Long weekends in Mallorca usually mean flying in to Palma and never venturing past the city walls. The shopping is fantastic, the restaurants plentiful and the maze of cobbled streets intoxicating — so after all, why not?
But just a few minutes’ drive east lie undiscovered treasures. Traditional hotels, hidden coves and some of the best eating in the Mediterranean.
Just five miles down the road sits the stylish resort of Illetas, home to one of the island’s stand-out places to stay, the Hotel Bon Sol. It’s been in the same family for two generations and thus provides a reassuringly traditional air just as you might expect from their description as “an overgrown family home”.
When other hotels are busy chasing the latest new-fangled travel trend, the Bon Sol, thankfully, knows that some things never go out of fashion. Martin Xamena and his family are an utterly charming and very visible presence, and they’ve created the sort of hotel where grandparents, their children and grandchildren are all catered for through a myriad of facilities. It’s little wonder that many of his staff have worked here for decades.
Nestled on a clifftop amid pine trees, this elegant 142-room hotel has its own beach, two swimming pools, a tennis court, gym and yoga classes, steam rooms and a spa, plus facilities for families during school holidays.
Restaurants and bars overlook the sea, as well as some within the grand interior of a building which is Tardis-like — it may look small on the outside but once you’ve got used to the layout, turns out to be vast. Rooms are spacious and many overlook the sea.
We rarely strayed from our vantage point overlooking the Bay of Palma — from dawn swims in the sea to eating freshly-caught fish at dinner, the twinkling lights of the city in the distance.
It’s also a great base to explore a rarely-visited suburb of the island, between Illetas and Palma. If you like food, then Santa Catalina — an old fisherman’s district just outside the city’s town walls — might be judged to offer even greater rewards than the capital.
It’s laid out in long, straight avenues, some of them pedestrianised, with a quite wonderful food market at the centre. Stalls serving the freshest fish and vegetables are interspersed with atmospheric tapas bars where it’s almost rude not to order a glass of Cava and slice of tortilla at 10.30am.
Around the market are so many restaurants in such a small space that they are compelled to compete with each other at all times, something which can only be good news for visitors. But you won’t encounter bow-tied waiters dragging you in off the street — it’s all far more sedate, at least until 9pm when things really start to fire up.
Try Restaurant Koh for Spanish food with an oriental flavour, Bunker’s for traditional tapas and Libanese Rotana for a menu with a Middle Eastern twist. The Israeli-owned Simply Delicious right next to the market is a brilliant lunchtime spot for Ottolenghi-inspired salads.
Sometimes, you needn’t venture too far from the old favourites to find a new treasure.
Mallorca: Six not to miss
Palau de l’Almudaina, Palma
The site of a royal palace since the 13th century when the Mallorcan kings converted the Islamic fort which stood here — complete with furniture and tapestries from over the centuries.
La Seu, Palma
The capital’s huge cathedral dominates the town with the Gothic exterior hiding work by Antoni Gaudi among others.
Casa Robert Graves, Deia
The home of the British writer and poet, who lived on the island for over 50 years, includes some of his own possessions as well as details of his life.
The train to Soller
The vintage wooden train travels from Palma to Soller in the north through the Tramuntana mountains, past olive groves and citrus trees.
Eat ensaimadas
These pastries, filled with cream, custard or curd, are a traditional Mallorcan breakfast — Palma’s C’an Joan de Saigo has sold them since 1700, although Forn de la Gloria has another 18th century pedigree.
The Caves of Drach
The caves are one of the island’s biggest — and busiest — attractions. But despite the crowds, the spectacular underground shapes and lake are still magical.
Hola Palma: Mallorca's Spanish language school
Most people come to Mallorca for the sun and sand, writes Rupert Parker, but I’m in Palma, the island’s capital, getting ready to start school. Instead of lounging on the beach, my plan is to brush up on my Spanish, spending four hours each morning in the classroom at International House. I just hope that my smattering of the language will stand me in good stead.
Even though I’ve spent time in South America, even attended a couple of classes before, I’m surprised by how little I can remember in my written and verbal tests.
The tricky part, as anyone who’s ever attended a language course knows, is that you’re often caught between a rock and a hard place — either it’s too easy and you learn nothing, or it’s too difficult and you still learn nothing.
On the basis of the tests, I’m assigned a class, just one above the beginners: we’re a small group of around 10 with Germans, Swedes, Italians, French, one English and myself.
Javier, the teacher, is young, keen and full of fun, so nobody is frightened of making mistakes — apart from me, of course. I spend the first lesson absolutely terrified, dredging my memory to recall any vestige of Spanish, but gradually I’m opening my mouth and semi-intelligible words and phrases start to spill out.
Fortunately school finishes at 1.30 which is just in time for a substantial Spanish lunch to nourish my brain. Palma has a huge number of excellent restaurants, many with a good value set meal.
Afternoons are free for homework, exploring the city or catching some sun, while the school organises optional activities in the evening too. During my week, there’s a guided tour of the old palace as well as a live flamenco concert.
Much of the class is spent doing routines with a partner, so you’re forced to get over those nerves and try to speak. As a result, my initial fear begins to disappear and I gain in confidence — so much so that I find myself trying to describe Yorkshire pudding and horseradish (rábano picante) in our last lesson on food, resulting in a gold star for my ingenuity. Most Brits take the easy way out and describe fish and chips instead, it seems.
After all my hard work, I feel I’ve definitely made progress. All I need now is… a relaxing holiday.
International House Palma, offers courses for all levels from £180 (€210) per week. Monarch flies to Mallorca from Birmingham, Gatwick, Luton, Leeds Bradford and Manchester. Flights cost from £58.
