Island Getaway: Mallorca

~Day 1~

We arrived late at night into Palma.

^(view from Airbnb of sunset)

After a long week at work and a late flight, we slept in the next day before embarking on our exploration of Palma de Mallorca.

Our first stop was the Mercado and got food there. Brad really wanted to go to a restaurant that was in the Mercado, but when we got to the restaurant...we were confused because it was completely empty and the menu said that half of the plates weren't available until 5pm! What was cool, is that they allow you to buy fresh products (fish and meat...etc.) and bring it to the restaurant to cook! But as I said...not until 5pm. We ended up stopping at a food stall and getting some amazing Mediterranean food (above). We also went to the fish market next door so Brad could get some mussels (below)!

We kept exploring. We came across Plaza de Mayor. There happened to be a Friday Market, which I loved!

We saw the castle and church.

We also went to the Banys Arabs (Arab baths).

We stumbled upon the Jardi Del Bisbe, which was a real treasure.

Then we made our way to beach.

We relaxed on the sand. We didn't expect it to be so warm (we'd been checking the weather forecast religiously and it had predicted 60 degree weather and rain), so we weren't prepared to swim. However, we still stuck our feet in the water - how could we not?!

We visited the port where the boats were, got a drink and rested our feet.

Then we continued walking along the promenade and came across a market!

The market had stalls with different tapas from different regions of Spain, as well as stalls selling goods like jewelry and clothing. We didn't get food right there and then though. We made plans to come back later.

Instead we went to explore the neighborhood of Santa Catalina. It wasn't as charming as we thought it would be from what we'd read...and most of the places were closed when we walked by. At that time, we were quite tired from walking all day so we went back to the Airbnb and rested for a couple hours.

Later, we made our way to a restaurant we found online that was said to have affordable and good tapas -- and to just be affordable and good in general. However, when we got there we discovered it was actually really expensive! Thankfully we had passed the food stalls earlier, so we just went there and ate a variety of yummy tapas, which were delicious and filling for dinner (above)! I loved being able to try different tapas from different regions, and for Brad and I to be able to get the tapas we each individually wanted.

~ Day 2 ~

We checked out of the Airbnb and went to a local bakery which was recommended by our Airbnb host. It was a really good call! The pastries we got there were delicious! We ended up eating them on the bus.

We left Palma de Mallorca and made our way to Santanyi. When we arrived, we walked around the small town, exploring the big Saturday market they held!

Our Airbnb hosts for Santany were lovely. Because the bus wasn't running to their neighborhood (Cala Lombards - the bus only runs from June - September, which we didn't realize), they came and picked us up. Their neighborhood was at most a 10 minute drive away, but it was still very nice of them to do that. They even gave us a little tour of the. area, showing us where the supermarket was, the only bar/restaurant around, and where to go to get to the beach.

We decided to start with the beach since it wasn't raining and we wanted to take full advantage of the beach while the skies were clear. The first beach was so nice!

There was even a little shack there to get food and drink. Funnily enough, they served drinks to go in a plastic bag, tied with a rubber band at the top!

What I liked about this beach is that there was a little area to the left that was rocky that you could jump off of into the water! It wasn't quite warm enough to swim...but I still liked that fact. If it had been warmer we definitely would have taken advantage of the rocks there.

Knowing that many places are closed on Sundays, and knowing also we were in a remote, small town, we decided to pick up groceries from the small supermarket on the way back to the Airbnb from the beach for dinner and breakfast the next day. It was a good call because they were closed the next day!

But actually for dinner, we went to that sole bar/restaurant. Brad really wanted paella, but they had run out! It worked out for the best though, because he got this delicious fish instead!

~ Day 3 ~

Another day to sleep in! Lucky for us, it wasn't raining! So, we packed our bags and made our way to the smaller beach.

It was a smaller beach and you had to hike in to find it, but it was so worth it. I liked the small walk and how secluded the area was.

Despite being secluded, there were a lot of people there! It was warm, but for us, still not warm enough to swim. Other people were, especially children! I'm not sure how they weren't freezing! We had a really great time simply enjoying the beach and relaxing.

After a day at the beach, we went back to the Airbnb and cooked ourselves dinner.

~ Day 4 ~

We started the day having a conversation with our fellow Airbnb guest from Germany about midwifing. It got a little deep, but it was still a very interesting conversation, especially hearing her reasons for wanting to be and being a midwife.

Our amazing Airbnb hosts took us back to Santanyi to catch the bus. We were worried at first we missed the bus (despite being there a half an hour early) because the bus was late! We did eventually catch it (20 minutes late) and arrived in Palma de Mallorca with plenty of time before our flight.

Due to this, we decided to go get lunch at a place that Brad had found online due to its good review, called Celler Sa Premsa (above). I am so glad he found that place. It was amazing! We ended up getting menu del dia, which was way to much food, even for Brad, and that's saying something! Everything was delicious and flavorful. Brad even got his paella! And the waiter was so nice! Brad noted how everyone was so much more friendly in. Mallorca as opposed to Madrid -- I couldn't argue there.

^(happy about the paella)

^(realizing he may not be able to finish his food)

^(dessert! Of course I had room)

We walked the streets of Palma once last time, trying to walk off some of the food we just ate, before catching the bus back to the airport.

I loved Palma de Mallorca. Despite everyone saying we needed a car, we really had a great time without one! Perhaps next time we'll rent a car so we can drive around the whole island, but this weekend island getaway was just perfect the way it was.