This was a much awaited holiday – the beach holiday. After a couple of summers planning but failing to succeed, we were ready for much needed TLC and we took the plunge literally. It had to be a holiday with no big itinerary but to lounge by the pool and bob about in the shallow sea.

Spain has always been close to our hearts and close enough to London with some really beautiful beaches, beautiful people and amazing food. But then came the difficult decision of choosing where in Spain. The Balearic Islands beckoned with miles of sunny beaches and pristine warm water.

Majorca or Mallorca, the largest of the Balearic Islands, was our choice for the holiday. It is an extremely popular summer holiday destination and more so among tourists from Germany, the UK and the Scandinavian countries. Many of the hotels even had their websites in German, interesting.

You are probably shaking your head in disapproval and thinking this is going to be another one of those blog posts depicting ‘crazy’ drunken nights and tips to get over a hangover whilst in Magaluf. But you are wrong. We chose to stay in Palma and were keen on quieter and more relaxing time.

A quick 2 hours 20 min flight from London City airport, and we were in sunny Palma.  June end to mid August seemed like a good time for us as we didn’t want it to get too hot. The weather was perfect for us.

ReadyForThis 1: Try to get a window seat on your flight because you will truly get the best views of what your holiday is going to look like.

The sea in various shades of blue made way for the stony cliffs of Majorca.

And then finally we saw our first glimpse of Majorca and we couldn’t wait.

The airport is barely 20 mins away from the city and is extremely well connected. We took a taxi from the airport to our resort, BQ Belvedere, which was in the Sant Agusti area. Our resort sat on a hill overlooking the sea.

And as soon as we saw the pool, the true lazy holiday-maker in us came alive and we had to get changed into our swimwear and dive in. We spent the rest of the day reading and lounging by the pool, snacking on bar food, and snoozing.

As evening fell, the hot afternoon air gave way to a slightly cool breeze from the sea. This brought with it the craving for the beach, which was only 10 mins away down steep winding stairways. These stairways separate one level of the town from the other especially in the cliff like areas close to the sea.

Our steps got faster as we sensed the feeling of getting closer to the blue beckoning sea. And then, this happened.

ReadyForThis 2: We bought all our beach paraphernalia like floats, beach towels, beach umbrellas and beach games when we got to our resort to save on that precious baggage space. We also carried plenty of sun screen to avoid getting sun-burnt and also after sun aloe gel to cool off those sore spots.

Losing a sense of time is probably a luxury these days and when that happens, you know you have made a good decision with your holiday plans.

When in Palma, you definitely should spend time at Cala Mayor, which to our advantage was just a 10 min walk from the hotel.

This blue flag beach is not too big, not too small. It’s just perfect. It is protected on both the sides by rocks and has lovely lovely white sand.

There were parasols and sun loungers to rent and there are public showers and toilet facilities. We had our beach umbrella, straw mats and towels. It was a perfect set up.

Watching the sun go down on Majorca while still in the warm waters is one of those memories I will cherish.

We started the next day with a heavy breakfast and decided to explore the small town of Soller, a town that is surrounded by the hills of the Serra de Tramuntana. This town is known for its scenic route and the orange and lemon groves. And to top it all off, a wooden train called the Ferrocarril de Soller was to chug its way through the beautiful Soller valley and take us to our destination.

ReadyForThis 3: Buy your ticket from the central railway station in Palma. We bought a return train ticket as we planned to take the 2:30pm train back to Palma. Remember that after the 2pm train, the next and last train departs Soller at 6pm. So plan accordingly. Alternatively, you could also get the frequent bus service between Soller and Palma, which could be a cheaper and faster option.

We both love trains and just one look at this old toy-like, but beautifully maintained train wowed us. A one way trip lasts for about an hour and allowed us to take in some breathtaking views of the Soller valley.

We were told that there were 13 tunnels, and so we counted.

Whilst in the longest tunnel which ran for about 3.5km, it was pitch black out in the tunnel. Our wooden train chugged along in the light of these beautiful lamps.

The valley was really beautiful and as the train made its way through, we got to see tiny villages and orange and lemon groves.

And then when we emerged from the last one, there were oranges and lemon groves whizzing past the train at arms distance. This surely felt like a dream. Pockets of houses with orange roofs made way for the rugged rocky Soller Valley.

As we drew closer to Soller, we started spotting lemon trees. And then orange trees.

The excitement only grew when the train pulled into the sleepy little town of Soller.

The train station is just opposite to the tram stop, which takes you to Port Soller. However, we decided to look around Soller first. Surely, we had to sample the orange juice here.

There was a small market setup on the way to the town center. After some orange juice, which was deliciously fresh, we walked around the narrow alleys. We headed towards the main square, Placa de la Constitucio to see Eglesia Parroquial de San Bartolome, a 16^th century church.

And then some aimless wandering happened.

After walking about in the town and also managing to see the orange and lemon trees up close, we managed to board the 2:30pm train back to Palma. We really liked this place so much, and the train journey made it memorable.

What we wanted next was a day on the beach and so we chose none other than Palmanova beach.

Playa Palma Nova is a blue flag beach around the corner from Magaluf. It is a very popular beach and so gets crowded. This beach is fantastic with its clear waters, ample facilities such as sunbeds, parasols and even water sports. There are several restaurants close enough and is very connected to Palma.

We walked around a little to take in the beauty of the beach and the shaded shallow waters. There was a nice garden and jogging track on the rocky ends of the beach from where you could also get boat rides.

 

Drifting in and out of sleep in the shade of our rather beachy brolly, we took in the warmth of the sun.

While this holiday was not one our typical ones where we would see a lot, we really appreciated the art of doing nothing and took in so much of what Majorca had to offer.