Mid September 2023 we flew to Palma de Mallorca and rented a car for a 1 week trip to this famous Spanish and biggest Balearic island. Temperatures would stay still way above 30°C and this had an impact on how much places on the island we would get to see. Because Mallorca is famous for having beautiful ‘Cala’ beaches with white sand, rocks and turquoise clear water, we decided to visit only the historical places Sollèr, Valldemossa and the former capital Alcudia. And the other days we spent swimming, snorkeling or visiting Puerto de Sollèr on the east coast and Cala Santanyi, Cala Llombards and Cala Figuera on the west coast.
Our first b&b turned out to be the best choice and was situated near the old town of Sollèr. From here you can easily explore the Golden Valley and the mountains surrounding this charming city, famous for its old wooden trams and trains, connecting its beach with the capital Palma. We enjoyed wonderful lunches and meals with fish, tapas and good wines in its many nice restaurants and noticed that many b&b’s, shops and restaurants are not run by Spanish people, but by French and English entrepreneurs and fortune seekers.
It was difficult to leave after 4 days this uniquely situated warm and safe nest, as Sollèr with its beautiful green valley already started feeling as a place where we could feel home and relaxed. Our day trip to Valldemossa, only a half hour away was also a very worthy choice. But unfortunately many other tourists had the same idea and the historical streets of this wonderful mountain village seemed too narrow for the big and curious groups from all over the world flooding its shops and terrasses.
After moving to the east coast of Mallorca and settling for the second part of our trip in Cala Figuera, we went for a number of famous ‘calas’, the rocky fjord-style beaches where tourists from all over posts pictures from on the web. We decided to check out the most famous of all Mallorcan beaches: Calo des Moro. It took a long walk in hot weather to see the picture above in real and we were surrounded by way too many other tourists to really enjoy it. Luckily we also went to Cala des Llombards and Cala Santanyi. These two calas were also full of tourists but at least we managed to find a spot on their sandy beach and we got to swim, snorkel and enjoy the turquoise waters and the beautiful rocks and trees around them.
Cala Figuera is also one of these places one should have seen when visiting Mallorca. It’s an old fishermen’s village where boats still go in and out every day to open sea. It has a charming old center surrounding the cala with some restaurants that have a view on the water and boats. Three evenings in a row we went to the same great restaurant around sunset and filled our heart and stomach with fantastic fresh sea food and local white wines.
We were very amazed that Mallorca has so much green to offer for an island in the warm, mediterranean climate. And if there would be less tourists visiting all the historical places, beaches, restaurants and bars so that we could see and meet also the real, authentic inhabitants of the Balearic islands, then we could consider even moving there one day. But Mallorca has become to popular as a travel destination and has attracted also the wrong kind of tourists through the years. We have seen in 1 week too much Instagram influencers behavior and too many German menu cards. All this is a sign of losing your Spanish and Balearic authenticity. What a shame for an island with such a beautiful, almost tropical nature. Let’s hope that Mallorca will find its way again in the next decades and will protect its heritage. One more beautiful picture to close this chapter.
