MALLORCA
i’ve found myself visiting mallorca three years in a row now, first in 2021 when on an artists residency at casa balandra, the following year for my hen weekend and this year for another friends hen weekend (don’t worry, both hens were very respectable and no trips to magaluf were made..!) it’s becoe a place i’ve really fallen in love with and i still desire to return and discover more, but for now heres some of my favourite spots.
EATING & DRINKING
a lovely tapas restaurant in valldemossa, situated inside a renovated garage. the atmosphere is relaxed, the staff are lovely and the food is delicious. they have a gorgeous terrace overlooking the mountains and their orchard too, which is ideal for warmer evenings. the menu uses local and seasonal ingredients, some of my favourite dishes were the lamb tacos & squid croquettes
you always need to know where to get a good scoop, and this place was simple and sweet with a nice little selection of the classic flavours. it’s right next to the Carthusian monastry, which was at one point home of composer chopin. take a pew and people watch, or mooch around the beautiful gardens of the monastry with your cone and enjoy!
a lovely little cafe next door to the gelato shop in valldemossa, great coffee (they even do a decaf if you’re off the caffeine like me) and lots of yummy cakes, as well as a lovely looking breakfast menu. inside they have two big windows which overlook the town, on a nice sunny day they open the them up and the light pours in with a perfect breeze. it’s a really ideal, slow start to the day.
my favourite bakery in valldemossa, it’s fairly unassuming from the outside, but at the back they have a pretty sizeable terrace which is so delightful to sit amongst the trailing flowers in the morning sun. they have a big selection of lots of traditional pastries, i’ve forgotten the names but the apricot pastry and the custard pastry were my favourites! they have a nice selection of freshly baked bread and savoury bits too, plus traditional spanish hot chocolate on tap.
a traditional mallorquin bakery in palma with lots of character, the walls are covered with antique cake tins and the counters piled with delicious looking baked goods. if you’re keen to try a traditional Ensaïmada, which is spiral shaped soft pastry that comes with various fillings, here is a great place to get one. you can get them in small individual sizes, or as a large on to share - the large ones come in a lovely takeaway box too.
a gelato spot in palma, one of the visually pleasing ones with freezers full of big tubs of rippled gelato, topped with figs, sliced mango, pistachio, caramel and lots more.
ok so sure, you’re in spain.. but theres never a bad time for a banging cinnamon bun right? this is a swedish bakery and their buns are sooo yummy - i particulalrly love the cardomom, but alongside the buns they have an insane spread of other pastries too and a bounty of fresh loaves.
a very cool wine bar with an emphasis on natural/low intervention wine. very laid back atmosphere, the owners are lovely and know heaps about wine, without making you feel like an idiot if you know nothing! they have a small little menu of bar snacks too, the buratta on sourdough with anchovies was bloody great!
a small mexican restaurant, which was a fun night with very good margheritas and authentic tacos - the taco de pescado estilo baja was and always is my favourite!
tapas restaurant in palma, all the classics which dont dissapoint! nice relaxed atmmosphere, like eating inside a cool wine cellar with vaulted stone ceilings.
probably one of the most idilic seafood restaurants you’ll eat at, you’ll need a reservation because its always full and for a very good reason. nestled up on the rocks of cala deia, overlooking the perfect blue ocean, serving up freshly caught seafood which is truly so delicious. the tuna tartare was definitely a winner, as were the croquettes de piscado and the boquerones. the dinner here was one of the most memorable i’ve had, the staff were so lovely and the setting is perfection.
a sweet vegetarian cafe in deia, which also sell local and homemade produce such as olive oil, wine and beer, kimchi and other preserves. alongside this they also have a small offering of homeware and lifestyle pieces, all designed and made locally too.
a beautiful seaside restaurant at port de soller, walk along the sandy beach and sit on the terrace overlooking the port and the mountains that hug the landscape. the staff were so friendly and attentive and the food was delicious, the waiter recommended a tasting menu and so he took the lead and it did not dissapoint at all, with a lovely organic white wine to go alongside.
i saw sa foradada, the iconic rock formation from the sea whilst on a sailing trip, and the lovely man sailing our boat pointed out the restaurant which sits within the rocks on this stunning cove. it’s really about the views here, and as the only restaurant in it’s location it doesn’t feel over crowded. the menu is mallorcan fish & seafood.
this was a lovely little tapas restaurant we went to after visiting the accidente showroom (mentioned below). its inside an old stone building, and has a lovely spacious terrace with beautiful views of the surrounding landscape.
SHOPPING
a beautiful store in valldemossa, son moragues is their farm but in this shop they sell their produce, most noteably their beauitful olive oil. the shops looks a bit like an old apothecary, the olive oil is bottled in hand blown glass vessels made by a family of glass blowers on the island who have been working on their craft since 1719. they also have textiles which are naturally dyed and printed using materials from the farm, amongst other preserves and lifestyle pieces. you can also book tours of the farms, and scenic olive oil tastings through their website.
a lovely little bio shop, with local produce - i got some salted mallorcan almonds which were absolutely delicious. it’s a nice little shop to have a nose around for gifts or to grab a few bits to make a simple lunch on the go. the staff are lovely and very knowledgable about all the produce.
this little jewellery store is over the road from you cinnamon bun stop, convenient i know… don’t be thrown off by the bright white, somewhat glitzy interiors and windows full of new sparkly jewels. go inside the store and ask to be shown their antique and vintage cabinets - they have an amazing selection, particularly of gold pieces; chains, bracelets, watches, rings. it’s a little tradition of mine to collect a pendant of each place i travel to, i asked the owner if i could view more vintage pendants and out she pulled 3 or 4 boxes of all these adorable vintage pieces, it was like digging through treasure! so if theres nothing that grabs your attention immediatley ask what other vintage pieces they have in stock too.
a small ceramics gallery in deia, with a selection of works from three local artists. simple hand made pieces with a focus on materiality and texture, mostly vases, vessels and large platters/bowls.
a clothing brand based on the island, gabriela’s studio and showroom is in her beautiful historical home in deia. you can visit by appointment and browse her collection of simple and mindfully made pieces, created using locally sourced and vintage materials.
another clothing brand from mallorca, with an emphasis on natural dyes and materials sourced from the island and made in collaboration with local artisans. alongside their clothing they have accessories made from palm leaf and small traditional cermaics too. it is possible to visit their showroom by appointment, and during better weather they sometimes host natural dying workshops outside in their garden.
this market takes place each sunday, i think entry for parking was 1 euro, but you could also go by bus and enter for free. this was probably my favourite market, lots and lots of vendors selling wonderful vintage and traidtional pieces. in particular i loved the textiles, and got a two lengths of 100 year old linen from one of the islands oldest mills which only set me back 30 euros. there are lots of wonderful ceramics, furniture and lighting too. it’s fairly unassuming, and is located near some industrial buildings just as you approach the town, go early from 9am.
SIGHT SEEING
you need to visit this one by car, its on the drive between valldemossa and deia and you’ll park in a lay by adjacent to the ‘hotel bordoy continental valldemossa’. on the hotel side of the road there is a low brick wall with a no access sign - climb over this wall (it is absolutely easy to get over so dont be initimidated by the word climb there…) and follow the beaten path down. the hotel will be on your right hand side, keep going down the path until you stumble upon a clear view point with a brick ledge and a beautiful tree in the middle. drink in the insane views, endless horizon of ocean and stunning sunsets. come prepared with a bottle of vino, some salted crisps and olives. i came here on my very first night in mallorca and it totally took my breathe away!
the picturesque rock formation looks like a giant, rugged barbara hepworth sculpture with its pierced hole through the middle. i really recommend visiting this spot by boat so you can really appreciate its scale from the ocean. you can easily rent a boat for the day, or half a day from port de soller (with a skipper) and follow the coast, past cala deia to see sa fordada. we stopped here to watch the golden sunset and jump out for a sea swim, it was absolutely stunning.
i really recommend visiting the miro foundation in palma, it is so peacful and inspiring. here you can see the artists home which he designed with architect and friend, Josep Lluís Sert. in this building is his painting studio where there are hundreds of paintings arranged in a way as though you are stepping into an artists studio, not in an orderly gallery style fashion. behind the painting studio, situated amongst lots of towering trees is his ceramics and printmaking studio in an older more traditional building, this was my favourite space, very rustic with spontaneous drawings on the white plaster walls.