to the play park by the Cathedral (for the kids), and stopping by Plaça del Rosari, a square filled with bike shops (for the boys).
TUESDAY: Miraculously, the weather did a full 180, so we started the day with brunch at La Molienda in Pollença (the service here was a delight!) before a quick peruse of the local Agromart. Then we headed to Port de Pollença and whiled away the afternoon at the beach thanks to the purchase of buckets, spades, many bags of crisps and ice lollies. There’s a little park for the kids, and renting a parasol and two chairs came to a fairly reasonable €21 for the day. Just remember plenty of 50-cent coins for the loos.
Any other Mallorca recs? Pop ‘em below! I’m always down for more ideas to log in the dedicated travel pages of my Notion template (#VirgoVibes). I’ll be back on Sunday with a holiday style review because, guys, big news - I packed WELL. It’s the most efficient I’ve been in a long while, and I have THOUGHTS! Chat then.
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Your photos look so dreamy! Going to add Mallorca to my travel bucket list!
I went to Mallorca last summer and it’s absolutely stunning!!