Wild Atlantique's Epic Road Trip in Mallorca, Spain!

From idyllic Coastal cliff views and aqua blue coves to Medieval churches and stone fincas (farmhouses), Mallorca (or Majorca as locals refer to it) has so much to offer! It's a busy place in the summer and as this was our first visit, we stayed in the area of Calvià right on the Coast (in the family-oriented town of Perugia). Calvià is a municipality on the island of Majorca, part of the Spanish autonomous community of the Balearic Islands. It is located in the southwestern part of the island, between the Serra de Tramuntana and the Serra de Na Burguesa. It's particularly popular with German tourists, so many of the hotel and restaurant signs and menus in this area are in German and Spanish (English too!)

We understood that there are areas on the southeastern side of the island that are frequented more by the younger/party set so we tended to avoid it. We didn't get to the most northern tip of the island either but understand that the Port Pollensa area is worth the visit. We drove around a bit, sticking to the Western side of the island generally. It's easy to drive here, great roads and well signposted. Google maps will get you around well and driving is on the right side of the road much like the rest of Continental Europe and the USA. 

We took in the towns of Valldemossa, Deià, and Sóller. By far our favorite excursion was the tour at EcoVinyasa which is a lush citrus organic farm producing lemons & oranges, offering snacks of their own organically grown tomatoes and olive oil on bread, and of course freshly squeezed juices! So satisfying after a self-guided, easy walking tour of the farm. Visits are by reservation only. They keep it well regulated so it doesn't get too busy so be sure to go online to reserve your time in advance! Run by a lovely and welcoming multi-generational Majorcan family.

We also took a swim in the cove at Deià, which is a municipality and small coastal village in the Serra de Tramuntana, further along the northwestern side of the island. There is parking fairly close to the cove (Cala). A little cafe on the side of the hill looks down on the cove and seems a perfect spot to idle. This is just one spot, but there are so many like it all around the island! Our other highlight was a stop in the charming village of Valldemossa. Certainly one of the prettier villages we have ever come across in Spain. Old churches, outdoor cafes, stone-cobbled streets, window boxes spilling flowers and unique boutiques offering better quality items. Not far from the coast but surrounded by mountain vistas, it is so worth the stop!

We did do a boating excursion and did a little snorkelling one day. There were fish about but the reefs we saw had long since been bleached and seemingly, are dead. The only drawback at all in Mallorca is what the large crowds boating and swimming here have likely done to most of the surrounding reefs. Probably be best if they passed some local laws banning certain toxic sunblocks that are bad for the environment, as well as any unnecessary plastic (straws for a start). We also always like to see hotels giving guests glass bottles of filtered water in their rooms which would greatly reduce any unnecessary plastic waste but didn't find that in our hotel and are not certain if it is a common practice here? We think Mallorca, and other Mediterranean locations would greatly benefit from addressing these environmental issues, simply to preserve this lovely island and this part of the world for future generations of locals and visitors alike.

All in all, there is something for everyone here in Mallorca. It is a beautiful European Island, very casual, family friendly and not unreasonably priced. It offers a lot to people who like to hike the mountains while having great views of the sea. We would recommend going when the crowds aren't so busy (August might be a month to avoid if you don't care for crowds). As always, September is the best month to travel as the weather and sea are still warm and the family crowds have gone back to school. 

For Wild Atlantique, Mallorca has been a nice way to round out a busy summer of travel while enjoying the 'Coastal Life' in style!

(Be sure to post in the comments section of our Epic Road Trip blog if you have any suggestions to recommend to other travellers considering a trip to Mallorca.)