We would like very much to hear from people who have visited Mallorca Spain where should we stay and what should we see? We will be there for 2 weeks we prefer renting a furnished apartment over hotel we would like to be centralized in the middle of where the most sites are to see. However we will probably rent a scooter to get around or car which ever fits the need. Any advice would be greatly appreciated Thanks...This trip will be our 2ND time visiting out of the country 1ST was Nice France...
Posted by
Portsmouth
5292 posts
I would recommend basing yourself in the capital, Palma. It's a gorgeous city and will have the widest choice of accommodation, particularly serviced apartments.
I would recommend a car over a scooter, especially if you want to explore the island. Palma excluded, traffic is generally quite light and driving is easy. I wouldn't want to ride a scooter along the mountain roads and trust me, you'll want to go up into the mountains as that's where some of the best villages and food can be found. It will be frustrating trying to make the steep gradients on a scooter and you'll certainly piss the locals off who often drive quite fast along them.
You'll find recommendations to visit the Drach Caves, my advice is not to bother. It's all a bit of a tourist trap as you're restricted to timed entrance due to the sheer volume of tourists (the car park is crammed full of buses) and you're rushed through the caves in order to be seated in an auditorium. We sat for 45 minutes waiting for it to fill up before finally being serenaded by a couple of violinists passing by in a boat. The 'concert' lasted about 5 minutes before everyone is herded out through the exit.
The caves in Arta on the other hand are more impressive. There is no gimmicky 'concert', the guided tour pace is a lot more relaxed and there are far, far fewer crowds. The nearby town of Arta is well worth a visit and a stop for lunch/dinner.
October is a good month to go, still warm but occasionally there can be rain. There are school holidays jn October so that's worth bearing in mind. We've been in October several times and found it to be the perfect time for exploring as well as still being able to sunbathe, eat outside etc.
Posted by
Yorkshire
1287 posts
Hi Rick -
I resisted visiting Mallorca for years due to it attracting the worst of my fellow countrymen on the booze and beaches for two weeks solid. I eventually went, with some trepidation, but was surprised to find it was not at all what I read about in the tabloids. Palma is a beautiful city which we enjoyed, but our base was on the northern coast where we visited either by car, bus or on foot, Valdemossa, Deia, Soller, Puerto Soller. We returned a few years later to the same places when walking the 'Tramuntana Traverse' ending up in Pollenca and Puerto Pollenca.
If I was travelling without a car and was travelling to Mallorca again I think I would base myself in Soller or nearby. It's a lovely town. From the airport take the bus into Palma. The bus stops opposite a small station where old wooden carriage trains run across the island to Soller. Easy. To reach the sea I believe a separate tram runs from Soller to Puerto Soller, also lovely.
At the end of our hike we arrived in Pollensa and took taxis to Puerto Pollensa. Based on my brief stay there, Pollenca looks a better place to stay than Puerto Pollenca although the benefit of staying at the sea side is that it was easy to pick up a public bus back to Palma and the airport when we left.
Go north and I'm sure you'll have a great trip. Avoid the big tourist resorts like the plague and enjoy the natural wonders of the rugged mountain shores!
Ian