This year we decided to do something a bit different. We usually go to the mountains skiing for the Winter holidays but instead this year we decided to head further South to the island of Mallorca. We needed some sun and blue sky after weeks of clouds and cold weather here in Germany.
It was our first time travelling to the Balearic Islands. From Bonn-Cologne airport it was very easy to fly to in only a couple of hours.
Simon was really happy to discover the island on his bike. Mallorca is THE place to go for professional and amateur cyclists. The mild weather and the diversity of landscapes makes it a great place to practice during the Winter months. I later discovered that a lot of triathletes, hikers and runners also come here to train (our hotel seemed popular amongst sportsmen).
Once thing i'd like to mention: I am not sure I would visit the island in Summer as it must be incredibly busy, we were really lucky to experience it in Winter, it was very quiet, no traffic and the beaches were empty.
For the first time we stayed in a hotel with a half-board service and it was amazing! Normally we stay with family or rent during our holidays but I have to say it was really relaxing to stay in a hotel and not worry about cooking food!
We stayed in the PortBlue hotel in the North of the island (only 45mn drive from the Palma airport) near the port of Pollenca. It's a great place to stay for families as they have really nice Family rooms, indoor and outdoor (heated) pools and a kids club. Our children didn't go to the kids club as there wasn't much to do at this time of the year. For the parents/adults there is a really nice spa overlooking the bay of Pollenca and a well equipped gym.
We had two interconnecting rooms, one for the 3 kids and one for us :-) large buffets for breakfasts and dinners with food freshly cooked. The kids were so excited!
On the first night and despite the variety of available food, Lucien came back to the table with a huge plate of fries and a couple of slices of tomatoes (because I told him to get some veg) and on the side his chocolate ice cream melting while he was eating his fries!! He later understood that you can choose more than fries and that desert can wait until the end of dinner!
The old Palma has a lot of charm with colourful facades and a maze of narrow, quiet streets. Our daughter Ophelia had written down two addresses for eating out so on our arrival we had a delicious lunch La Molienda (great coffee) and on another day we had lunch at Rosevelvet Café (another place where you can enjoy great coffee with delicious cake!)
La Molienda
Café du Cycliste This place was for Simon (cyclist fan) Facing this shop you also have Rapha, another great shop/café for cyclist fans :-)
We went to visit the stunning Drach caves on a cloudy day. The kids loved it and after we went for a picnic on the beach.
View of the Cala Figuera from the car. The drive to the lighthouse at the far end of Cap Formentor is breathtaking. The narrow and winding roads are very popular with cyclists.
Photo with the kids at the Cap Formentor while Simon was having a great time on his bike.
We found this dreamy beach - Playa de Formentor - were we had picnics on few occasions. It felt like we were lost in the Caribbean as the beach was empty (in Summer it must be hell!)
