As I sit in my garden in sunny St Albans, with the temperature soaring past 30C, the thought of going to Mallorca is not particularly enticing. Although as I look for some shade and a place to cool off, maybe it does deserve a closer look. After all, the only time we have been there, we had to deal with snow, not blazing sunshine.
My one visit to Mallorca was a very pleasant one – Boxing Day 2004 (tsunami day) and we left Liverpool airport after a long delay due to snow. With a few days off before the New Year, it was a chance to do some decent hiking in conditions that should be perfect – not too warm, not too cold. And it is a beautiful island. To those who would not venture there for its image of drunken streets polluted by the best of British, of fish and chip shops, big breakfasts and umpteen Irish bars, I would reassure them that most of this rugged and varied island is made up of beautiful coastline, quaint villages and very friendly people. You can easily lose yourself in the open spaces of northern Mallorca (although you might bump into local residents Michael Douglas and CZJ), with some energetic walking in the hills near Valldemossa or the coast around Puerto de Soller. We enjoyed a few good hikes in this area, and especially loved the seafood at the end of our toils. It even got quite warm at some points!
The culinary highlight was without doubt the local hot chocolate – liquid chocolate in a cup, or as good as. Devine! (as with so many things, we bought the drink to have at home, and of course it didn’t taste anything like the same – why is that?) Every evening we sat in a cafe in the centre of Soller, around 15 minutes walk from our guest house, and enjoyed this liquid magic. Not exactly the ideal drink to wash down a copious plate of pasta or a dish of lamb, but what the hell – it’s a holiday after all.
As for the snow – we passed it on our way up to the Lluc monastery. It was a treat to have an impromptu snowball fight in Mallorca!
(Dec 2004)
Tipping: when and how much is right?