Mallorca: Boats, Beaches and World Class Restaurants

Those who know me know that I am a travel fiend.

I love everything about it! And the enjoyment for me really starts at the planning stage…working out where to stay, which restaurants to visit, what activities are worth experiencing. It’s fair to say that I’m slightly obsessive.

However, instead of being able to plan, pack and enjoy the general excitement, 2021 saw all of us simply longing for some sunshine and a change of scenary.

We were only able to confirm our trip to Mallorca a few weeks prior, and once it had the official green light, I decided to extend the trip from a long weekend to a twelve day adventure. At least this way, we could move around and experience different parts of the island.

Travel Guide Part 1 – Palma & Illetas

I’m lucky that I have grown up visiting Mallorca, so I know Palma and Illetas well.

Instead of basing ourselves in the city, we chose to spend the first few nights of our trip at Bon Sol, a family-run hotel on the southwest coastline.

Despite only being a 10-minute drive from both Porto Portals and Palma’s best restaurants, we benefitted from a beach (albeit modest), spectacular sea views and the space of a seafront suite.

After a 12-month spell of no travel, the first few days were spent simply enjoying the sun, daily swims, wandering down to seafront restaurants and being thoroughly pampered.

It’s worth noting that we also enjoyed our best meal of the holiday on night two. If you have the pleasure of finding yourself in Palma, I strongly urge you to book a table at Fera. The tasting menu was nothing short of perfection, as was the wine, atmosphere and stunning garden setting (All restaurant links posted at the end).

Travel Guide Part 2 – Mallorca, Playa de Muro

After 5 days in and around Palma, we ventured to Playa de Muro, the longest sandy beach in Mallorca that’s still relatively known.

We are very keen to look at securing a holiday home over the next two years and prices along the northern coast are far more competitive than those near Palma.

Therefore, with our extra time we thought it would be worth exploring a new part of Mallorca that neither of us knew much about.

The pros: The beach is absolutely stunning as you can see from below. The water was also crystal clear (very comparable to the Caribbean) and considering it was peak season, it didn’t feel crowded.

The cons: Because the area is still relatively underdeveloped (which is why it’s so beautiful), there are very few bars or restaurants. The food was average at best but after utter indulgence in Palma, this perhaps wasn’t a bad thing.

Overall, three or so days relaxing on the beach was idyllic, but we were ready for a change of scenery and a nice glass of wine by day 4!

Travel Guide Part 3 – Mallorca, Deia

I had obscenely high expectations for Deia, Mallorca! Every person who I mentioned our plans to lit up as soon as I mentioned the name, promptly telling me that it was completely magical. I am very pleased to say that Deia met and exceeded our expectations!

We stayed in Cas X’orc, a boutique hotel we found on Mr & Mrs Smith. Made up of just 9 rooms, you instantly felt at home.

It boasted the most stunning infinity pool I have ever seen which overlooked views of Port Soller. The restaurant seated you under countless olive and lemon trees, providing the most perfect spot for breakfast, lunch and two of our dinners.

The pace of life in Deia seemed slower than on the rest of the island.

From the homemade lemonade (which we drunk buckets of), to the beautiful wines and the exquisite views, we will definitely return to Cas X’orc. I honestly cannot fault it.

It was also in Deia that we met up with two friends, Lydia and Mark. On our first night we ventured to Ben D’avall, a restaurant that my mother-in-law told me we simply had to experience.

Despite its Michelin star, the atmosphere wasn’t stuffy and the taster menu was delicious, but the star attraction was the view! As we ate our way through 10 courses, the sunset and we were treated to the most spectacular lightning storm any of us had ever witnessed.

In terms of other memorable dinners, we also enjoyed an evening at the Belmond, where we sipped bubbles on the terrace with live piano music, before eating at El Olivo. Although Fera was my favourite of the trip, El Olivo was Clem’s. He fell in love with their starter of homemade pasta with cream, fresh lobster and scallop gratin which I have to admit, was sensational.

After so much beautiful food and countless hours at the pool, we decided to get out onto the water.

The four of us chartered the 62 foot Vesper, a sailing boat owned by Mezzo Magic in Port Soller. Across two days, we visited little coves, swam in the sea, soaked up the 30 degree sun and got a taste of ‘proper’ sailing when the winds decided to pick up.

The week we spent in Deia was absolute perfection and I can’t recommend it enough!