escapes
A BALEARIC ISLAND ADVENTURE IN MALLORCA By hillary latos
S
ituated in the Balearic Sea, Mallorca is a picture perfect island that captures the best of the Mediterranean. It has it all—temperate sunny year-round weather, breathtaking scenery consisting of craggy cliffs, dramatic coastlines, medieval towns, tony yacht marinas and white sand beaches, as well as a historic old center city. It’s easy to spend a week here and not see the same thing twice. As the largest island in Spain, Mallorca is best explored by car to create your own adventure! Start your trip in Palma, the island’s capital city with a unique historic city center. The charming and picturesque medieval Old Town is filled with a variety of unique clothing boutiques, art galleries, and world-class restaurants located in historic buildings that line the narrow streets. To get your retail therapy on, stroll along The Borne, aka the Golden Mile, which houses many international luxury brands. The most iconic site is
84 | resident.com
the stately Gothic Roman Catholic Seu Cathedral that proudly sits at the promontory overlooking the ocean and is beautifully lit at night. Explore Calle Apuntadores where you can find the hub of Palma’s buzzing nightlife with plenty of bars, restaurants, salsa clubs, and live music venues to keep you entertained. With over 262 white sandy beaches around Mallorca, you can find your own slice of paradise among white sand and turquoise waters. Drive along the Serra de Tramuntana mountain range, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, toward Formentor--ending in the Northern tip of Cap de Formentor. This drive offers some of the island’s most beautiful and dramatic scenery, with a coastline of cliffs that drop into a sapphire sea. Over here you can visit the Port Town of Pollensa, or discover the quiet beaches of Formentor with shallow emerald coves and beaches shaded by pine trees.
The largest stretch of unspoiled beach on the island is along the Southern coast of Es Trenc between Sant Jordi and Ses Covetes. The beaches are characterized by fine white sand and placid warm turquoise water. Explore the medieval town of Valldemossa, a village steeped in picturesque old-world charm, located in an idyllic valley in the Tramuntana mountain range. Feeling like you are in Sicily, this town is characterized by ancient ochre stone buildings that contrast with the green forests of olive, oak and almond trees rising in the vivid blue sky. With a population of only 2,000 people, the beauty of this village is magnified by its solitude, as if time stood still. Spend the day wandering the narrow cobblestone streets that are sprinkled with art galleries, shops, and cafes. Visit the Real Cartuja, the Carthusian Monastery where Chopin stayed.