The magnificent Serra de Tramuntana mountains reach a precipitous climax in the rearing peaks of northern Mallorca. This is the wildest part of the island, long the haunt of brigands and monks, and even today the ruggedness of the terrain forces the main coastal road, the Ma-10, to duck and weave inland, scuttling past the once-remote monastery at Lluc – one of Mallorca’s real highlights – but offering only the occasional glimpse of the sea. The mountains fade away as they near Pollença – perhaps Mallorca’s prettiest town, and within easy striking distance of the region’s two prime resorts, Port de Pollença and Port d’Alcúdia, as well as the island’s top-ranking birdwatching site, the Parc Natural de S’Albufera.
Heading northeast from Sóller, the Ma-10 soon snakes its way up into the mountains, threading round the stern flanks of Puig Major before passing the remarkable sideroad that wiggles and wriggles down to both overcrowded Sa Calobra and the attractive beach at Cala Tuent. Nonetheless, it’s the charming monastery of Lluc that remains the big draw hereabouts, for tourists as well as religious islanders, who venerate an effigy of the Virgin known as La Moreneta. To the east of Lluc, the Ma-10 slides out of the mountains near Pollença, a handsome old town of honey-coloured stone mansions clustered around a fine, cypress-flanked Way of the Cross. From Pollença, it’s a hop, skip and a jump to the Badía de Pollença, whose northern flank is guarded by the extravagantly wild and beautiful Península de Formentor, the northernmost spur of the Serra de Tramuntana, while the back of the bay is occupied by the low-key, family-orientated beach resort of Port de Pollença. Nearby, the pretty little town of Alcúdia lays claim to a set of good-looking stone walls and the rubbly remains of the old Roman settlement of Pollentia, and is only a couple of kilometres from the Badía d’Alcúdia, which has its own dramatic headland in the bony Alcúdia peninsula. Here, also, is the sprawling holiday resort of Port d’Alcúdia with its splendid stretch of golden sand, and the Parc Natural de S’Albufera, quite simply the best birdwatching wetland in the Balearics.
PORT DE POLLENÇA BEACH
Highlights
1 Monestir de Nostra Senyora de Lluc Home to the Balearics’ most venerated icon, La Moreneta, this intriguing monastery also makes an ideal base for mountain hikes.
2 Pollença Wandering the narrow lanes and alleys of this beguiling little town of ancient stone houses is a real pleasure.
3 Ermita de Nostra Senyora del Puig A rambling assortment of old stone buildings, this is one of the most appealing of Mallorca’s several hilltop monasteries.
4 Port de Pollença beach A long arc of sand and safe shallows make this one of Mallorca’s best beaches.
5 Península de Formentor This tapered promontory of bleak sea cliffs and pine-clad hills offers gorgeous views and excellent birdwatching.
6 Parc Natural de S’Albufera A slab of wetland offering the best birdwatching on the island – especially in spring.
Highlights are marked on the Northern Mallorca map.
GETTING AROUND: NORTHERN MALLORCA
By bus Bus services around northern Mallorca are generally excellent between
April and October, but are scaled right back in winter. The most popular
long-distance route is seasonal bus #354, which runs from Port de Sóller
to Ca’n Picafort via Sóller, Lluc, Pollença, Cala Sant Vicenç, Port de
Pollença, Alcúdia and Port d’Alcúdia (April–Oct Mon–Sat 2 daily); note
that this bus service is very popular and – travelling northeast – you
have a better chance of a seat if you get on at Port de Sóller rather
than the second stop, Sóller. All the area’s tourist offices carry bus
timetables – or go to the island’s official public transport
website,
tib.org.
By taxi Town-to-town taxi fares are fixed and are very reasonable, especially if you’re travelling in a group. Sample fares are: Port de Sóller to Port de Pollença €88; Lluc to Pollença €35; Palma to Pollença €70.
By car & parking If you have your own vehicle, be aware that in summer parking can be a real pain in most villages and resorts between 10 or 11am and 5pm; one exception is Lluc, where there is a huge car park.
The northern coast
Beyond Sóller, the Ma-10 forges through the highest and harshest section of the Serra de Tramuntana, where the mountains drop straight into the ocean, pushing the road inland with barely a cove in sight. The accessible exceptions are the appealing beach at Cala Tuent and the overly commercialized hamlet of Sa Calobra next door, though it’s the mountains that are the real magnet hereabouts, with the Gorg Blau (Blue Gorge) a handy place to start any one of several hikes. Popular for its hiking also is Lluc monastery, which sits in a wide, inland valley with mountains on all sides, but Lluc is better known for its fascinating church and reliable supply of inexpensive rooms.
Gorg Blau and around
Heading northeast from Sóller, the Ma-10 zigzags up into the mountains, weaving past the steep turning down to Fornalutx before offering a last lingering view along the coast from the Mirador de Ses Barques vantage point. Thereafter, the road snakes inland to tunnel through the western flanks of Puig Major (1447m), the island’s highest mountain. Beyond the tunnel is the Gorg Blau, a bare and bleak ravine that was a well-known beauty spot until a hydroelectric scheme scarred the gorge with a trio of puddle-like reservoirs. The second of the three – about 3km east of the tunnel – is the Embassament de Cúber (Cúber reservoir), an unappetizing expanse of water redeemed by its abundant birdlife, notably several different types of raptor. For a better look, stop at the lay-by to follow the easy footpath that circumnavigates the reservoir – it only takes a couple of hours to complete. The reservoir is also an obvious starting point for the four-hour hike west to the Barranc de Biniaraix along (part of) the GR221 long-distance footpath; alternatively, it’s a two-hour hike southeast to the Refugi Tossals Verds hikers’ hostel, in a remote spot high in the mountains. The refugi is also on the GR221, but getting there involves a detour from the main route between Biniaraix and Lluc.
To the immediate north of the reservoir rear the bare and craggy flanks of Puig Major, but the dramatic trail that twists up to the summit from the military base beside the main road remains off-limits on account of its radar station. This makes Puig de Massanella (1367m), which looms over the Gorg Blau to the east, the highest climbable mountain on the island.
HIKING, HIKERS’ HOSTELS AND MONASTERY ACCOMMODATION
This part of the Serra de Tramuntana offers superb hiking and is home to the island’s best hiking company, Mallorcan Walking Tours. Suggestions for several comparatively easy and/or short walks are given in the text, and we have also described in detail a half-day hike beginning in Port de Pollença and a longer, tougher hike near Alcúdia. The region is also traversed by Mallorca’s main long-distance hiking trail, the Ruta de Pedra en Sec (“Dry-stone route”; officially known as the GR221), which runs in from Sóller and worms its way through the mountains on its way to Pollença. Not all of the GR221 is in prime condition, but this stretch certainly is, its route punctuated by three hikers’ hostels (refugi): Tossals Verds in the mountains east of the Embassament de Cúber; Son Amer, near Lluc; and Pont Romà in Pollença. You can also stay in two of the region’s monasteries, either comfortably at Lluc or more frugally at the Ermita de Nostra Senyora del Puig, just outside Pollença.
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE: GORG BLAU
By bus Buses stop beside the Cúber reservoir.
Destinations Lluc (April–Oct Mon–Sat 2 daily; 40min); Pollença (April–Oct Mon–Sat 2 daily; 1hr); Port de Sóller (April–Oct Mon–Sat 2 daily; 50min); Sóller (April–Oct Mon–Sat 2 daily; 30min).
ACCOMMODATION
Refugi Tossals Verds 
971 18 20 27, reservations 971 17 37
00, www.conselldemallorca.net. Up in the
mountains, a 2hr hike southeast of the Embassament de Cúber
reservoir, this hikers’ hostel is one of several owned and
operated by the state. There are thirty bunk beds here at €11
per person per night, with breakfast costing a further €5, and
one double room; reservations must be made at least five days
beforehand. Dorm €11, double
€40
Cala Tuent
In between Gorg Blau and Escorca, a dramatic sideroad – the Ma-2141 – slips over the mountains to both Sa Calobra and Cala Tuent. It’s an exhilarating, ear-popping detour with the well-surfaced road zigzagging its way over terrain so severe that at one point it actually turns 270 degrees to run under itself.
About 10km down this road, there’s a fork: head left over the hills for the 5km journey to CALA TUENT, where a smattering of villas clings to the northern slopes of Puig Major as it tumbles down towards the ocean. Ancient orchards temper the harshness of the mountain, and the gravel-and-sand beach is one of the quietest on the north coast. It’s a lovely spot and – provided you stay close to the shore – the swimming is safe.
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE: CALA TUENT
By car There’s no public transport to Cala Tuent – and neither is there anywhere to stay. Parking can be a bit of a hassle too, especially at the weekend, with cars squeezed into unlikely angles where the road nears the beach.
EATING AND DRINKING
Es Vergeret Cala Tuent 971 51 71 05,
esvergeret.com. On the far side of the
cove, this excellent restaurant has a gorgeous location, its
long, shaded terrace nudging out into the sea. It serves up a
tasty range of fish and meat dishes from €15 – all accompanied
by the rolling sound of the ocean. March–Oct daily 12.30–4.30pm, plus July & Aug Sat
8.30–10.30pm.
Sa Calobra
The Ma-2141 continues beyond the Cala Tuent turning, wriggling its way down to the seashore at SA CALOBRA, where a scattering of houses occupies a pint-sized cove in the shadow of the mountains. The setting is gorgeous, but tour operators deposit busloads of tourists here every day in summer and the crush can be unbearable. The reason so many people come is to visit the impressive box canyon at the mouth of the Torrent de Pareis (River of the Twins). It takes about ten minutes to follow the partly tunnelled walkway round the coast from the village to the mouth of the canyon. Here, with sheer cliffs rising on every side, the milky-green river trickles down to the thick bank of sandy shingle that bars its final approach to the sea – though the scene is transformed after heavy rainfall, when the river crashes down into the canyon and out into the ocean.
NORTHERN MALLORCA: TOP 5 PLACES TO STAY
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE: SA CALOBRA
By bus Buses stop in the large car park just up the road from the village.
Destinations Alcúdia (April–Oct Mon–Sat 1 daily; 2hr 30min); Lluc (April–Oct Mon–Sat 1 daily; 1hr 30min); Pollença (April–Oct Mon–Sat 1 daily; 2hr); Port d’Alcúdia (April–Oct Mon–Sat 1 daily; 3hr); Port de Pollença (April–Oct Mon–Sat 1 daily; 2hr 20min).
Escorca and the Torrent de Pareis
A poorly defined scattering of houses, ESCORCA strings along the Ma-10 in between the Cala Tuent/Sa Calobra turning and Lluc, its most conspicuous feature being the Restaurant Escorca. Directly opposite the restaurant, a sign marks the starting point for the descent of the Torrent de Pareis, a formidable, 7km-long, limestone river gorge which drops down to Sa Calobra. It’s a well-known, very testing and potentially dangerous hike-cum-climb which requires some basic rock-climbing skills, and takes about five hours to negotiate. The descent is not practicable in winter, spring, or after rainfall, when the river may be waist-high and the rocks dangerously slippery. The gorge is always hotter than its surroundings, so take lots of water.
Monestir de Nostra Senyora de Lluc
Just off the Ma-10 about 23km west of Pollença and 8km
east of Escorca • Daily: April–Sept 10am–9pm; Oct–March 10am–8pm • Parking
€4.50 with a monastery visit, €6 without • 971 87 15 25, lluc.net
Tucked away in a once-remote valley, the austere, high-sided dormitories and orange-flecked roof tiles of the Monestir de Nostra Senyora de Lluc (Monastery of Our Lady of Lluc) stand out against the greens and greys of the surrounding mountains. It’s a magnificent setting for what has been Mallorca’s most important place of pilgrimage since the middle of the thirteenth century, though its religious significance goes back much further: the valley’s prehistoric inhabitants were animists, who deified the local holm-oak woods, and the Romans picked up on the theme, naming the place from lucus, the Latin for “sacred forest”. Later, the monks who settled here after the Reconquista were keen to coin a purely Christian etymology, so they invented the story of a shepherd boy named Lluc (Luke) stumbling across a tiny, brightly painted statue of the Virgin in the woods. Frightened by his discovery, the lad collared the nearest monk and, lo and behold, when the pair returned bright lights dazzled their eyes and celestial voices declared the statue to be an authentic heaven-sent image.
Basílica de la Mare de Déu de Lluc
Daily: April–Sept 10am–9pm; Oct–March 10am–8pm • Free
The monastic complex is an imposing and formal-looking affair mostly dating from the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. At its centre is the main shrine and architectural high point, the Basílica de la Mare de Déu de Lluc, which is graced by an elegant Baroque facade. To reach it, pass through the monastery’s stately double-doored entrance and keep straight on till you reach the second – and final – courtyard, where there’s a dreary statue of Bishop Campins (1859–1915), who overhauled Lluc in the early part of the last century and is shown kneeling and facing the entrance to the church. Dark and gaudily decorated, the interior of the church is dominated by heavy jasper columns, the stolidness of which is partly relieved by a dome over the crossing. On either side of the nave, stone steps extend the aisles round the back of the Baroque high altar to a much smaller chapel. This is the holy of holies, built to display the statue of the Virgin, which has been commonly known as La Moreneta (“the Little Dark-Skinned One”) ever since the original paintwork peeled off in the fifteenth century to reveal brown stone underneath. Just 61cm high, the Virgin looks innocuous, her face tweaked by a hint of a smile and haloed by a much more modern jewel-encrusted crown. In her left arm she cradles a baby Jesus, who holds the “Book of Life” open to reveal the letters alpha and omega.
Museu de Lluc
Daily 10am–2pm & 2.30–5pm • €4.50, residents €2 • Entry either via the main entrance – turn right and keep going along the corridor; or through the small door just inside and to the right of the basilica’s main entrance, from where you follow the corridor
The entertaining Museu de Lluc begins with a section devoted to archeological finds from the Talayotic and Roman periods, and continues with the Sala del Tresor (Treasure Room), packed with all manner of folkloric items brought here to honour La Moreneta, from painted fans, medallions, rosaries and crosses through to walking sticks discarded when the supplicants found they were no longer lame. A further room displays examples of traditional island costume as well as sections devoted to religious carvings and majolica, glazed earthenware mostly shaped into two-handled drug jars and show dishes or plates. Some two or three hundred majolica pieces are on display, the pick coming from the eighteenth century, when the designs varied from broad and bold dashes of colour to carefully painted naturalistic designs. The colours, however, remained fairly constant, restricted by the available technology to iron red, copper green, cobalt blue, manganese purple and antimony yellow. There is also a good sample of Catalan and Valencian lustreware, brown earthenware with a sheen – or lustre – and manufactured between the sixteenth and the eighteenth centuries. The final rooms on this floor are, by comparison, rather tame, focused on the uninspiring peasant scenes and land- and village-scapes of the prolific José Coll Bardolet (1912–92).
LLUC’S CHOIR
Nicknamed Els Blauets (“The Blues”) for the colour of their cassocks, the monastery’s choir, the Escolania de Lluc, was founded in the early sixteenth century. Originally, the choir had to be “composed of natives of Mallorca, of pure blood, sound in grammar and song”, but there has been some backsliding if for no other reason than to keep the numbers up: today the choir consists of about forty boys and girls, some resident, others not. The choir usually sings in the basilica during the 12.45pm daily Mass (but not on Saturdays or during school holidays), and on Sundays at 11am. The timetable does, however, change, so check the Lluc website for details.
The upper floors
Upstairs, the next floor holds an excellent cross section of Mallorcan art, either by native artists or artists once resident here. Among them are the Goya-esque works of Salvador Mayol (1775–1834); the romantic landscapes of Bartomeu Sureda (1769–1851); the neo-Impressionist canvases of Llorenç Cerdà Bisbal (1862–1955); and the finely observed mountain landscapes and village scenes of Antoni Ribas Oliver (1845–1911). Oliver is arguably the most talented artist on display here; and look out for his Gorg Blau, painted long before the gorge’s rugged beauty disappeared under the waters of a reservoir. Finally, the top floor is given over to small-scale temporary exhibitions.
THE CERAMIC DELIGHTS OF MAJOLICA
In the fifteenth century, boatloads of decorative pottery were dispatched from Spain to Italy via Mallorca. The Italians coined the term “majolica” to describe this imported Spanish pottery after the medieval name for the island through which it was traded, but thereafter the name came to be applied to all tin-glazed pottery. The process of making majolica began with the mixing and cleaning of clay, after which it was fired and retrieved at the “biscuit” (earthenware) stage. The biscuit was then cooled and dipped in a liquid glaze containing tin and water. The water in the glaze was absorbed, leaving a dry surface ready for decoration. After painting, the pottery was returned to the kiln for a final firing, which fused the glaze and fixed the painting. Additional glazings and firings added extra lustre. Initially, majolica was dominated by greens and purples, but technological advances in the fifteenth century added blue, red, yellow and ochre. Majolica of one sort or another was produced in bulk in Mallorca up until the early twentieth century.
Camí dels Misteris del Rosari
About 30m west of the monastery’s main entrance • Open access • Free
A large and conspicuous, rough-hewn column marks the start of the Camí dels Misteris del Rosari (Way of the Mysteries of the Rosary), a broad pilgrims’ footpath that winds its way up the rocky hillside directly behind the monastery. Dating from 1913, the solemn granite stations marking the way are of two types: simple stone pediments and, more intriguingly, rough trilobate columns of Gaudí-like design, each surmounted by a chunky crown and cross. The prettiest part of the walk is round the back of the hill, where the path slips through cool, green woods with rock overhangs on one side and views out over the bowl-shaped Albarca valley on the other. It takes about ten minutes to reach the top of the hill, where a wrought-iron Modernista cross stands protected by ugly barbed wire.
Jardí Botanic
Daily 10am–5pm • Free • About 70m or so to the right of the main monastery entrance – just follow the signs
The work of a dedicated monk during the 1990s, Lluc’s Jardí Botanic (Botanical Gardens) are laid out with local plants as well as exotics, plus small ponds and waterfalls, little footbridges and even a windmill. There is also an area devoted to aromatic and medicinal plants and the gardens hold examples of all the island’s traditional fruit trees. It takes about twenty minutes to walk through the gardens on a well-defined path.
ARRIVAL: MONESTIR DE NOSTRA SENYORA DE LLUC
By bus Buses stop right outside the main entrance to the monastery.
Destinations Alcúdia (May–Oct Mon–Sat 2 daily; 1hr); Binissalem (2 daily; 50m); Inca train station (2 daily; 40min); Palma (2 daily; 1hr 15min); Pollença (May–Oct Mon–Sat 2 daily; 30min); Port d’Alcúdia (May–Oct Mon–Sat 2 daily; 1hr 10min); Port de Pollença (May–Oct Mon–Sat 2 daily; 40min); Port de Sóller (April–Oct Mon–Sat 1 daily; 1hr 30min); Selva (2 daily; 25min); Sóller (May–Oct Mon–Sat 2 daily; 1hr 10min).
By taxi Taxi Escorca ( 608 631 707) operate a reliable
local taxi service.
INFORMATION
Tourist information There’s an information desk inside the monastery (April–Sept daily 10am–9pm; Oct–March 10am–8pm) and a small Serra de Tramuntana information office, Ca S’Amitger, beside the main car park (daily 9.30am–4pm). The latter sells mountain-hiking leaflets and mini-guides.
ACCOMMODATION AND EATING
The obvious place to stay in Lluc is at the monastery, which also has the best restaurant. If you don’t fancy a sit-down meal, however, you could try any of several cafés between the monastery and the car park: the nearest to the monastery serves fresh and tasty meat and pea pies – empanadas – to eat in or take out.
Monestir de Lluc 971 87 15 25, lluc.net.
Accommodation here is highly organized, with 81 simple, modern
en-suite cells and 39 slightly more comfortable apartments (for
up to four people), which offer self-catering but do not provide
any utensils. Book ahead in summer; at other times simply ask at
the monastery’s information office on arrival. Note also that
getting back into the place late at night (after about 11pm) can
be difficult: if you are planning a big night out (though quite
where you would go is another matter), discuss with the
information office first. During the day (till about 5pm)
residents also get access to an outside pool. Rates include
breakfast. Singles €44; doubles
€68; apartments €112
Refugi Son Amer Escorca 971 51 71 09,
reservations 971 173 700, www.conselldemallorca.net. The main
alternative to the monastery is this Refugi, an all-year hikers’ hostel in an
attractively restored old farmhouse on a hillside close to the
Ma-10, just west of the Lluc turn-off. It’s also a 15min walk
from the monastery on the GR221 long-distance hiking route. The hostel has a dining room and
several bunk-bed dormitories with shared facilities. Breakfast
is available for €4.50, dinner for €8. There are no double
rooms. Flat rate per person €11
Sa Fonda Lluc 971 51 70 22, lluc.net.
Lluc’s gastronomic star turn is the monks’ former refectory,
Sa Fonda, a large and pleasantly
restored old hall complete with wooden beams, wide stone arches
and marble pillars. The food is traditional Spanish, served in
walloping portions and with main courses from around €15; the
meat dishes – especially the kid (young goat) – are much better
than the fish. Opening hours are a tad unpredictable. March–Oct daily 1–4pm & 7–9pm; Nov–Feb
Mon 1–4pm, Wed–Sun 1–4pm & 7–9pm.
Selva and around
South of Lluc, the Ma-2130 drifts its way up and over the mountains in what is one of the island’s most beautiful journeys. After about 12km, the road slips through SELVA, an amiable country town set among the foothills of the Serra de Tramuntana. The main square – Plaça Major – is especially pleasant and is overlooked by a fortress-like church, whose frontispiece appears to have been glued to the Gothic nave as an afterthought. The oldest part of town nudges up to the church, its narrow lanes crowded by the old stone buildings where the local peasantry once rested after their long days in the surrounding olive groves. From Selva, the Ma-2130 continues on to Inca, but it’s more enjoyable to head east along the narrow country lanes that traverse the foothills in what is one of the quietest parts of the island. There’s no obvious target, however, unless you’re lucky enough to be staying at Binibona’s Es Castell.
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE: SELVA AND AROUND
By bus Buses travel through Selva on the main drag (the Ma-2130); there’s a bus stop beside the main street on c/Font, from where it’s a 5–10min walk to Plaça Major.
Destinations Binissalem (2 daily; 25min); Inca train station (2 daily; 15min); Lluc (2 daily; 25min); Palma (2 daily; 50min).
ACCOMMODATION AND EATING
Son Ametler c/Son Riera s/n 971 51 54
19, hotelsonametler.com. In an attractive
rural setting with the foothills of the Serra de Tramuntana in
full view, this new and extremely well-run hotel offers eight
(eventually twelve) guest rooms in a sympathetically modernized,
nineteenth-century finca. All are
bright, cheerful and tastefully decorated, with terracotta
floors and über-comfortable beds, and most have large balconies.
There’s an outside pool and a residents’ restaurant (dinner
Mon–Sat), where the outstanding food showcases local produce –
from figs and olive oil to oranges and lemons. The hotel is a
signed 3km or so from Selva’s main street. Closed mid-Dec to
mid-Feb. €155
Es Castell c/Binibona s/n 971 87 51
54, fincaescastell.com. Deep in the
countryside, with the mountains behind and the plains stretching
out below, the outstanding Es Castell
occupies a tastefully restored stone finca, parts of which date back to the fourteenth
century. Entered via a delightful antique courtyard, the public
areas are immensely comfortable, and the twelve guest rooms
beyond are similarly smart and tasteful, each making the most of
their rustic stonework. Add to this an outside pool and an
excellent restaurant, where they highlight home-grown
ingredients – oranges, lemons, honey, figs and a superb olive
oil – and you could stay here for days. Follow the signs along
country lanes from Selva’s main street, a journey of about
6.5km. Closed mid-Dec to mid-Feb. €165
Pollença
Founded in the thirteenth century, the pretty little town of POLLENÇA nestles among a trio of bulging hillocks where the Serra de Tramuntana mountains fade into coastal flatland. Following standard Mallorcan practice, the town was established a few kilometres from the seashore to militate against sudden pirate attack, with its harbour, Port de Pollença, left as an unprotected outpost. For once the stratagem worked. Unlike most of Mallorca’s old towns, Pollença successfully repelled a string of piratical onslaughts, the last and most threatening of which was in 1550, when the notorious Turkish corsair Dragut came within a hair’s breadth of victory. In the festival of Mare de Déu dels Àngels on August 2, the townspeople still celebrate their escape with enthusiastic street battles, the day’s events named after the warning shouted by the hero of the resistance, a certain Joan Más: “Mare de Déu dels Àngels, assistiu-mos!” (“Our Lady of Angels, help us!”).
Lined by lovely old houses, Pollença’s maze of streets attracts a well-heeled, mainly British crowd in sufficient numbers to support several first-rate restaurants and hotels. The town is also within easy striking distance of Cala Sant Vicenç, a brisk and solitary modern resort on the island’s northern shore, and both Port de Pollença and the Península de Formentor.
Plaça Major
Little of Pollença’s medieval town has survived, and the handsome stone houses that now cramp the twisting lanes of the centre mostly date from the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. The heart of the town is Plaça Major, an especially amiable main square, which accommodates a cluster of laidback cafés and restaurants and is also the site of a lively fruit and veg market on most Sunday mornings. Overlooking the square is the severe facade of the church of Nostra Senyora dels Àngels, a sheer cliff face of sun-bleached stone pierced by a rose window. Dating from the thirteenth century, but extensively remodelled in the Baroque style five centuries later, the church’s gloomy interior, with its mighty single-vaulted nave, has a mildly diverting sequence of ceiling and wall paintings, as well as a whopping, tiered and towered high altarpiece. The original church was built for the Knights Templar and passed to another knightly order, the Hospitallers of St John, after the pope suppressed the Templars in 1312. The Hospitallers of St John struggled on until 1802, when the Spanish king appropriated all they owned.
Museu de Pollença
c/Guillem Cifre s/n • Theoretically, June–Sept Tues–Sat
10am–1pm & 5.30–8.30pm; Oct–May Tues–Sat 10.30am–1pm • €2 • 971
53 11 66
South of Plaça Major, c/Antoni Maura leads into a leafy square, whose greenery surrounds an antique water wheel and a stumpy, much battered watchtower. Behind looms the austere facade of Nostra Senyora del Roser, a deconsecrated church which, together with the adjoining monastery complex, now makes up the Museu de Pollença. Inside, the former monks’ quarters hold a surprisingly good and regularly rotated collection of contemporary paintings, photography and video art, including pieces by winners of the town’s annual art competition. There’s also a modest assortment of local archeological finds, though these are poorly labelled, and a room of Mallorcan Primitive paintings, most memorably a warm, tender and exquisitely detailed Virgin and Musical Angels by Francesc Comes (1379–1415).
In the cloisters, look out for the memorial to Philip Newman (1904–66), the Manchester-born violinist who took a real shine to Pollença in the 1950s, founding and fostering its main musical festival, the Festival de Pollença. Next to the cloisters is the church, whose truncated, barrel-vaulted nave is a gloomy affair with an enormous gilded altar; the church is sometimes used for temporary exhibitions.
Museu Dionís Bennàssar
c/Roça 14 • May–Sept Tues–Sun 10am–2pm • €2 • 971
53 09 97, museudionisbennassar.com
A short stroll northeast of Plaça Major, the Museu Dionís Bennàssar occupies the former home of Dionís Bennàssar (1904–67), who recovered from a wound he sustained as a soldier in the Spanish army in Morocco to become one of the island’s most talented and respected artists. The museum holds a tidy collection of his neo-Impressionist paintings, brightly coloured canvases among which the Mallorcan land- and village-scapes are the most interesting.
Puig de Calvari
Pollença’s pride and joy is its Via Crucis (Way of the Cross), a long, steep and singularly beautiful stone stairway, which ascends the Puig de Calvari (Calvary Hill) on the north side of the town centre, flanked by ancient cypress trees. At the top, a much-revered thirteenth-century statue of Mare de Déu del Peu de la Creu (Mother of God at the Foot of the Cross) is lodged in a simple santuari (sanctuary), whose whitewashed walls sport some of the worst religious paintings imaginable, though the views out over coast and town are sumptuous. On Good Friday, a figure of Jesus is slowly carried by torchlight down from the santuari to the church of Nostra Senyora dels Àngels, a procession known as the Davallament (Lowering), one of the most moving religious celebrations on the island.
Pont Roma
Although it doesn’t merit a huge detour, the Pont Roma, on the northern edge of town, is worth a peep. This old Roman bridge spans the Torrent de Sant Jordí, though in summer you’ll be lucky to spot a stream, never mind a river. The finely worked stone bridge consists of two slightly different arches, and although in itself it’s not a remarkable structure, it has at least survived intact despite all the historical odds.
Ermita de Nostra Senyora del Puig
There are magnificent views over Pollença and its environs from the Ermita de Nostra Senyora del Puig, a rambling, mostly eighteenth-century monastery perched on top of the Puig de Maria, a 330m-high hump facing the south end of town. The monastic complex, with its fortified walls, courtyard, chapel, refectory and cells, has had a chequered history, alternately abandoned and restored by both monks and nuns. The Benedictines now own the place, but the monks are gone and today a custodian supplements the order’s income by renting out cells to tourists (see Accommodation). There’s nothing specific to see, but the setting is extraordinarily serene and beautiful, with the mellow honey-coloured walls of the monastery surrounded by ancient carob and olive trees.
It takes around an hour to walk to the monastery from the centre of town: head for the main Pollença–Inca road (Ma-2200), where a signed turning leads up a steep lane that fizzles out after 1.5km to be replaced by a cobbled footpath winding up to the monastery’s entrance. It’s possible to drive to the top of the lane, but unless you’ve got nerves of steel, you’re better off parking elsewhere. Note that there have been reports of cars left at the foot of the lane overnight being vandalized; although this is unusual, you might prefer to park in town instead.
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE: POLLENÇA
By car To avoid Pollença’s baffling one-way system, enter the town from the south, turning off the main Palma road – the Ma-2200 – onto Avgda Pollentia (where there is almost always parking).
By bus Buses to Pollença from Palma, Inca, Port de Pollença and Cala Sant Vicenç pull in on the south side of the centre on c/Cecili Metel, a 5min walk from Plaça Major. Less conveniently, buses from Port de Sóller, Sóller and Lluc pick up and drop passengers on the north side of town, beside the Ma-10, a good 1km from Plaça Major.
Destinations Alcúdia (May–Oct 1–4 hourly; Nov–April hourly; 15min); Cala Sant Vicenç (5 daily; 20min); Inca (Mon–Fri hourly, Sat & Sun 7 daily; 25min); Lluc (May–Oct Mon–Sat 2 daily; 25min); Palma (Mon–Fri hourly, 7 on Sat & Sun; 1hr); Port d’Alcúdia (May–Oct 1–4 hourly; Nov–April hourly; 20min); Port de Pollença (May–Oct 1–4 hourly; Nov–April hourly; 15min); Port de Sóller (May–Oct Mon–Sat 2 daily; 1hr 45min); Sóller (May–Oct Mon–Sat 2 daily; 1hr 35min).
By taxi The centre of Pollença is best explored on foot, but for the more
outlying hotels, you’ll mostly need a taxi: there’s a rank in the
centre at the corner of Avgda Pollentia and c/Reina Maria Cristina,
or call Taxi Pollença on 971 86 62 13.
INFORMATION
Tourist information The tourist office is a 3min walk from Plaça Major, in the walls
of the old convent on c/Guillem Cifre (Nov–April Mon–Fri 8am–3pm;
May–Oct Mon–Sat 9am–1.30pm & 2–4pm Sun 10am–1pm; 971 53
50 77, pollensa.com).
Festivals The Festival de Pollença is staged every year throughout July and
August ( festivalpollenca.org), with the likes of flamenco star
Diego El Cigala and Catalan folk legend Joan Manuel Serrat appearing
in recent years.
ACCOMMODATION
Hotel Desbrull c/Marquès Desbrull 7 971 53 50
55, desbrull.com. Small and smart, this
family-owned hotel occupies an old stone villa in the centre of
town. It has six double rooms, each kitted out in an attractive
modern style but with the house’s older features – like beamed
ceilings – still on show. €100
Ermita de Nostra Senyora del Puig de
Maria 2km south of town 971 18 41 32. At this hilltop
monastery, the original monks’ quarters have been renovated to
provide simple rooms with shared facilities. A single room costs
€14, triples €30. To be sure of a room, book ahead, but be warned
that it can get cold and windy at night, even in the summer. There’s
a refectory on site, but the food is only average. Doubles €22
Hotel Juma Plaça Major 9 971 53 50 02,
pollensahotels.com. Right in the middle of
town, overlooking the main square, this enjoyable small hotel
occupies an old stone merchant’s house that functions rather like a
traditional pension, with reception on the
first floor, a café down below and the a/c rooms up above. The rooms
are bright and cheerful and the best (€10 extra) have balconies with
views over the centre. €130
L’Hostal c/Mercat 18 971 53 52 82,
pollensahotels.com. In a lavishly updated
old stone house, this appealing hotel has six en-suite rooms
decorated in a bright and breezy modern style with flashes of the
old – beamed ceilings and bare stone walls. The central courtyard is
a good place to unwind, and you are just metres from the main
square. €130
Posada de Lluc c/Roser Vell 11 971 53 52 20,
posadalluc.com. This small and extremely
comfortable hotel occupies an attractively restored old stone house
in the centre of town. The monks from Lluc monastery used to lodge here when they popped into
Pollença to pick up supplies – hence the statue of the Madonna over
the front door – and many of the original features have been kept,
notably the deep stone arches and masonry walls. There’s a small
outside pool and each of the a/c guest rooms has been equipped in a
traditional style but with modern comforts. €140
Refugi Pont Romà Camí Can Gulló s/n 971 53 36
49, www.conselldemallorca.net. After a long
period of closure for building repairs, this all-year hikers’ hostel
on the northern edge of town has reopened, albeit to mixed reviews.
The no-frills dormitory accommodation is in half a dozen four- to
twelve-bunk bedrooms with shared facilities, and there’s also a café
area. It’s on the GR221 Serra de Tramuntana hiking route, and is a moderately difficult five-hour hoof
from the Refugi Son Amer near Lluc.
Breakfast €4.50, dinner €8.50. Reservations advised. Dorms €11
Son Brull Crta. Palma-Pollença, km 49.9 971 53
53 53, sonbrull.com. Lavish by any standard, this
deluxe hotel and spa occupies a handsomely restored
eighteenth-century convent, whose honey-coloured stonework has an
idyllic setting overlooking vineyards and citrus groves. There are
just 23 rooms, each of which is a canny amalgamation of modern
design with original features, from the beamed ceilings and
shuttered windows to the extremely comfortable beds. Family-owned,
the hotel has a bar in the former olive press, an outside pool and a
first-rate restaurant. It’s about 3km south of Pollença on the Palma
road, the Ma-2200. €700
EATING AND DRINKING
Pollença does very well for restaurants, which are sustained by the villa owners who gather in the town each and every summer evening. The café and bar scene is less convincing, but there are several reasonably lively spots on and around Plaça Major. Almost all the cafés and bars serve food of some description, mostly tapas.
Ca’n Moixet Plaça Major 2 971 53 42
14. Every other place on the main square may
heave with the well-heeled and the well-tanned, but the renegades –
or at least the semi-renegades – gather here at this old-fashioned,
locals’ favourite under the sign “Café Espanyol”. Drinks are the big
deal, but they also serve filling and inexpensive snacks. Daily 10am–midnight.
Clivia Avgda Pollentia 5 971 53 36
35. Very hospitable restaurant (and
long-time expat favourite) offering an excellent range of Spanish
dishes – try the squid in ink. If you choose fish, the waiter brings
the uncooked version to the table so you can inspect it before
buying/eating. It’s a smart place and it attracts an older
clientele. Mains average €25. Reservations advised. Daily except Wed 1–3pm & 7–10.30pm.
Il Giardino Plaça Major 11 971 53 43 02,
giardinopollensa.com. One of the best
restaurants in town, this smart bistro-style place offers a tip-top
range of Italian dishes from about €15, and pastas from €12, all
prepared with vim and gusto and featuring the best of local
ingredients; the ravioli stuffed with wild mushrooms is particularly
good. To be sure of a seat on the terrace – where you will probably
want to eat – either come early or book ahead. Great house wines
too. Mid-March to Oct daily 12.30–3pm &
7–11pm.
Manzanas y Peras c/Martell 6, Plaça Seglars 971 53 22
92, manzanasyperas.eu. In an attractive
location, on a little square at the foot of the Via Crucis, this
excellent and mildly boho café-restaurant has every reason to be
proud of its fresh and tasty menu, featuring a delicious range of
home-made tapas, from Asian spiced chickpea and date purée to
roasted chicken and red pepper. Their “Tapas Feast” set menu costs
€30. Mon–Sat 6.30–10pm, Sun
10am–4pm.
SHOPPING
Ceramiques Monti-Sion c/Monti-Sion 19 971 53 35 00,
ceramicasmontision.com. Arguably the best
ceramic shop on Mallorca, offering an excellent range of
hand-crafted pieces in both traditional and modern designs. Jugs,
cups, tiles, vases and plates – though the biggest plates may prove
hard to transport safely home. April to
early Nov daily 10am–2pm & 4–8.30pm.
Cala Sant Vicenç
There’s no denying that CALA SANT VICENÇ, a burgeoning, modern resort just 7km northeast of Pollença, boasts an attractive setting among a set of bare rocky outcrops that nudge gingerly out into the ocean. The only problem – if indeed there is one – is the resort itself: some visitors like the modern villas that spill over and around the wooded ravine at its heart, others think they are dreary, but most are agreed that the Hotel Don Pedro, plonked on the minuscule headland separating two of the resort’s beaches, is crass in the extreme. If you are staying in Cala Sant Vicenç, it may be comforting to know that it’s easy enough to escape all the development by hiking north out onto the wild and wind-licked seashore. The obvious targets are the remote calas that punctuate the coastline, but you could also undertake the moderately strenuous hoof up to the top of Puig de l’Àguila (206m), from where there are grand views. This 6km hike takes around three hours; the first part uses a rough dirt-and-gravel road, the second follows a well-defined path that leads to the base of Puig de l’Àguila – but you’ll still need a proper hiking map to find your way. If that sounds too much like hard work, you could simply enjoy the resort’s four sandy beaches: two on either side of the Hotel Don Pedro and two more on the east side of Cala Sant Vicenç on the far side of a dividing headland.
ARRIVAL AND INFORMATION: CALA SANT VICENÇ
By bus Buses to and from Cala Sant Vicenç stop in the centre of the resort on both Avgda Cavall Bernat and on c/Temporal.
Destinations Lluc (May–Oct Mon–Sat 2 daily; 40min); Pollença (May–Oct 8 daily, Nov–April 3 daily; 20min); Port de Pollença (May–Oct 8 daily, Nov–April 3 daily; 15min); Port de Sóller (May–Oct Mon–Sat 2 daily; 1hr 50min).
Tourist information The tourist office is in a little wooded dell just back from the
beach on Plaça Sant Vicenç (June–Sept Mon–Fri 9am–1.30pm &
2–4pm, Sat 10am–1pm; 971 53 32 64, pollensa.com).
ACCOMMODATION AND EATING
Ca’l Patró c/Cala Clara s/n 971 53 33
89. Among the resort’s several cafés and
restaurants, this is the pick – just down the steps to the left of
the Hotel Don Pedro. The focus is firmly
on seafood: the catch of the day is usually first-rate and costs in
the region of €25. Daily except Tues
noon–3pm & 6–10pm.
Hostal Los Pinos c/Can Botana s/n 971 53 12
10, hostal-lospinos.com. Cala Sant Vicenç is a
popular resort, so on-spec, vacant rooms can be thin on the ground,
but you might try this two-star hostal,
which occupies an attractive modern villa with Art Deco flourishes
on a wooded hillside on the south side of the resort. The rooms here
are furnished in a spick-and-span version of traditional Spanish
style, and there’s an outside pool. Closed mid-Oct to April. €75
Badía de Pollença
Pollença is but a few kilometres from the Badía de Pollença, a wide U-shaped bay fringed by a long sandy beach, which gets wider and much more enticing as you near Port de Pollença, a laidback and low-key resort that’s especially popular with Brits. The waters of the bay are sheltered to the south by the Alcúdia peninsula and to the north by the wild and extravagantly beautiful Península de Formentor, which pokes its bony finger out into the ocean as the northernmost spur of the Serra de Tramuntana. There are fast and frequent buses between Port de Pollença and the surrounding towns, but nothing along the Península de Formentor beyond the Platja de Formentor, near the start of the promontory and reachable by both bus and passenger ferry.
MALLORCAN WALKING TOURS
Port de Pollença is home to the island’s best hiking company, the small,
independent Mallorcan Walking Tours (MWT;
(0034) 668 54 22 74, mallorcanwalkingtours.puertopollensa.com), which runs an
outstanding range of day-long guided hikes from
September to June. There is something to suit most levels of fitness and
they cover the whole of the Serra de Tramuntana as well as the hilly uplands
north of Artà and Sant Elm. Costs vary depending on the hike but begin at €20 per
person including transport to the trailhead, though walkers need to take
their own food and water. MWT also leads a week-long
traverse of the Serra de Tramuntana from Valldemossa to
Pollença for around €790 per person. You need to book (by phone or online) a
minimum of 24 hours beforehand, much more for the longer hikes. MWT also
provides route advice and moves luggage between destinations for self-guided treks.
Port de Pollença
With the mountains as a shimmering backcloth, PORT DE POLLENÇA is a pleasantly informal, family-orientated resort that arches through the flatlands behind the Badía de Pollença. The beach is the focus of attention here, a narrow, elongated sliver of sand, which is easily long enough to accommodate the crowds, while its sheltered waters are ideal for swimming. A rash of apartment buildings and hotels blights the edge of town, but there are no high-rises to speak of and the resort is dotted with attractive whitewashed and stone-trimmed villas. Altogether it’s quite delightful, especially to the north of the marina, where a portion of the old beachside road has been pedestrianized – and there are plans to extend the pedestrianization to the south of the marina, too. When – or if – you get bored by the beach, you can also rent a bike and cycle out into the surrounding countryside, make the enjoyable hike across to Cala Bóquer , or head off to the wondrous mountain scenery of the neighbouring Península de Formentor.
A VALLEY HIKE FROM PORT DE POLLENÇA TO CALA BÓQUER
6km • Linear • 107m of ascent • 45min to 1hr each way • Easy • Trailhead: N39°54.602, E03°05.201
The walk through the sheltered Vall de Bóquer is an attractive, easy stroll over the gently undulating, verdant ground that lies between the Serra del Cavall Bernat and the Cerveta Ridge, across the neck of the Península de Formentor. The headland at the end of the walk offers splendid views of the severe sea cliffs that characterize the northern coast, with the cove and beach below. The walk is suitable for most ages and abilities – though the last leg down to the beach is uneven and can be difficult for young children. The hike is especially popular with birdwatchers, who favour early morning or evening visits. You’ll also see lots of feral goats in the valley.
THE ROUTE
Start by heading north along the seafront from Port de Pollença’s marina and then turn left up Avinguda Bocchoris until you reach the four-lane ring road. Cross this main road at the roundabout (which has a small car park on its right and provides an alternative start to the walk) and continue up the dirt track with the ridge of the Serra del Cavall Bernat straight ahead. Approximately 300m further on, the path goes through an iron gate, passing the Bóquer farmhouse on the right. There’s a splendid view of the Badía de Pollença from here and some fine examples of the Agave americana, a succulent whose flower spikes reach heights of 3m.
Beyond the farmhouse, the path turns round to the right, heading north through a small iron gate, then ascends steadily for about 500m, passing between large rocks. Niches in the rocks are occupied by clumps of dwarf fan palms, and you’ll probably see the blue rock thrushes that inhabit the area. Here and further along the walk, you may also spot wheatears, black-eared wheatears, black redstarts, rock sparrows and wrynecks, as well as buzzards, peregrines, kestrels, booted eagles, the occasional osprey, Eleonora’s falcons in spring and, in summer, stonechats and goldfinches. Various warblers pass through this area during migration too, but the big ornithological thrill is the black vulture, with a wingspan of around 2m, which glides the air currents of the north coast. There’s a fairly good chance of spotting one from the Vall de Bóquer – and if you’re really lucky you’ll get a close view, its large, black body contrasting with a brownish head, beak and ruff.
Beyond the boulders the path descends, becoming less rocky, then passes through a gap in a dry-stone wall before ascending gently for about 150m – a scattering of pine trees 50m to the left offers a shady spot for a picnic. The valley’s feral goats have grazed the area, leaving the vegetation sparse and scrubby. The most noticeable plant is Asphodelus microcarpus, which grows up to 2m high, bearing tall spikes of white flowers with a reddish brown vein on each petal. Not even the goats like it. Other common shrubs are the Hypericum balearicum, a St John’s Wort whose yellow flowers are at their best in spring and early summer, and the narrow-leaved cistus and spurges, whose hemispherical bushes bear bright yellow glands. At the top of the next incline the path passes through another wall. About 50m off to the right of the junction of wall and path, more or less due south, is a 1.5m-high tunnel, inside which is a spring. Be careful, however, if you venture in, as it’s popular with goats, who like the water and shade.
Further on, at some carved stone seating, the path forks, with the route to the beach to the left, while the right path, to the headland, splits into as many paths as there are goats. The beach route runs alongside a dried-up watercourse amid the cries of sea birds and the whispering of the tall carritx grass. Patches of aromatic blue-flowered rosemary line the path. The beach at Cala Bóquer is disappointing, being predominantly shingle, but the water is clean and it’s a good place for a swim. To return to Port de Pollença, simply retrace your steps.
ARRIVAL AND INFORMATION: PORT DE POLLENÇA
By bus Buses to Port de Pollença stop right in the centre of the resort by the beach and at the foot of the main drag, c/Joan XXIII.
Destinations Alcúdia (May–Oct every 15min; Nov–April hourly; 15min); Artà (Mon–Sat 2 daily; 1hr); Cala Sant Vicenç (May–Oct 8 daily, Nov–April 3 daily; 15min); Ca’n Picafort (May–Oct every 15min; Nov–April hourly; 1hr 15min); Lluc (May–Oct Mon–Sat 2 daily; 45min); Palma (hourly to 2 hourly; 1hr 15min); Platja de Formentor (May–Oct Mon–Sat 4 daily; 20min); Pollença (May–Oct 1–4 hourly; Nov–April hourly; 15min); Port d’Alcúdia (May–Oct every 15min; Nov–April hourly; 30min); Port de Sóller (May–Oct Mon–Sat 2 daily; 2hr); Sóller (May–Oct Mon–Sat 2 daily; 1hr 50min).
Tourist information The tourist office is bang in the centre of the resort at
Passeig Saralegui 1 (May–Sept Mon–Fri 9am–8pm, Sat 9am–4pm;
Oct–April Mon–Fri 9am–3pm, Sat 9am–1pm; 971 86 54
67, pollensa.com). They have lots of local information,
including accommodation lists, bus- and boat-trip timetables and
details of car rental companies.
ACTIVITIES
Boat trips Excursions of various descriptions are extremely popular in
Port de Pollença, and depart from the jetties behind the tourist
office. The main company is Lanchas La Gaviota ( 971 86 40
14, lanchaslagaviota.com), which runs regular excursions
out into the Badía de Pollença (May–Sept Tues–Fri 1 daily; 2hr
30min; €23) and to Cap de Formentor (May–Sept 3 weekly; 2hr
30min; €25). The most popular trip is the 20min hop over to the
golden sands of the Platja de Formentor (May–Oct 2–5 daily;
€13.50 return).
Cycling The rusticated flatlands edging the Badía de Pollença and
stretching inland as far as Pollença make for easy, scenic
cycling. Bikes and mountain bikes can be rented from Rent March,
in the centre of Port de Pollença at c/Joan XXIII, 89
( 971 86 47 84, rentmarch.com).
ACCOMMODATION
Though Port de Pollença has sixteen hotels, three hostales and a small army of holiday apartment blocks, vacancies get thin on the ground in high season, when it’s advisable to book well in advance. In the shoulder seasons substantial deals and discounts are commonplace. The part of town you want is the pedestrianized Passeig Anglada Camarasa running north from the tourist office, but if plans go ahead to pedestrianize Passeig Saralegui, which runs to the south, then this will become an equally pleasant area – but for now the traffic is off-putting.
Pension Bellavista c/Monges 14 971 86 46 00,
pensionbellavista.com. Funkiest place in
town with a laidback vibe and a handful of straightforward but
comfortable and clean en-suite rooms, set a brief walk from the
seafront in a 1930s house. Breakfasts are vegetarian
extravaganzas – and are taken in the shaded Bellaverde café-bar adjoining the hotel. Very different from
the chain hotels all around – and all the better for it. A snip.
€60
Hotel Daina c/Atilio Boveri 2 971 86 62
50, hoposa.es. Straightforward tower-block
hotel with four stars, seventy-odd rooms and an excellent
seashore location beside Passeig Anglada Camarasa. The public
areas are slick and modern, as are the bedrooms, with shades of
white and grey to the fore. There’s an outside pool too. Closed
Nov–Feb. €200
Hoposa Hotel Bahía Passeig Voramar 29 971 86 65
62, hoposa.es. In a great location a few
minutes’ walk north of the marina along the seashore, this
three-star hotel occupies one of the town’s older villas, with
many period details surviving in the public areas. The thirty
rooms are bright and breezy and the pick have sea-facing
balconies. Closed Nov–March. €160
Hotel Illa d’Or Passeig Colon 265 971 86 51
00, hotelillador.com. This well-equipped,
four-star hotel sits by the waterfront on the northern edge of
the resort. Set in its own grounds, with a private jetty and
beach, it’s built in traditional Spanish style and dates from
the 1920s though the interior is ultramodern and the decor a tad
pedestrian. Good facilities include saunas, pools and a gym.
Closed Nov–March. €200
Hotel Llenaire Camí de Llenaire s/n 971 53 52
51, hotelllenaire.com. Just 5km from the
town centre, this handsome Mallorcan manor house sits on the
brow of a hill with wide views over the Badía de Pollença. The
owner still runs a farm here – with sheep chomping away and
groves of almond and olive trees – but the house is now a
charming country hotel with most of its eighteenth-century
features sympathetically revamped. The eleven guest rooms are
decked out in lavish period style, and there’s an outside
infinity pool and a sauna. The hotel is signposted from the
inner ring road running just inland from the seashore. €260
Hotel Miramar Passeig Anglada Camarasa 39 971
86 64 00, hotel-miramar.net. Pleasant, three-star
hotel in two adjacent buildings: one a routine, seven-storey
modern block, the other a much more elegant structure, all iron
grilles and stone lintels, that dates back to 1912, when it must
have been pretty much the only building on the beach. The rooms
are standard-issue modern affairs, but it’s worth paying the
extra €30 for a room with a sea view and a balcony – or you
might be plonked at the back looking out over Carretera
Formentor. Closed Nov–March. €150
EATING AND DRINKING
Port de Pollença heaves with cafés and restaurants. Many of them offer run-of-the-mill tourist fodder, but others skilfully blend Catalan and Castilian cuisines and serve the freshest of seafood. As a general rule, competition keeps prices down to affordable levels, with around €18 covering a main course at all but the ritziest establishments.
Bellaverde c/Monges 14 675 60 25
28. Outstanding vegetarian and vegan
café-restaurant, with a delightful shaded courtyard and a simply
superb menu: try, for example, the pumpkin lasagne with goat’s
cheese or the beetroot fusili. Great soundtrack – the whole
place has a boho feel, as does the adjoining Pension Bellavista. Mains only cost €11. Tues–Sun 8.30am–midnight; kitchen
8.30am–noon, 12.30–3.30pm & 6–11pm.
Celler La Parra c/Juan XXIII, 84 971 86 50
41, cellerlaparra.com. Distinctive,
family-run restaurant with a rustic feel – it’s in an old
celler (warehouse) where wine was
once bought and sold. The menu pretty much sticks to all things
Mallorcan (which is no bad thing) and everything is freshly
prepared. They have wood-burning ovens, and main courses start
at around €15. April–Oct daily
8am–11.30pm; kitchen 1–3pm & 7.15–11pm. Nov–March
Tues–Sun same hours.
El Posito c/Llebeig 8 971 86 54
13. On a side street, this modest but very
good restaurant, with old sepia photos on the wall, offers a
mixed bag of a (Spanish) menu, featuring such delights as
suckling pig or rabbit with lobster. Mains around €20. Daily 12.30–4pm & 7–10.30pm.
Na Ruíxa c/Mendez Nunez 3 971 86 66
55. On a pedestrianized side street
just off the beach, this pleasant restaurant, with its
traditional Spanish decor and large terrace, is especially
strong on seafood. Mains average €18. Mid-March to mid-Oct daily except Tues 1.30–3.30pm &
7–10.30pm.
Stay Restaurant Moll Nou jetty 971 86 40
13, stayrestaurant.com. This
long-established restaurant is known for its wide-ranging menu
and the quality of its seafood – though the main courses tend
towards the small size. The decor is crisp and modern, and
prices a bit above average, though well worth it for the setting
out on the pier; there’s a top-notch wine list too. It’s a
popular spot, so reservations are advised in the evening when
mains are anywhere between €16 and €50. Prices are much lower in
the daytime. Daily noon–11pm.
Península de Formentor
Port de Pollença has been popular with middle-class Brits for decades – witness Agatha Christie’s story Problem at Pollensa Bay – but the hoi polloi were kept away from the adjoining Península de Formentor by an Argentine swank called Adan Diehl. In 1928, Diehl bought the whole peninsula, a wild and stunningly beautiful 20km spur of the Serra de Tramuntana, and then built the Hotel Formentor for his friends and contacts. Since then, the Diehl family and then the government have permitted almost no development and you can now drive along the narrow, twisting road to the rugged cape at the end without a villa in view. In summer, however, the road can heave with cars and buses and you’re best travelling before 10am or after 6pm.
Mirador de la Creueta
Heading northeast out of Port de Pollença, the ring road clears the far end of the resort before weaving up into the hills at the start of the peninsula. At first, the road travels inland, offering grand views back over the port, but then, after about 3.5km, it reaches a wonderful viewpoint, the Mirador de la Creueta, where a string of lookout points perch on the edge of plunging, north-facing sea cliffs. There are further stunning views over the southern shore from the Talaia d’Albercuix watchtower, though you’ll have to brave the wiggly side road that climbs the ridge opposite the Mirador.
Platja de Formentor
Beyond the Mirador, the road cuts a handsome route as it threads its way along the peninsula, somehow negotiating the sheerest of cliffs before slipping down to a fork in the road, where it’s straight on for the cape and right for the 900m detour to the Hotel Formentor. The fork is a couple of hundred metres from the start of the Platja de Formentor, a narrow strip of golden sand that stretches east for about 1km beneath a low, pine-clad ridge. It’s a beautiful spot, with views over to the mountains on the far side of the bay, though it can get crowded in peak season.
Cap de Formentor
Beyond the turn-off for the Hotel Formentor, the main peninsula road runs along a wooded valley before climbing up to tunnel through Mont Fumat. Afterwards, it emerges on the rocky mass of Cap de Formentor, a tapering promontory of bleak sea cliffs, which offers magnificent views and top-notch birdwatching. The silver-domed lighthouse stuck on the cape’s windswept tip is out of bounds, but you can explore the rocky environs, where the sparse vegetation offers a perfect habitat for lizards and small birds, especially the deep-blue feathered rock thrush and the white-rumped rock dove. You can also see the steep, eastward-facing sea cliffs that shelter colonies of nesting Eleonora’s falcons from April to October, while ravens, martins and swifts circle overhead. During the spring and summer migrations, thousands of sea birds fly over the cape, Manx and Cory’s shearwaters in particular. For a closer look at the cape, take the steep but clearly marked footpath leading along the east coast from the lighthouse to the Moll des Patronet viewpoint; allow fifteen minutes each way.
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE: PENÍNSULA DE FORMENTOR
By car Most visitors drive to and along the peninsula; there is a small car park on the final cape (free) and a much larger one (€9) at the start of the Platja de Formentor, beside the turning for the Hotel Formentor.
By bus There’s no public transport to the far end of the peninsula, but buses do run as far as the Platja de Formentor car park.
Destinations Alcúdia (May–Oct Mon–Sat 4 daily; 35min); Port d’Alcúdia (May–Oct Mon–Sat 4 daily; 50min); Port de Pollença (May–Oct Mon–Sat 4 daily; 20min).
By boat Lanchas La Gaviota ( 971 86 40 14, lanchaslagaviota.com) runs a regular passenger ferry
service from Port de Pollença to the Platja de Formentor
(May–Oct 2–5 daily; €13.50 return).
ACCOMMODATION AND EATING
Hotel Formentor c/Playa de Formentor 3 971 89 91
00, barcelo.com. Opened in 1930, the Formentor was once the haunt of the rich
and fashionable – Charlie Chaplin and F. Scott Fitzgerald both
stayed here – and although its socialite days are long gone, the
hotel preserves an air of understated elegance befitting its
hacienda-meets-Art-Deco
architecture. Breakfast is taken on the splendid upper-floor
loggia with spectacular views over the bay, and you can stroll
around the wonderful terraced gardens and up the hillside
behind. Now owned by the Barceló chain, the hotel has every
facility, and while the rooms are not quite as grand as you
might expect, they are still charming – and about as expensive
as you might expect. €450
Restaurant Platja Mar c/Playa de Formentor 3 971 89 91
00. Perhaps predictably, there is a
standard-issue café-bar down on the Platja de Formentor beach,
but you might consider stumping up the extra to eat here at its
more upmarket neighbour, an outpost of the Hotel Formentor; the restaurant occupies a brisk,
modern, two-storey building and serves up delicious grilled fish
and tasty paella, with main courses around €30. April–Oct daily noon–8pm.
Alcúdia
To pull in the day-trippers, pint-sized ALCÚDIA holds one of the largest open-air markets on Mallorca, a sprawling, bustling affair held on Tuesdays and Sundays, its assorted tourist trinkets taking over the entire east end of the old centre. Otherwise, the town’s salient feature is the crenellated wall that encircles its centre, and although this is, in fact, a modern restoration of the original medieval defences, the sixteenth- to eighteenth-century stone houses within are the genuine article. It only takes an hour or so to explore the ancient lanes of Alcúdia’s compact centre and to check out the town wall and its fortified gates, but this pleasant stroll can be extended by a visit to a series of minor sights, which combine to make an enjoyable whole.
A brief history
Situated on a neck of land separating two large and sheltered bays, Alcúdia had a strategic value that was first recognized by the Phoenicians, who settled here in around 700 BC and used it as a staging post for the sea trade between northwest Africa and Spain. A few Phoenician baubles have been unearthed here – including several fine examples of delicate, coloured-glass jewellery – but their town disappeared when the Romans razed the place and built their island capital, Pollentia, on top of the earlier settlement. In 426 AD, Roman Pollentia was, in its turn, destroyed by the Vandals and lay neglected until the Moors built a fortress in about 800 AD, naming it Al Kudia (On the Hill). After the Reconquista, the Christians began again, demolishing much of the Moorish town and establishing Alcúdia as a major trading centre for the western Mediterranean, a role it performed well into the nineteenth century, when the town slipped into a long and impoverished decline. And what a decline it was: “There is no difficulty in finding a place for shelter in Alcúdia both for man and beast”, wrote E.G. Bartholomew in the 1860s, “for by far the greater number of houses are tenantless and doorless.” This sorry state of affairs persisted until mass tourism revived the town’s economy.
Plaça Constitució and around
The best place to start a visit is Plaça Carles V, the old town’s eastern entrance, where the ancient stone gateway leads through to the main drag – here c/Moll – and then the slender Plaça Constitució, a pleasant square lined with pavement cafés. Just beyond, on c/Major, is Alcúdia’s best-looking building, the Ajuntament (Town Hall), a handsome, largely seventeenth-century structure with an elegant balcony, a fancy bell tower and overhanging eaves.
Museu Monogràfic
c/Sant Jaume 30 • Tues–Fri 10am–3.30pm, Sat & Sun
10.30am–1.30pm • €3, including admission to Pollentia • 971 54 70 04
In the southwest corner of the old town, the Museu Monogràfic is the most diverting of Alcúdia’s sights. The museum consists of just one large room, but it’s stuffed with a satisfying collection of archeological bits and bobs, primarily Roman artefacts from Pollentia, including amulets, miniature devotional objects, tiny oil lamps and some elegant statuettes.
Sant Jaume
c/Sant Jaume s/n • Tues–Sat 10am–1pm • Free, museum €1 •
971 54 86 65
Across the street from the Museu Monogràfic and dominating this portion of the old town, is the heavyweight – and heavily reworked – Gothic church of Sant Jaume, part of which holds a modest religious museum. Among the museum’s assorted vestments, chalices and crucifixes are a few medieval panel paintings illustrative of the Mallorcan Primitives. The paintings on display are of unknown provenance, but two sixteenth-century panels stand out: one depicting the Archangel Michael standing on a devil, who is painted red; the second of St John the Baptist, shown – as painterly fashion dictated – with almond-shaped eyes and full lips.
Pollentia
Avgda dels Princeps d’Espanya s/n • Tues–Fri 10am–4pm, Sat
& Sun 10.30am–1pm • €3, including admission to the Museu Monogràfic • 971 89 71 02
Beside Alcúdia’s ring road lie the broken pillars and mashed-up walls of Roman Pollentia, the disappointingly meagre remains of what was once the island capital. Nearly all the stone was looted by the locals years ago, so you’ll need lots of imagination to picture the Roman town, though at least the ruins are clearly labelled and the site is partly redeemed by the substantial, open-air remains of the Teatre Romà (Roman Theatre). Dating from the first century BC, this is the smallest of the twenty Roman theatres to have survived in Spain. Nonetheless, despite its modest proportions, the builders were able to stick to the standard type of layout with eight tiers of seats carved out of the rocky hillside and divided by two gangways, though the stage area, which was constructed of earth and timber, has of course disappeared. It’s a pleasant spot, set amid fruit and olive trees, though you do have to put up with the rumble of the traffic from the main road nearby.
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE: ALCÚDIA
By bus Buses to Alcúdia stop on the south side of the centre beside the ring road, Avgda del Prínceps d’Espanya, and metres from the tourist office.
Destinations Artà (Mon–Sat 2 daily; 50min); Ca’n Picafort (May–Oct every 15min; Nov–April hourly; 1hr 15min); Lluc (May–Oct Mon–Sat 2 daily; 1hr); Palma (every 1–2hr; 1hr); Platja de Formentor (May–Oct Mon–Sat 4 daily; 35min); Pollença (May–Oct 1–4 hourly; Nov–April hourly; 15min); Port d’Alcúdia (May–Oct every 15min; Nov–April hourly; 10min); Port de Pollença (May–Oct every 15min; Nov–April hourly;15min); Port de Sóller (May–Oct Mon–Sat 2 daily; 2hr 15min); Sóller (May–Oct Mon–Sat 2 daily; 2hr).
INFORMATION
Tourist information Alcúdia tourist office is in a flashy new building just off the
ring road on Passeig Pere Ventayol s/n (May–Sept Mon–Sat
9.30am–8.30pm, Sun 9.30am–4pm; Oct–April Mon–Fri 9.30am–3pm;
971 54 90 22, alcudiamallorca.com).
Cultural centre Alcúdia’s ultra-modern cultural centre, the Auditori d’Alcúdia,
Plaça de la Porta de Mallorca ( 971 89 71 85, alcudiamallorca.com), includes a library, theatre and
arts centre; it’s just outside – and to the west of – the city
wall.
ACCOMMODATION AND EATING
Hotel Ca’n Simó c/Sant Jaume 1 971 54 92 60,
cansimo.com. Smart hotel occupying a
substantial, creatively refurbished nineteenth-century stone
townhouse. It has seven double bedrooms, each with deluxe
furnishings and fittings that complement the building’s original
features. €110
Restaurant S’Arc c/Serra 22 971 54 87 18, restaurantesarc.com. An ambitious menu
featuring local, seasonal ingredients is the hallmark of this
attractive restaurant, which occupies part of a cleverly modernized
old stone house and its lovely shaded terrace; the rest of the house
holds the Hotel Ca’n
Simó. Mains average €17. April–Sept daily noon–11pm; Oct–March restricted opening
hours.
Sa Plaça Plaça Constitució 1 971 54 62
78, alcudiarestaurants.com. There are mixed
reviews for this smart restaurant at the heart of the old town, but
at its best the traditional Mallorcan/Catalan cuisine can be very
good indeed – try the house speciality, salted fish (bacalao). Main courses average €17. Daily 11am–11pm.
Badía d’Alcúdia
The wide arc of the Badía d’Alcúdia is framed to the east by the mountains of the Massis d’Artà headland and in the west by the rugged Alcúdia peninsula, whose further recesses hold a fine old chapel, the Ermita de la Victòria, and the idiosyncratic private art collection of the Museu Sa Bassa Blanca. The peninsula also boasts some spectacular mountain scenery and this can be sampled on the four-hour hike we have described, though you will need a car to get to the trailhead. In between these mountainous flanks lies the mega-resort of Port d’Alcúdia, whose glistening sky-rises sweep around a glorious sandy beach – arguably the island’s best. In summer the resort is packed, but shoulder seasons are more relaxing and the beach comparatively uncrowded. Port d’Alcúdia’s assorted hotels, villas and apartment blocks stretch around the bay to the resort of Ca’n Picafort, 10km away, almost without interruption. The developers drained the swampland that once extended behind this coastal strip years ago, but one chunk of wetland has been protected as the Parc Natural de S’Albufera, a real birdwatchers’ delight. Further behind the coast lies a tract of fertile farmland dotted with country towns, among which Muro, with its imposing church and old stone mansions, is the most diverting.
GETTING AROUND: BADÍA D’ALCÚDIA
By bus From May to October, a flotilla of buses links Port d’Alcúdia with all the neighbouring towns and resorts, including Muro, Pollença, Port de Pollença, Alcúdia and Ca’n Picafort, as well as Palma. There is also a useful seasonal bus service along the north coast from Port d’Alcúdia to Port de Sóller via Sóller and Lluc (May–Oct Mon–Sat 2 daily). In the wintertime, services are scaled right back – and there are no bus services at any time of the year along the Alcúdia peninsula to the Ermita de la Victòria.
By train Regular trains connect Palma with Muro, though Muro train station is a few kilometres out of town; there are plans to extend the rail line to Alcúdia from its present terminus in Sa Pobla, but nothing has yet happened.
The Alcúdia peninsula
The Alcúdia peninsula, a steep and rocky promontory to the east of Alcúdia town, pokes a wild finger out into the ocean, its northern shore traversed by a country road that begins at the easternmost intersection of Alcúdia’s ring road. After about 2km, this promontory road runs past the turning for both the Museu Sa Bassa Blanca and the day-hike trailhead before it loops round the suburban villas of Bonaire. Thereafter, the road emerges into more scenic terrain, offering fine sea views as it struggles over the steep, pine-clad ridges that fringe the coast on the way to the Ermita de la Victòria.
Ermita de la Victòria
Perched on a wooded hillside, about 5km from Alcúdia town, the chunky, fortress-like Ermita de la Victòria was built in the seventeenth century to hold and protect a crude but much-venerated statue of the Virgin. It was a necessary precaution: this part of the coast was especially prone to attack and, even with these defences, pirates still stole the statue from the church twice, though on both occasions the islanders managed to ransom it back. The Virgin is displayed in the simple, single-vaulted chapel on the ground floor of the Ermita, but this plays second fiddle to the panoramic views out across the bay.
The Ermita is also a popular starting point for hikes along the promontory, whose severe peaks are dotted with ruined defensive installations, including a watchtower and an old gun emplacement. An obvious target is the Talaia d’Alcúdia watchtower (446m), from the top of which there are great panoramic views: it’s a one-hour walk each way.
A CIRCULAR HIKE ON THE ALCÚDIA PENINSULA
10km • 450m of ascent • 5hr round trip, plus 1hr for diversion to Platja des Coll Baix • Moderately difficult • Trailhead N39.85133°, E003.15736°
This trek through the heart of the Alcúdia peninsula offers stunning sea views, including a 360° panoramic vista from the Talaia d’Alcúdia, at 445m the peninsula’s highest point. The first part of the walk has moderate ascents on tracks, changing to a more strenuous ascent over exposed ground and a rock scramble to reach the Talaia peak. The second half of the walk steadily descends to the Coll Baix and returns through pine woods to the starting point. If time permits, a diversion can be made from the Coll Baix to the Platja des Coll Baix, a small, secluded and unspoilt beach, returning by the same route. There is parking at the trailhead.
THE ROUTE
Leave Alcúdia on the road to Bonaire. After about 2km, turn sharp right at the Bodega del Sol bar onto Camí de la Muntanya and continue straight on until you reach, after another 2km or so, Parque Victoria, a nature reserve administered by ICONA (National Institute for Nature Conservation). Leave your car just inside the park near the battered remains of the iron gates. The walk starts at this point: take the path on the uphill side of the gates, ignoring any signposts leading off right. Look and listen out for hoopoes in this area: these striking birds will appear as flashes of salmon-pink with black-and-white-striped wings and crest in woodland glades, making a distinctive hoop-hoop-hoop call. The path climbs gently upwards and then drops into a shallow valley dotted with pine trees. Passing a row of newly built villas, head towards the large white columned house on the skyline. Pass this house on your left and descend for about 400m, ignoring the ladder stile on your left which heads into the housing estate, and instead following the path until you reach a T-junction with an information board. Turn right at this point to begin your ascent to Coll de ses Fontanelles. After 2–3 minutes you will arrive at a stream, partly dammed with a concrete wall. Ignore the uphill path straight ahead and take the path to the right signposted Coll de na Benet. Continue along this and wind your way up the stone path to the valley head (Coll de ses Fontanelles).
The Coll de ses Fontanelles is populated by a stand of trees including a large olive tree. These offer valuable shade on a hot day and make this a good spot to stop, rest, take a drink and get your bearings. At the signpost, take the unsigned path to the left. At this point you start the, at first, gradual climb to the Talaia summit. The ground here is exposed and rocky on what is the most arduous part of the walk. From here to the summit there’s no clear path, and the best way up is to follow dabs of red paint marked on the rocks. Aim for the left-hand side of the stone building at the Talaia summit as the ridge on which it stands is too steep to tackle. At this stage, the scrambling and clambering may seem daunting but reaching the summit is easier than it seems. Nevertheless, you do need to negotiate a steep and short, if relatively easy, rock face. Once on the top, don’t be disconcerted by the patrolled military hut but head for the Trig Point (stone column) and be rewarded with superb panoramic views of the peninsula with the sea in every direction.
To descend, take the path at the other side of the Trig Point, which drops down to a path signposted “Collet des Coll Baix”. The well-defined path provides a gentle descent, zigzagging past views of valleys to the left and right and eventually reaching the headland with views of the secluded beach of Platja des Coll Baix on the left. Continue your descent until, at the bottom, you reach a wooded area scattered with picnic tables, a water fountain (not drinking water) and much-needed shade. This is a popular spot for the wild Mallorcan goat, which gathers here in numbers to search for picnic leftovers. The beach is also signposted at this point and worth a visit, although swimming is not encouraged due to strong undertows.
From the picnic area, it’s a fairly long haul on the easily graded dirt road to the walk’s starting point by the gates. En route you will pass through pine woods, which have an undergrowth of lentiscs, narrow-leaved cistus, carritx, dwarf fan palms, euphorbias, asphodels and the occasional giant orchid; there are also almond and carob groves.
ACCOMMODATION AND EATING: ERMITA DE LA VICTÒRIA
Mirador de la Victòria Camí de la Victòria s/n 971
54 71 73, miradordelavictoria.com. This
first-rate restaurant, which offers sweeping sea views from
its expansive, shaded terrace, specializes in traditional
Mallorcan dishes – try the snails, the suckling pig or the
guinea fowl. Main courses cost €15. Feb to mid-April Tues–Sun 12.30–4pm; mid-April to Oct
daily 1–3.30pm & 7–11pm.
Petit Hotel Hostatgeria la
Victòria 971 54 99 12, lavictoriahotel.com. The old
monastic quarters in the Ermita, directly above the chapel,
have been turned into a delightful hotel, whose beamed
ceilings, ancient stone arches and exposed masonry walls
hold twelve en-suite guest rooms decorated in a suitably
frugal but highly buffed and polished style. Singles €45, doubles €70
Museu Sa Bassa Blanca
Es Mal Pas, Alcúdia 07400 • Tues 9.30am–12.30pm &
2.30–5.30pm, Wed–Sat pre-booked guided tours only at 11am & 3pm •
Gardens and children’s gallery free, guided tours €9 • 971 54 98
80, fundacionjakober.org • From Alcúdia, take the Ermita de la
Victòria road and turn sharp right at the Bodega del
Sol bar onto Camí de la Muntanya; after 2km or so, you’ll
reach the Alcúdia Peninsula trailhead (opposite), from where it’s a
further 2km along a bumpy dirt road
The Museu Sa Bassa Blanca (formerly Fundació Yannick i Ben Jakober) is a bespoke art gallery housed in the subterranean water cistern of a sprawling mansion. Dating from the 1970s, the house, Finca Sa Bassa Blanca, has wide views over the ocean and was built in the manner of a Moroccan fortified palace to a design by the Egyptian architect Hassan Fathy. The owners, the eponymous Jakobers, are art-loving sculptors and the house’s gardens are dotted with large, modern works. The gallery itself holds a substantial collection of modern art, hosts temporary exhibitions and is home to a charming selection of children’s portraits dating from the seventeenth to the nineteenth century. It was Yannick who began the collection in the 1970s, when she picked up a striking Girl with Cherries by the nineteenth-century Mallorcan artist Joan Mestre i Bosch. None of the artists represented is particularly well known – and neither are the children – but together they provide an intriguing insight into the way the aristocracy of early modern Spain saw their children as miniature adults. Indeed, many of the portraits were hawked around the courts of Europe in search of a suitable bride or groom.
Port d’Alcúdia
PORT D’ALCÚDIA, just 2km south of Alcúdia, is easily the biggest and busiest of the resorts in the north of the island, a seemingly interminable string of high-rise hotels and apartment buildings serviced by myriad restaurants and café-bars. Despite the superficial resemblance, however, Port d’Alcúdia is a step up from the seamy resorts on the Badía de Palma. The tower blocks are relatively well distributed, the streets are comparatively neat and tidy and there’s an easy-going air, with families particularly well catered for. Predictably, the daytime focus is the beach, a superb arc of pine-studded golden sand that stretches south for 10km around the Badía d’Alcúdia from the jetties of Port d’Alcúdia’s combined marina, cruise boat and fishing harbour. The beach and the sky-rises fizzle out as they approach CA’N PICAFORT, once an important fishing port, but now an uninteresting suburban sprawl. In the other direction, about 500m east of the marina, lies the commercial and ferry port, Mallorca’s largest container terminal after Palma and the departure point for car ferries and catamarans over to Ciutadella, on Menorca.
The beach
From June to September, a tourist “train” (on wheels, with clearly marked roadside stops) runs up and down Port d’Alcúdia every hour or so during the daytime, transporting sun-baked bodies from one part of the beach to another. Not that there’s very much to distinguish anywhere from anywhere else – the palm-thatched balnearios (beach bars) are a great help in actually remembering where you are. There’s also a boardwalk running along the back of much of the beach, which is usually less crowded the further south you venture.
NORTHERN MALLORCA’S TOP 5 BEACHES
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE: PORT D’ALCÚDIA
By bus Port d’Alcúdia acts as northern Mallorca’s summertime transport hub, with fast and frequent buses up and down the coast between Ca’n Picafort and Port de Pollença as well as regular buses to and from Palma. There’s no bus station as such, but instead most local and long-distance buses travel the length of the Carretera d’Artà, the main drag, dropping off passengers at clearly signed stops along the way.
Destinations Alcúdia (May–Oct every 15min; Nov–April hourly; 15min); Artà (Mon–Sat 6 daily; 30min); Ca’n Picafort (May–Oct every 15min; Nov–April hourly; 40min); Lluc (May–Oct Mon–Sat 2 daily; 1hr 10min); Palma (every 1–2hr; 1hr); Platja de Formentor (May–Oct Mon–Sat 4 daily; 50min); Pollença (April–Oct 3 daily; 20min); Port de Pollença (May–Oct every 15min; Nov–April hourly; 30min); Port de Sóller (May–Oct Mon–Sat 2 daily; 2hr 30min); Sóller (May–Oct Mon–Sat 2 daily; 2hr 20min).
By ferry Balearia ( 902 16 01 80, balearia.com)
operates a fast-ferry catamaran service (1–2 daily; 1hr 30min)
from Port d’Alcúdia to Ciutadella on Menorca.
One-way passenger fares start at about €35 (driver and car €90).
In addition, Iscomar ( 902 11 91 28, www.iscomar.com)
operates regular car ferries from Port d’Alcúdia to Ciutadella
once or twice daily except in the depths of winter; the journey
time is 2hr 30min and fares are about the same as for the
catamaran service. Note that Balearic car rental firms do not
allow their vehicles to leave the island they were rented
on.
GETTING AROUND
Car, moped and bike rental There’s a superabundance of car, moped and bike rental
companies strung out along the main drag, Carretera d’Artà. The
best of the bike shops is Bimont Bicicletes, near the large
Eroski store at Carretera d’Artà 38 ( 971 54 49
64, bimont.com).
INFORMATION
Tourist information The main tourist office occupies a distinctive kiosk in what
is effectively the centre of the resort, just behind the marina
on Passeig Marítim (May–Sept Mon–Fri 8am–8.30pm, Sat & Sun
8.30am–3.30pm; rest of year Mon–Fri 10am–1.30pm & 3–5.30pm,
Sat 9am–1pm; 971 54 72 57, alcudiamallorca.com). They have all sorts of local
information, including useful free maps marked with all the
resort’s hotels and apartments.
ACTIVITIES
Boat trips Several companies operate boat trips from the marina in Port
d’Alcúdia, with the prime targets being the rocky, mountainous
coastlines of the Alcúdia and Formentor peninsulas. The main
company is Brisa ( 971 54 58 11, tmbrisa.com), whose
least expensive excursion is to the Cap des Pinar at the tip of
the Alcúdia peninsula (May–Oct 2–3 daily; 2hr; €19). Longer
cruises continue round the Cap des Pinar and cross the bay to
the Platja de Formentor (May–Oct 1 daily; 4hr, including 1hr on
Platja de Formentor; €24).
Water park Hidropark, 1km or so inland from the seashore on Avinguda del
Tucá, is a major kids’ attraction with assorted water slides,
water tubes and so forth (May–Oct daily 10am–5pm; 971 89
16 72, hidroparkalcudia.com; adults and children 12 and over
€23; 3–11 years €17; ten percent discount if booked online ahead
of time).
Watersports Watersports Mallorca, Avgda S’Albufera s/n ( 606 35 38
07, watersportsmallorca.com) is a watersports specialist,
operating from two beachside locations to the south of Port
d’Alcúdia near the national park, and offering windsurfing,
sailing, kitesurfing and stand-up paddleboarding.
ACCOMMODATION
In season, you’d be well advised to book ahead as vacant rooms can be few and far between – even at the bargain-basement hostales that cluster behind the marina in the oldest and least appealing part of the resort. In winter, most of the hotels and hostales close, but in the shoulder seasons it’s often possible to get a good deal at one of the plusher hotels.
Botel Alcudiamar Club Passeig Marítím 1 971 89 72
15, botelalcudiamar.es. The prime selling
point of this modern hotel is its location – right at the end of
a jetty with water (almost) all around. There are sea-view
terraces, an outdoor pool and a mini-spa. The rooms are
decoratively uninspiring, but the best have sea-facing
balconies. €220
Hostal Calma c/Teodor Canet 25 971 54 84
85, hostalcalma.com. Few would say this
thirty-room, family-run hostal was
especially endearing, but it is in a central location – close to
the marina and a short hop from the beach – and the rooms are
perfectly adequate if compact. All are en suite and have a/c,
but light sleepers may find the streets outside rather noisy.
Bike rental is available too. A snip, with breakfast included.
€48
Hotel Playa Esperanza Avgda S’Albufera s/n 971 89 05
68, playaesperanzaresort.com. Whopping
four-star hotel in a grand location away from the crowds and
directly behind the beach, about 5km south of the marina. Has a
full range of facilities, splendid, well-tended gardens and a
large self-service restaurant. €180
EATING AND DRINKING
Bodega d’es Port c/Teodor Canet 8 971 54 96
33, bodegadesport.com. Set on the
waterfront, between the marina and the port, and decked out in
an appealing version of traditional bodega style with wide windows, wooden chairs and
a stone facade, this is one of the resort’s better restaurants.
The prime offering here is the first-rate selection of tapas
from as little as €10. Daily
8am–11.30pm. Closed Nov & Dec.
Restaurant Miramar Passeig Marítim 2 971 54 52
93, restaurantmiramar.es. Well-established
seafront restaurant with an expansive pavement terrace. It
serves a top-notch range of seafood – try the hake with spinach
– with dishes costing anywhere between €20 and €30. Daily noon–10.30pm, but restricted hours in
winter.
Parc Natural de S’Albufera
Avgda S’Albufera s/n • The clearly signed park entrance is
beside the Ma-12, about 6km round the bay from Port d’Alcúdia’s marina •
April–Sept daily 9am–6pm; Oct–March daily 9am–5pm • Free, but visitor permit
required, issued for free at the Sa
Roca Information Centre, about 1km from the entrance along a country lane •
971 89 22 50, en.balearsnatura.com
Given all the high-rise development strung along the Badía d’Alcúdia, the pristine wetland that makes up the 2000-acre Parc Natural de S’Albufera, between Port d’Alcúdia and Ca’n Picafort, is a welcome relief. Swampland once extended round most of the bay, but large-scale reclamation began in the nineteenth century, when a British company dug a network of channels and installed a steam engine to pump the water out. These endeavours were prompted by a desire to eradicate malaria – then the scourge of the local population – as much as by the need for more farmland. Further drainage schemes accompanied the frantic tourist boom of the 1960s, and only in the last decades has the Balearic government recognized the ecological importance of the wetland and organized a park to protect what little remains.
From the park’s Sa Roca reception centre, footpaths and cycle trails fan out into the reedy, watery tract beyond, where a dozen or so well-appointed hides and observation decks allow excellent birdwatching – the best on the island. More than two hundred different types of bird have been spotted here, including resident wetland-loving birds from the crake, warbler and tern families; autumn and/or springtime migrants such as grebes, herons, cranes, plovers and godwits; and wintering egrets and sandpipers. Such rich pickings attract birds of prey in their dozens, especially kestrels and harriers. The open ground edging the reed beds supports many different wild flowers, the most striking of which are the orchids that bloom during April and May.
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE: PARC NATURAL DE S’ALBUFERA
By car Visitors are not allowed to drive down the 1km-long lane from the park entrance to the Sa Roca information centre, but there is a small car park just south of the entrance beside the Ma-12.
By bus Buses running between Port d’Alcúdia and Ca’n Picafort stop close to the entrance.
Destinations Alcúdia (May–Oct every 15min; Nov–April hourly; 45min); Ca’n Picafort (May–Oct every 15min; Nov–April hourly; 10min); Port d’Alcúdia (May–Oct every 15min; Nov–April hourly; 30min); Port de Pollença (May–Oct every 15min; Nov–April hourly; 1hr).
By bike In summer, there’s usually a bike rental kiosk at the start of the lane leading to Sa Roca.
INFORMATION
Sa Roca information centre At this information centre (daily 9am–4pm), you can pick up a free map of the park and a list of birds that you might see. The map is marked with four colour-coded walking/cycling trails; the shortest is 725m, the longest 11km. Note, however, that the map is not especially accurate and, although it’s perfectly adequate for these four routes, anything more ambitious – say, walking to Ca’n Picafort – is not advised as you would almost certainly get lost. Sa Roca also sells birdwatching guides and there is a small wildlife display in an adjacent building, Can Bateman.
Muro
Perched on a hill in the midst of a pancake-flat, windmill-studded landscape, MURO is a sleepy little place whose old stone townhouses date back to the early nineteenth century. The town is at its liveliest on January 16 during the Revetlla de Sant Antoni Abat (Eve of St Antony’s Day), when locals gather round bonfires to drink and dance, tucking into specialities like sausages and eel pies (espinagades), made with eels from the nearby marshes of S’Albufera. Quite what St Antony – an Egyptian hermit and ascetic who spent most of his long life in the desert – would have made of these high jinks it’s hard to say, but there again he certainly wouldn’t have been overwhelmed by temptation if he had stuck around Muro for the rest of the year.
Plaça Constitució
Muro’s main square, Plaça Constitució, is an attractive, airy piazza overseen by the domineering church of St Joan Baptista, a real hotchpotch of architectural styles, its monumental Gothic lines uneasily modified by the sweeping sixteenth-century arcades above the aisles. A slender arch connects the church to the adjacent belfry, an imposing seven-storey construction partly designed as a watchtower; it’s sometimes possible to go to the top, from where the views out over the coast are superb. The church’s cavernous interior holds a mighty vaulted roof and an immense altarpiece, a flashy extravaganza of columns, parapets and tiers in a folksy rendition of the Baroque.
Museu Etnològic
c/Major 15 • Wed–Sat 10am–3pm, Thurs 5–8pm; Sun
10am–2pm; closed Aug • €3 • 971 86 06 47
A five-minute walk south of the main square is the Museu Etnològic, though it’s poorly signed and the town centre is labyrinthine – ask around to find your way. This one of the least-visited museums on the island, and the custodians seem positively amazed when a visitor actually shows up. It occupies a rambling old mansion and showcases a motley assortment of local bygones, from old agricultural implements, pottery and apothecary jars through to Mallorcan bagpipes and traditional costumes.
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE: MURO
By train Muro train station is about 4km west of the town centre; there is a bus service between the two (every 2hr; 5min).
Destinations Binissalem (hourly; 20min); Inca (hourly; 15min); Palma (hourly; 50min).
By bus Buses halt at Plaça del Convent, a 5min walk from Plaça Constitució via the dead straight c/Joan Carles I.
Destinations Ca’n Picafort (every 2hr; 35min); Inca train station (every 2hr; 20min).
EATING AND DRINKING
Sa Fonda c/Sant Jaume 1 971 53 79
65. On a hot summer’s day you’ll be
glad of a drink at one of the cafés around the main square, and
this traditional little place, which also serves a range of
inexpensive tapas, is as good as any. Located just off Plaça
Constitució across from the church. Daily except Tues 6.30am–8pm.