Summary
Overall, mightily impressed by Majorca - I can see why people return so frequently. Trailfinders yet again came up trumps with the two hotels we stayed in. The first was the Secrets Hotel Mallorca Villamil, a fairly standard type of upmarket hotel, in a town called Peguera, around half an hour's drive west of Palma, the capital of Majorca.
We were initially a bit concerned that we were so far out of Palma - we had thought that we'd be nearer to the "action". However, this proved to be no problem, as the hotel was superb and the bus transport into Palma was cheap and relatively quick.
Peguera itself is actually quite a good base from which to explore Palma and the western side of the island if you have a car. As a town, it's OK - touristy and full of tat, but pleasant enough with loads of cafes, restaurants, etc.
Food and service in the main hotel restaurant was excellent, served buffet style. The service around the reception area and the other bars/cafes was also very good indeed. Adults only as well, thank God.
Weather in the first few days was overcast, but mainly dry and mild. The last week was absolutely glorious - temperatures in the high twenties and blue cloudless skies.
The second hotel was the Finca Son Palou, which was truly one of the best hotels I have ever stayed in. Fantastic service, lovely views, great food, and so relaxing and quiet (apart from a load of very inquisitive and chirpy sparrows). I was particularly impressed with the help I got when I needed to visit a pharmacy on a Sunday to get some electrolytes for Jean, who had had a truly horrible night being violently sick. We also got a refund for that meal - the prime suspect was some shrimps as part of what was otherwise a lovely meal. Very different from the first hotel, as this is a converted farmhouse in a tiny village (surprisingly called Orient) up in the mountains in the north-west of the island and is therefore rather more idiosyncratic (in a good way). It also gets a lot of repeat visits - I can see why. Very tempted to go back again myself, as there is a lot more to see and do than I thought.
Finca means estate in Spanish, and this place was the "hub" of a 100-hectare estate with olives, sheep, goats, etc. The hotel makes its own olive oil, which is brilliant.
The preceding blog posts hopefully give enough detail about the places we visited, so I won't go into detail here. The general impression of the island is that it is larger than I thought, Palma is interesting but not absolutely riveting, the best scenery is in the northwest (the mountains, although not high, are pretty spectacular in a Dolomites-style craggy sort of way). Having said that, we didn't have time to visit the south-east of the island, so that omission can be rectified if/when we return. The north-east was a bit of a disappointment - even Cap de Formentor was a bit anticlimactic, although that might have something to do with the transport issues to and from there. The general environment was flat, industrial and rather boring.
The roads up in the mountains deserve mention, as they are extraordinarily twisty and hairpinny in many places. Generally reasonably well-surfaced, they are also full of cyclists, the vast majority of whom were male, Lycra-clad and seriously committed to cycling. Majorca is a real draw for cyclists, as there are some truly challenging and beautiful rides. Must try some of them one day......
If/when we go back, I'd like to explore the history of Palma in more detail, e.g. an open-topped bus ride and/or a guided tour. Soller deserves more research, too. From information received, the south-east of the island will also repay a visit.
Majorca exceeded my expectations. I think the image that it once had of lager louts, stag dos, Club 18/30 types has now largely disappeared (having said that, we avoided Magaluf like the plague). The Germans love it here - they certainly outnumbered the Brits overall and they are well catered for. Many of the waiters and waitresses were more comfortable speaking German than English.
I wish that there was more parking. Couldn't believe how difficult it was to park the car at times. Even Jean's legendary and uncanny ability to find a parking space where none seem to exist seemed to desert her. Must be those bloody foreigners.....
I would very much like to go back again.
We were initially a bit concerned that we were so far out of Palma - we had thought that we'd be nearer to the "action". However, this proved to be no problem, as the hotel was superb and the bus transport into Palma was cheap and relatively quick.
Peguera itself is actually quite a good base from which to explore Palma and the western side of the island if you have a car. As a town, it's OK - touristy and full of tat, but pleasant enough with loads of cafes, restaurants, etc.
Food and service in the main hotel restaurant was excellent, served buffet style. The service around the reception area and the other bars/cafes was also very good indeed. Adults only as well, thank God.
Weather in the first few days was overcast, but mainly dry and mild. The last week was absolutely glorious - temperatures in the high twenties and blue cloudless skies.
The second hotel was the Finca Son Palou, which was truly one of the best hotels I have ever stayed in. Fantastic service, lovely views, great food, and so relaxing and quiet (apart from a load of very inquisitive and chirpy sparrows). I was particularly impressed with the help I got when I needed to visit a pharmacy on a Sunday to get some electrolytes for Jean, who had had a truly horrible night being violently sick. We also got a refund for that meal - the prime suspect was some shrimps as part of what was otherwise a lovely meal. Very different from the first hotel, as this is a converted farmhouse in a tiny village (surprisingly called Orient) up in the mountains in the north-west of the island and is therefore rather more idiosyncratic (in a good way). It also gets a lot of repeat visits - I can see why. Very tempted to go back again myself, as there is a lot more to see and do than I thought.
Finca means estate in Spanish, and this place was the "hub" of a 100-hectare estate with olives, sheep, goats, etc. The hotel makes its own olive oil, which is brilliant.
The preceding blog posts hopefully give enough detail about the places we visited, so I won't go into detail here. The general impression of the island is that it is larger than I thought, Palma is interesting but not absolutely riveting, the best scenery is in the northwest (the mountains, although not high, are pretty spectacular in a Dolomites-style craggy sort of way). Having said that, we didn't have time to visit the south-east of the island, so that omission can be rectified if/when we return. The north-east was a bit of a disappointment - even Cap de Formentor was a bit anticlimactic, although that might have something to do with the transport issues to and from there. The general environment was flat, industrial and rather boring.
The roads up in the mountains deserve mention, as they are extraordinarily twisty and hairpinny in many places. Generally reasonably well-surfaced, they are also full of cyclists, the vast majority of whom were male, Lycra-clad and seriously committed to cycling. Majorca is a real draw for cyclists, as there are some truly challenging and beautiful rides. Must try some of them one day......
If/when we go back, I'd like to explore the history of Palma in more detail, e.g. an open-topped bus ride and/or a guided tour. Soller deserves more research, too. From information received, the south-east of the island will also repay a visit.
Majorca exceeded my expectations. I think the image that it once had of lager louts, stag dos, Club 18/30 types has now largely disappeared (having said that, we avoided Magaluf like the plague). The Germans love it here - they certainly outnumbered the Brits overall and they are well catered for. Many of the waiters and waitresses were more comfortable speaking German than English.
I wish that there was more parking. Couldn't believe how difficult it was to park the car at times. Even Jean's legendary and uncanny ability to find a parking space where none seem to exist seemed to desert her. Must be those bloody foreigners.....
I would very much like to go back again.
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