Springtime in Palma de Mallorca and Port Soller
What reason for the Trip? It was my other half's birthday present Why Palma? It’s one of our favourite places to visit and we had not been for some time. The city is one of the most beautiful places to spend time in the Mediterranean, with excellent food and a great vibe. It’s also a great value destination, often overlooked by people who head to the beaches straight from the airport.
Duration? A 5-night city break – Thursday to Monday.
When? We travelled in March to escape the cold weather here in the UK and we were welcomed with temperatures in the 20s!
Our itinerary? We spent 5 glorious days in Palma, Mallorca’s beautiful, buzzing capital city. We also took a day trip to the stunning towns of Soller and Port de Soller – more on that later...
Where did we stay? A 4-star boutique hotel in Palma’s Old Town – Hotel Basilica. The rooms are lovely, and the hotel is spotless. the staff welcoming and helpful. The hotel even has a rooftop pool (with an honesty bar) with panoramic views of the city. A real gem of a hotel and one we’ll visit again.
What did we do in Palma? We made the most of the springtime sunshine by wandering through the city at our leisure – keeping the step count topped up – soaking up the atmosphere and historical architecture. We did offset the step-count by eating and drinking our way around Palma as well – going back to old favourites and discovering new places along the way.
Eating and drinking recommendations in Palma: There are far too many to mention every single one of them, so here is an excellent list to start with.
Forn Projects - These people own 5-6 great places in Palma (and a vineyard outside the city too) and we’ve eaten very well at Forn and Koa.
Tast Union – this is a busy, well-run tapas bar right in the centre of the city.
La Boveda – a tasty Basque tapas restaurant in the Born district – was so popular that Mercedes Benz had booked it out for 2-3 nights running while we were there for events!
Bar Abaco – not what you are expecting from the outside – generous cocktails in an eccentric venue on the inside
Bar Nicolás – lovely and buzzy bar, open until late
Coffee Fixes and Cake/Pastry addictions? Palma has that covered too!
Mistral Coffee – best coffee in town, a real find in central Palma, with seating outside and in
Fornet de la Soca – the best (and oldest) bakery in town – local speciality cakes, pastries and savouries – look out for the pigs and the fish (you’ll see what I mean). It’s also a brilliant place to create a picnic to then take to the beach if you have kids.
Our day trip to Soller: Seek out ‘Tren de Soller’ - this is the best day trip on the island (if you are based in the South) and transports you from Palma, up and through the mountains, down into the stunning Soller valley by train and then onto the idyllic Port in Soller by tram.
Our tips for the train would be - get to the station an hour before the time you want to leave (you can only buy tickets on the day) and then grab a coffee at the lovely little cafe there while you wait to board.
Eating recommendations in Port de Soller:
Bon Vi Restaurant - set back from the beachfront one block and the food was great - especially the John Dory I had.
Patiki – right on the beach with fresh local and seasonal produce on the menu – is a great place to while away an afternoon with a chilled bottle of Rose or Verdejo and some delicious food.
