My wife and I are planning a trip to Mallorca in September, we'll be there 5 days and would like a hotel in Palma so we could walk to the Cathedral and Old town center. We also plan to see the pearl factories and maybe a few other sites accessible by public transportation. If you can suggest a hotel that is reasonable yet nice I would appreciate it.
Thanks!
Be careful. We went there maybe 10 years ago and booked a hotel (it was decent price, but we didn't do our research). So, this is what we found out. There is an area of Palma where there are a ton of young people just there to party (nothing wrong with that, but you should know). Our hotel had no air conditioning and it was really run down. And it was in the middle of this party zone. We spent the entire first day of our stay there looking for another place - any other place. So, do your research as to whether the hotel is air conditioned (we needed it in June), whether it's sound proofed, and whether it's not surrounded by an environment you may not want. I tried to figure out where we ended up, but I can't find the name or the location. It might not even be there anymore, anyway. Good luck!
I live in Mallorca so I'll let you know that the island is beautiful in September as the weather starts to cool down. We almost always have a bit of rain around the 10th so bring a packable umbrella just in case. We celebrate Nit d'Art the week of the third Thursday in September when all the art galleries of Palma stay open late and there is entertainment in the streets.
There are many beautiful new hotels in Palma set in palatial palaces. As far as reasonably priced hotels, check the following: Hotel Almudaina (but be sure to ask for a room facing the back of the hotel and not on the street), Innside by Melia Palma Center (outside of the historical area but inside what were once the old city walls), Brondo Architect Hotel, Hotel Saratoga, Ca'n Alexander (new), Hotel Continental, Hotel Palladium. All hotels are within walking distance of the monumental area of Palma.
Not too sure about the pearl factories, some of them closed a few years ago, and besides they are quite a distance from Palma in the area of Manacor. In Palma around Plaza Cort (our Km 0) you will find a number of shops carrying the local brands like Majorca and Orquidea. Near the Drach Caves in Porto Cristo, the Majorica shop does a demo.
The public bus/train system can be found at www.tib.org I did a day on the train with a friend last year and it was quite enjoyable
We stayed at The Isla Mallorca Hotel a few years ago while our daughter was living there. We definitely liked the room and amenities. There were also a few nice coffee shops & small cafes close by that we walked to. It’s in a quiet neighborhood.