February is not really the best time to visit Mallorca, however we took a chance. Life was a mess at that point of time, and I needed a respite. I needed a breathing space to think, ponder and reflect on my life. My lovely daughter was about to turn 7 and a celebration was in order. A picture of Palma in winter popped up in my Facebook feed and I could not take away that image of a crispy clear sunny winter day by the sea. Honestly this simple photo inspired me to book a trip to Mallorca in February and I booked the flight tickets on a whim. I am clearly not a person to make a hasty decision, but I am glad I did this time. I got to experience 7 days of an unadulterated bliss.
via: Beste Reistijd
When we landed at Mallorca airport on a February night, the crisp clear sea breeze immediately made me feel fresh. My anxiety at my workplace faded. We headed towards our hotel. While planning our trip, I had that image of winter in Mallorca by the Mediterranean and we definitely needed to stay right by the seafront. So instead of booking a hotel in the old town or by the harbor, we booked a hotel at Playa de Palma – the city beach of Palma. It’s a 6 km long stretch. Along the beach runs the waterfront promenade and that is the best part. In February, we didn’t have a chance of sunbathing, but with a milder winter(around 17 degree centigrade) and gorgeous sunshine, walking along the waterfront felt most refreshing. Our days would start with a buffet breakfast in the hotel and then a long walk along the promenade. There are lots of bike renting places with reasonable fare and you could rent a bike if you like. After all this walking, we would be hungry again and would sit down somewhere in the waterfront for a freshly made paella.
via: Independent People
Some days, in the afternoon, we did take a bus to Palma city to see Palma’s landmark – La Seu Cathedral. We had just presented a camera to our daughter for her 7th birthday and the cathedral set the best views in Palma. It took 600 years to build this cathedral – can you imagine this? On some other days we would take the bus to the city centre to wander the narrow cobbled streets. It was a pergect getaway without any agenda or plan, justto unwind and stumble upon quaint alleys and surprises.
via: Villa Son Font
I would have loved to stay in one of the quiant houses in the island and get to know true Mallorca, however our trip was planned in a hurry and didn’t have much time to do any research and franly, all I cared about was a place to rejuvenete. We booked a resort style hotel just by the beach and we actually loved it. It was not full season, however the hotel was full. I could see that from the complimentary buffet breakfast and dinner. It was quite full, but not full enough to have to fight with other people to get food. The food was not extra ordinary in our hotel, however it served our purpose. The funny thing was, you were allocated a particular place in the dining hall and every time you had to sit there. So all the people surrounding us sort of became familiar. It was a nice place to observe other people. The couple that sat right beside us flew with us from the same airport on the same flight and returned on the same date in the same flight. It was coincidental that we also happened to stay in the same hotel, but it I do not know why, it felt good to see those same familiar faces in the hotel and the promenade. I am not really a people person, I would rather have distance and space, so I cannot really fathom why I enjoyed the ‘company’ of all those people.
via: See Mallorca
While we spent a leisurely week in Palma, we did take a day tour to Soller. I had read enough about Soller not to miss it. Port de Soller is a picturesque little village and the road to soller was unforgettable but I will keep that story for another day.
The post dinner walks along the promenade were quite relaxing as well. Because, it was not the proper season, nothing much was open by the beach in the evening apart from the resorts themselves. The skywatching became a favourite game for us. We would observe the stars and constellation in the dark but clear sky. The fresh air from the sea and the gentle rolling waves as a background noise made the walks something to look forward to. The days didnot feel mundane, rather it took away all the stress of city life and life-work juggle. I do not know how I would feel in summer although it is indeed a summer destination, but Palma in February felt absolutely magical. As I mentioned before, this trip was a relaxing one and I do not regret that we didn’t venture out much. I do feel that that was just the beginning and I will be back in Mallorca soon.
P.S. I have written some other blog posts on Mallorca here and here.
