Mallorca is a beautiful island off of the coast of Spain, surrounded by the Balearic Sea. It's small enough to tour by car, but dreamy enough to stay for days. About a year ago, I kept hearing more and more about Mallorca via Instagram. After doing a little research, we decided this would be the perfect place to relax on our adventure to Spain.
Two blogs that I found to be extra helpful in planning were Scarlett from Petite Suitecase and Jessica from Bon Traveler. Thanks to them we were able to choose our little home away from home for three nights in Valldemossa - which is the northwest part of the island! We decided to spend the majority of our time within the three towns of Valldemossa, Deià , and Sóller and are so happy we did. It was perfect for the mild November weather and the towns were quieter than the summer months.
Getting Here
From Madrid, we took a Ryan Air flight to Palma. It was a short flight and Palma was a surprisingly bigger airport than we would've thought. We rented a car via Hertz and were able to pick it up right at the terminal.
Stay
We stayed at Mirabó de Valldemossa. This is a beautiful hotel overlooking Valldemossa with the most ideal grounds. When you step into the main house to check in, there's a salon to the left with a rustic fireplace that's a perfect place to read with a glass of wine. Further into the house is a common area kitchen where you can grab snacks, coffee, and drinks, write down what you took and pay at checkout. Should you want to eat dinner at the hotel, you can put in your order in the morning and choose your dinner time from a provided menu. Breakfast was included for our stay.
Our little villa was just a few steps from the main house with a queen sized bed and bathroom en suite. It was a spacious, clean room and a beautiful place to enjoy this gorgeous island.
Finally, one of our favorite activities was walking along the path from the hotel to Valldemossa - a little less than 2 miles with views of the quaint town, olive trees, and the different palettes of green.
Eat Here
Es Taller Valldemossa - this was our first meal in Mallorca and one of the most delicious tapas and wine we had. We didn't have reservations and were coming at "American" dinner hours - so we got in on their tapas and were so pleased!
Forn i Pastisseria Ca'n Molinas - we stumbled upon this small pastry shop in Valldemossa and had a lovely cup of coffee and the most pillowy sweet pastry topped with powdered sugar.
Origenes Mallorca - we sat outside and watched the world go by while enjoying empanadas, hummus, and a beer. Wonderful wait staff and the perfect place to take a break.
Casalvaro Soller - while wandering the picturesque town of Sóller, we found this gem. Their outside dining consisted of a few tables on the corner of what seemed to be a residential alley. We saw locals using these cobblestone streets as their "commute" home. The salmon colored buildings with green shutters gave me paint color inspiration for our own cozy bungalow at home. The service was fun and attentive and the meal was divine.
Re Organic Tienda - we love finding a market with organic or bio products. It's fun to stock up on fresh food for our hotel or find a great wine or something sweet to enjoy later. This tienda seemed to also be a restaurant, but we assumed because it was shoulder season, the small market was only open. We snagged some wine, fruit and a jar of local honey for home. It's neighbors to Casalvaro.
What to See
These sleepy, but vibrant towns of Valldemossa and Sóller are the perfect place to wander, especially in the shoulder season of tourism. I loved seeing all the succulents sitting outside people's tidy door fronts along the impeccably clean streets.
Port de Sóller - having a car, it made it easy to zip to different locations. Overall, we didn't find parking to be that difficult, but again, we visited in off season. If you are in Sóller, defnitely take the time to visit the port. The seaside views and laid back vibe makes it a perfect place to truly unwind. Restaurants line the beachfront that seemed quite popular and made it a fun place to visit.
Sóller - this charming town is sort of indescribable. You feel like you're in a movie set. On Saturdays, they have a market and tourists and locals alike make it bustling. The church is at the
center of the city square and they have a historic train that takes you into Palma.
Cala Deià - this is J.J.'s favorite places we went in Spain. At the end of a windy downhill road, you find a parking area and will make your way on foot to a cove of surprisingly huge waves crashing into land and rocks. It really was quite spectacular. Very few tourists were there at dusk when we went and the beauty of God's creation was really breathtaking.
Mallorca is also known for its hiking trails! We did a shorter hike from our hotel into Valldemossa, but there are obviously many more trails we did not have time to explore.
If you're looking for somewhere a bit unknown or off the beaten path, definitely make Mallorca a travel priority before this place explodes in popularity. We met the most lovely couple at our hotel from Palma and they were surprised to find out that we found this island via Instagram. I think they couldn't believe their home was on the map in the world of social media. It's definitely for good reason. Please visit - the locals are so warm and friendly and happy to share their little slice of heaven on earth.
