DISTANCE: 32km (20 miles)
TIME: A full day
START: Felanitx
END: Petra
POINTS TO NOTE: This route can comfortably be done in a day. Should you wish to, however, you can stay overnight in any of these simple monastic cells with nothing but the silence and the stars for company. It’s a good Sunday route, with a handful of pleasant hotels along the way if you want to stay longer, notably Sa Plaça Petra Hotel in Petra.
This route will take you through parts of the island that many visitors do not see, where the beauty of the scenery is complemented by the peaceful nature of villages that time seems to have forgotten. The monasteries themselves are oases of calm, and if you have the time and inclination to stay overnight in one of them, it will be an unforgettable experience.
Statue of St Michael on Felanitx’s Sant Miquel church
Greg Gladman/Apa Publications
Felanitx to Santuari de Sant Salvador
Felanitx 1 [map] is not a wildly interesting town in its own right, although the church of Sant Miquel is impressive and there is a good Sunday market that is particularly strong in terms of local produce. It is also proud to be the birthplace of the artist Miquel Barceló, who had his first exhibition at La Caixa bank here in 1972. His work was immediately coveted and he quickly began to show in other towns across Mallorca and the rest of the world. In 2007 he decorated the chapel of St Peter in Palma’s cathedral which portrays, in ceramic clay, the feeding of the 5,000 and the miracle of the loaves and fishes. Fiercely proud of his homeland, in 2013 Barceló did an audio-visual presentation and designed the logo for Mallorca Blackout (www.gobmallorca.com), an environmental campaign to stop over-development on the island.
Sunday market, Felanitx
Greg Gladman/Apa Publications
Traditionally, the town has long been known for its wine and brandy, and it remains largely agricultural today, pleasingly devoid of the usual trappings of tourism. If you do stop here, keep an eye out for traditional terracotta water-coolers, which have been made in Felanitx for millennia.
At 516m (1,693ft), the Santuari de Sant Salvador 2 [map] sits at the highest point of the south of the island and straddles two horn-shaped peaks. The lower is occupied by an austere monastery, built in 1348; the higher by a 14th-century fortress, which alas is closed to the public, although part of it has been turned into a charming hotel and restaurant (www.santsalvadorhotel.com). It’s a rewarding, if steep walk (about 3km/2 miles) between the two: a good way to the blow away the cobwebs and a great place for landscape photographers to capture the shimmering early morning light.
Santuari de Sant Salvador
Greg Gladman/Apa Publications
Once back in Felanitx, head north-west on the Ma-5100 in the direction of the small town of Porreres 3 [map]. Just outside is the tiny Santuari de Monti-Sion 4 [map], worth a stop if you really want to the take the sanctuary theme to extremes – but it’s recommended here mainly as a place to stop for lunch. The pedestrianisation of the Avinguda Bisbe Campins sees it heaving with bars and cafés offering light snacks, although it’s worth building an appetite for a heartier lunch at the Restaurant Centro, see 1, before continuing on your way.
Lunching at the Santuari de Cura
Greg Gladman/Apa Publications
Santuari de Cura
From Porreres take the Ma-5030 to the Ma-15 motorway, turning left shortly after to join the picturesque Ma-5017 road, following signs for the sleepy, picturesque village of Randa 5 [map], which is said to be the prettiest inland village on the island. The road snakes its way up to the tabletop mountain of Puig de Randa, passing stone cottages with pretty, moss-green shutters tumbling over with bright blooms, while tinkling streams go gurgling through. It has an otherworldly ambience, like something from Lord of the Rings, not least because the Santuari de Cura 6 [map] – set up by the godfather of Mallorcan literature, Ramon Llull, as a centre for learning in the 13th century – seems like exactly the kind of place a wizard would be proud to inhabit.
Ramon Llull’s centre of learning
The sanctuary didn’t become a monastery until much later, in the 17th century, and even now it oozes a certain scholastic air. Today it encompasses a small chapel, pretty gardens and a museum dedicated to the life and works of Llull: Museu del Aula de Gramática Ramón Llull (daily 10am–1pm, 4–6pm). There is also a café-cum-restaurant. Most visitors just come to admire the views, but you could spend the night (www.santuaridecura.com) if you so desired. There are three oratories on the way up the hill, and Es Recó de Randa is a good stop for food on the way down, see 2.
Religious manuscripts in Petra
Greg Gladman/Apa Publications
Petra
Continuing north along the Ma-15, the road sweeps northeast through the pleasing little towns of Montuiri and Sant Joan (just past the Santuari de Consolació) to Petra 7 [map], an unlikely gem in the middle of nowhere. In the last few years Petra has become what you might call a ‘boutique’ town. Both the church and the museum, the Casa-Museu Fra Juníper Serra (www.visitpetramallorca.com/casa-juniper-serra/) are worth a look, but mainly to enjoy the pretty garden and as a means of placing the history of Fray Junipero Serra (1713–84) in context.
This Franciscan monk was Mallorca’s most famous missionary, and one of the island’s best-known sons. The fruits of his labours are particularly prevalent in parts of California, where he founded a number of missions, including the one that is now the city of San Francisco.
Eating in Petra
It is the town itself that is the best place to spend a couple of hours and a great spot for foodies, with several excellent places to eat, as well as its own local winery, the Bodega Miquel Olivera (Carrer Font 26; www.miqueloliver.com; Mon–Fri 10am–6pm, Sat 11am–1.30pm), which has excellent fruity wines made by one of the island’s few female wine-makers, Pilar Oliver.
If you are having lunch in Petra, or staying for dinner, Dolc y Dolc and Sa Plaça Petra are highly recommended, see 3 and 4. Petra is one of the top spots on the island for cuina Mallorquina, traditional country cooking, particularly at its cool and cavernous cellers – old-fashioned bodegas.
Sineu Market
A short detour from Petra along the Ma-3330 takes you to Sineu, an agricultural village, which on Wednesdays boasts the oldest market on the island. Dating back to 1306, it is the only one that still deals in livestock and is also a good place to pick up foodie gifts and high-quality crafts. Other than that, the main sight in town is the medieval church, Nostra Senyora dels Àngels. Stop for a coffee in Café Sa Plaça in the main square before heading off.
Food and Drink
Avinguda Bisbe Campins 13, Porreres [map]; tel: 971 647 547; B, L and D; €€
An atmospheric lunch stop that offers a keenly priced menú del día of three courses including a drink, as well as more pricey fish dishes and grills. They also serve pizza and pasta.
2 Es Recó de Randa
Carrer Font 21, Randa [map]; tel: 971 660 997; www.esrecoderanda.com; B, L and D; €€
A pretty, 17th-century inn that is especially good on a chilly day in winter, when they light the fire in the dining room. Expect to find hearty country classics such as wood-roasted suckling pig and arroz brut (clay-pot rice).
3 Dolc y Dolc
Carrer Sol 53, Petra [map]; tel: 971 830 036, L and D; €
Around the corner from Sa Plaça (below), this good pizzeria also does delicious salads, baguettes and desserts – try the blueberry cheesecake. It is super-friendly and serves enormous portions. It’s a great place to come after a long day’s sightseeing or walking, but be warned that you want to come here really hungry. Excellent value and a nice outdoor terrace.
4 Sa Plaça Petra
Plaça Ramon Llull 4, Petra [map]; tel: 971 561 646; www.petithotelpetra.com; L and D; €€€
This is one of the area’s more upmarket restaurants. Sa Plaça has quaint, country-cottage decor and serves staunchly traditional fare. You will be offered dishes such as crayfish and chocolate (try it, it sounds like a strange combination, but is very good) and chicken stuffed with prawns. But do try to save room to savour some of their delectable home-made puddings.