After a whirlwind world tour, the daily grind called reminding me that apparently, money doesn’t grow on palm trees. So, I opted for a “relaxing” week in Mallorca, fondly dubbed Germany’s 17th state. And boy, did it live up to its name – Aldi, German radio, schnitzel galore… If you squint, you might mistake it for Bavaria.
To avoid the infamous party scene, I settled in Can Picafort, a resort town with a decent beach and good eats. It’s a solid base for exploring the island, though the town itself won’t blow you away. Can Picafort, also known as C’an Picafort, is a popular holiday resort town located on the northeastern coast. It boasts a long stretch of sandy beach that is part of the larger Alcúdia Bay, the longest sandy beach on the island. Honestly the city is nothing special, it has good restaurants, a nice beach and with a car you are able to explore the rest of the island.
From here I took several day trips, I want to mention the remarkable ones. The day trip to Palma is for example nothing i want to detail out here, even Palma might be a nice city, but the number of people and cars makes it impossible to move, feel good or have fun. Therefore, I would never go back there…
Valldemossa and Port de Sóller
One day I took a drive to Valldemossa. Valldemossa is a charming village nestled in the Tramuntana Mountains of Mallorca, known for its picturesque stone houses and cobblestone streets. The village is famous for its connection to composer Frédéric Chopin and writer George Sand, who spent a winter in the Royal Carthusian Monastery. For Germans, the town may be more famous for Dieter Bohlen. It only takes an hour to walk through the whole city, but it was worth it.
After that I went to Port de Sóller. Port de Sóller is a picturesque port town nestled in a natural horseshoe bay on the northwest coast of Mallorca.
The town is known for its charming old-world feel, with colorful houses and a bustling waterfront promenade. Actually, I just walked around a bit, spent a few hours on the beach and had a couple of beers.
One remark about the beach: everywhere I went I paid 18.50 € for a deckchair and an umbrella… That’s quite expensive from my point of view. If I would stay longer, I would buy myself an umbrella and use a towel to lie on the sand… At least that is free…
Alcudia and the glass bottom boat trip
Alcúdia is a historic city with a well preserved medieval walled city. 15 minutes away from Can Picafort, it has one of the best beaches in Mallorca. Going there also means getting sucked into a very touristic world.Lying on the beach means getting in touch with locals who will sell you a massage, coconuts and the latest Rolex for only $10.Most water activities can be purchased here: banana boats, sailing, jet skis and more. I decided to go on a famous glass bottom boat.And it’s definitely not something you should pay money for! In 2 hours, the boat makes 5 different stops to pick up additional passengers, resulting in a very crowded boat.At the end you have 15 minutes to swim around a bay which was not my goal, I thought I could get a glass bottom in my boat to see fish… Ok, the word glass bottom is really too much. I thought the whole bottom was made of glass, but in the end it was just that at two corners of the boat you could approach a small room under water with some windows to the water… Only 10 people per room could watch the outside, with 200 people on the boat definitely not enough…
Was it worth going to Mallorca?
Yes, for sure, it’s a beautiful island where you get sun even when it’s raining in Germany. You immediately feel at home because everything is basically German. On the other hand, if your goal is to experience a different culture, this might not be the right place for you as a German.
Oh, and be warned: tourist-area prices are exorbitant! A simple bottle of water can set you back a small fortune. So pack wisely, bargain hard, and maybe brush up on your Spanish. For example, a big bottle of water (6 liters) was close to the beach at the supermarket for almost 5 euros. The supermarket 15 minutes walk away had the same bottle for less than a Euro… Just keep that in mind ….
The travel bug bit me again! Fresh off my little retreat on Mallorca, I’ve already booked my next escape to the vibrant landscapes and cultures of Asia. Stay tuned…
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