Little Beach Guide: Mallorca

Mallorca is the largest of Spain’s Balearic Islands and is known for its beaches, biking, and picturesque villages. I was lucky enough to spend some time here in June 2022, squeezing in a week of me time before a business trip in the Netherlands. I crushed my jet lag and perfected my cycling tan lines ahead of a week spent in conference rooms. Here’s what I loved and what I learned about this stunning island in the Mediterranean.

First Things First

What is your business here? Are you coming to beach rot, club hop, or do some of the most famous cycling climbs in the world? If it’s the middle one, I’m so sorry but I can’t help you. I think there are some clubs in Palma, but you should probably pop over to Ibiza. If it’s sand and saddle time you’re after, I got you.

My recipe for a perfect Mallorca trip is a mix of mountains, beaches, and countryside. Depending on your interests and how much time you have, I would do 2 to 3 nights in each of the following: the mountains, the countryside, ideally in or near a historic village like Arta or Santanyi, and then round out the trip on or near the beach. If you want to beach rot the whole time…no judgments! Based on the assumption that my taste level is immaculate, here’s the trip I would plan…

Part 1: Get Thee To The Mountains

The Serra de Tramuntana comprise the northwestern “backbone” of Mallorca, running southwest to northeast, and they bring the drama. Not only are the Tramuntana a UNESCO World Heritage site (NBD), they are also home to Mallorca’s most iconic cycling climbs, or drives, for the lazier among us. They are also super beautiful, delivering jaw dropping views and charming mountain villages. Starting your Mallorca trip in the mountains gives you some scale and perspective of the island, and if you’re planning to be active, an opportunity to wear yourself out on big rides and/or hikes, so you can veg out for the second or third portion of your island time.

Valldemossa from above, looking south from the Cami de s’Arxiduc

Three of the loveliest villages in the Tramuntana are Valldemossa, Deia, and Soller. I stayed in Valldemossa, the mountain town closest to Palma and the airport. It’s only a 30 minute drive from the airport, but feels worlds away. All the buildings are a rich sand color, punctuated by doors and shutters painted a dramatic dark green. I’ve never seen anything like it–a uniformly coordinated and impossibly lovely aesthetic. As you wander the cobblestone streets, alleys, and paths, in addition to the downright spicy gradients, you’ll notice trickling fountains, hanging container gardens, and flora in every shade of green you can imagine. Due to its proximity to the capital and relentless Instagramability, Valldemossa is popular with day trippers, so if you want to get further away from it all, I’d point you to Deia or Fornalutx.

I stayed at Sa Vall, a historic manor just below town. There are fancier places in the vicinity, but this spot was so charming and peaceful, and only a 5 minute walk away from the main part of town. It has a small pool, an orange cat with no boundaries, some cute farm animals, and fruits and vegetables growing all over the property. The spoils of the gardens are served for breakfast at no additional cost. Speaking of eating, I had dinner every night at Es Roquissar because it was so delicious.

Speaking of walking, there is an excellent and scenic trail that connects Valldemossa to Deia called the Camí de s'Arxiduc, or Path of the Archduke. The trail originates on the edge of town and gains altitude rapidly, starting in an oak grove, with pines peppering in the higher you get. In addition to walking, there are some lovely historic sites around town including a 13th Century monastery where Chopin hung out for a winter.

No matter where in the mountains you stay, at some point you’ll want to head waaaay out to the northeastern tip of Mallorca to the Formentor Peninsula. This peninsula has everything: epic views, a lighthouse, excellent beaches, a Four Seasons (for those of you who want to ball out of control), undulating roads that beg to ridden, dreamy pine forests, and Port de Pollenca, a picturesque port town with a buzzy atmosphere and lovely waterfront walk aptly named the Pine Walk. If you want to visit the lighthouse at the furthest reach of the peninsula, make sure to check for road closures first. Vehicle and even bike traffic can be limited for certain periods of the day–don’t visit and be disappointed!

Part 2: Get Thee To The Countryside

After you’ve gotten your fill of the mountains, it’s time to head southeast to the rolling countryside for wine, wildflowers, fincas, and, if you’re up for it, an ostrich egg brunch. If you’re short on time or simply already craving the beach, you can combine your countryside time with your beach time by staying at a finca or in a village near the coast, but if you really crave the country life, check out an agroturismo a bit inland, near Arta, Campos, or Vilafranco de Bonany to get away from it all. Here are some that caught my interest, from affordable to eye-watering.

Once you’re here, kick back, relax, and enjoy the slower pace of country life. Many of the fincas grow produce on site and it will work its way into your meals for the ultimate farm to table experience. Also, most of Mallorca’s wineries are concentrated in the center of the island, making wine tasting an ideal activity. If active sightseeing is more your speed, trails abound and often lead to a scenic and historic spot with a view. My favorite point of interest was the 2-hit wonder near Felanitx: Castell de Santueri and Santuari de Sant Salvador. The road up to Santuari de Sant Salvador alone is worth the trip.

One of the last curves on the road up to Santuari de Sant Salvador

Part 3: Get Thee To The Beach

Important note: several towns have their namesake town in the hills or mountains, and then a sister namesake port or beach a few miles away. If you want to stay on the beach, make sure you are booking in the coastal version of that namesake, for example Port de Pollenca or Cala Santanyi, not plain old Pollenca or Santanyi. They are same, same, but very different.‍ ‍

Mallorca is famous for its clear aquamarine waters, dramatic narrow coves, and charming pocket beaches. The popularity of the island combined with the intimacy of these beaches means they fill up fast. If you want privacy or isolation, your best bet is to come at dawn or make the trek to one of the more remote beaches like Cala Torta or a big beach with plenty of space like Es Trenc. Note: Es Trenc is very clothing optional and popular with the naturist crowd.

Parking can be quite limited with lots for the most picturesque coves getting full as early as 9 or 10 in the morning. My pro tip is bike to the beach and if you’re not within biking distance, drive with your bike in the car, park a few miles away, and bike to the beach. Watching crowds of people wait to get onto buses or sitting in traffic trying to get a spot or leave a congested lot from the freedom of my bicycle was quite cathartic. More on bikes later.

In addition to wee coves, Mallorca has plenty of mid size and big old juicy beaches. There are glitzy resorts right on the water beaches, wild and windblown beaches you have to hike to, and beaches everywhere in between. The famous beaches are famous for a reason, but are also almost always jammed. So, bear these recommendations in mind or come in winter!‍ On the wee cove side of things, some standouts include Cala S’Almonia, Cala Lombards, Cala des Moro and Cala Pi. Cala Pi is instantly recognizable thanks to the green doored boat sheds at the water’s edge. Cala des Moro is arrestingly beautiful–see below for evidence. Cala S’Almonia is the little buddy beach just around the point from des Moro and has less of a sand and more of a rock/cliff lounging vibe, but no less picturesque. They were actually filming a Bollywood romcom while I was there and it was sheer madness. Cala Lombards is another lovely standout. Swoon. Finally, there’s the triple threat of beaches in the Mondrago Nature Park: S’Amarador, Mondrago, and des Borgit. Hiking trails connect the beaches and offer excellent coastal views.

On the slightly larger and more developed front, we’ve got Cala Agulla and Cala Mesquida. On the much larger front, there’s the aforementioned Es Trenc, which retains a nice wildness, despite being sandwiched by two nearby towns. One other shout out for Es Trenc: near the eastern end of the beach are the sea salt ponds, where one of Mallorca’s most excellent exports comes together. This was my favorite souvenir I brought back–a party pack of sea salts infused with different botanicals from hibiscus to sage. They were a big hit with my friends and family. Finally, back on the opposite side of the island, Cala Formentor is paper thin and lovely, on a half moon shaped bay on the inner side of the Formentor Peninsula. It’s not developed at all, but the bay is busy with boats of every size and style. ‍

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In terms of where to stay, if your heart is set on a certain beach and it’s one of the famous ones, I’d stay as close as possible so you can beat the crowds. From my own experience, I stayed at Canto de Marina, which had recently been built and lacked the gravitas of older properties. The location was excellent however, less than a mile from Es Trenc, and I biked down twice a day. It was also a relatively short bike ride (~45 minutes) to some of the famous beaches: Cala Pi and Cala des Moro. In hindsight, I wish I had stayed here, still pretty close to the beach but more charming and established.

Getting lost and found in another charming village

Otherwise, Santanyi is a beautiful, labyrinthine village in the southeast that has a famous weekly market and is also pretty dang close to Mallorca’s marquee beaches. Several of the streets close to car traffic and are filled with foods, arts, and crafts. It’s a spectacle well worth taking in—I had some transcendent yellow apricots here—I still think about them. If money was no object, I would have stayed at Can Ferrereta. But, I did splurge and go to their spa for a massage prior to my departure. I have no words…

Other Stuff

To rent a car or not to rent a car, that isn’t even a question! Rent a car. I made a huge mistake in not renting a car and it severely limited my options and ability to see things or do big rides on my list. Renting a bike is a smart move too (more on that below), but Mallorca is a big enough island that you’ll want the added range that only four wheels can deliver. Things may have changed in the years since I visited, but in June 2022, there was a severe taxi shortage and any and all ridesharing services were banned on the island. Getting a taxi in Port de Pollenca was like the Hunger Games. I waited at the taxi stand for an hour before seeing a taxi, then had the two taxis I saw in the next 30 minutes stolen halfway down the block. It was a full 2 hours before I got a taxi and the fare back to Valledemossa was $$$. I was able to pay the inn keeper at my Valledemossa finca to give me rides twice, and I booked my other two taxis days in advance from my Ses Covetes hotel to Santanyi and Santanyi to the airport. All other transportation was done by foot or by bike and I’ll tell you that after six days of heavy riding, getting on the bike again to ride 6 miles to dinner on my last night was done quite grudgingly.

Renting a bike in Mallorca was essential for me as cycling was the primary draw to the island. Most pro cyclist training camps and serious cyclist visits happen in April or May when the rain is done and the weather is nice, but not yet too warm. I was on the late side, visiting in June, with higher temps peaking in the high 80s and low 90s. It was a dry heat, but still punishing. On the plus side, there is less bike traffic on the roads, and far fewer elite cyclists around to destroy your self esteem. Don’t worry; if you still want your self esteem destroyed, pro photographers hang out at scenic spots along famous climbs and then sell you pics of yourself looking anything but pro. Bike rental businesses of every size, stripe, and rental bike quality abound across the island, and most will deliver bikes directly to your accommodation. Many accommodations advertise themselves as catering to cyclists specifically, however cycling is so common that pretty much every hotel will happily accommodate bikes and offer bike storage, even the luxury properties. If you’re a brand snob, er, loyalist, you can find rental outfits that specialize in specific brands e.g. Cervelo, Pinarello, Bianchi, etc. I rented a bike for a day in Port de Pollenca from Mallorca Bike Hire and then had a bike dropped off at my hotel when I stayed on another part of the island, and then swapped it for a gravel bike at the shop to round out my last few days.

If you like to get an early start, I highly recommend renting an apartment, villa or finca, as the typically included breakfasts are late and leisurely. No matter how hard I tried, the earliest I could get rolling on the bike each day was 10am, when the temperature was already 88 degrees. Woof.

More Bike Stuff, Skip If You Are a Purist Beach Rotter

Biking in Mallorca is wonderful for countless reasons, but I know people love a list, With this in mind, here’s my Top 5 Reasons to Bike in Mallorca:

The roads are in great shape and drivers are safe and courteous to cyclists.
There is always something nice to look at: stunning mountains, the cutest little village you’ve ever seen, mesmerizing switchbacks, jaw-dropping views of the sea, field of wildflowers…beauty abounds in Mallorca and the best way to drink it in is by bike. It’s the perfect pace.
Bikeways are exceptionally well thought out, marked, and signed, especially the rural routes in the southeast. For some reason, my cellular data NEVER works abroad. So, I am the master of writing out entire bike routes, hand drawing maps complete with landmarks, and long lists of turn by turn directions. But in Mallorca, I rarely pulled out my analog cheat sheets thanks to excellent signage guiding my way. A+ Mallorca planners!
There is something for everyone. Do you want to destroy yourself with some massive climbs? Get thee to the Tramuntanas. Would you rather do some easy rollers in some scenic countryside? Head over to Compos in the southeast. Wanna cruise the strip and people-watch on two wheels with zero climbing: pop on over to Palma or Port d’ Pollenca.
There are tons of rental places with bike options for every style and ability of rider. Cruiser ebikes to $14K Pinarellos, you can taste the rainbow. And, each shop has a range of recommendation routes by difficulty and distance. You can also opt for full service options like bike drop off and pick up at your accommodation or emergency rescue anywhere services for things like mechanicals or good old fashioned exhaustion.

Not on my Top 5 List, but if you’re bike-curious but want pros to take all the guesswork out of planning and running your trip? Check out some excellent bike-specific operators that have trips on/around the island. Backroads | Cycling House | Mills and Honey

Español

If you have a little español in your repertoire already, I highly recommend doing a little refresher on the language app of your choice. English is widely spoken, but even a few words of Spanish are greatly appreciated by the locals, especially off the well beaten tourist path. Note: the Moorish influences on Mallorca extend beyond the architecture. There were some words and letter combinations that were completely baffling to me and some hilarious attempts at pronunciation. Here’s looking at you, S’Arxiduc and Felanitx. Brush up on your basics, greetings and salutations, shopping vocab if you want to pick up groceries or souvenirs, and common verbs. Like any gringo who took three years of high school español 25+ years ago, I would rate my current Spanish speaking proficiency as: adult subsisting on a steady diet of paste and paint fumes, but I mostly got by. I did have one embarrassing moment in a bike shop asking for directions to a famous cycling climb/castle when I blanked on the verb “to find” (encontrar), and asked with profound melodrama: Hola, perdon. Tengo una pregunta. ¿Es fácil para descubrir el castell Sant Salvador? The bike shop employee gave me a withering look and then patiently answered while gesturing to the almost flat landscape with a single sharp hill in the distance with a single sharp historic-looking building on top. Si. Es fácil de descubrir. Está allá. Es la única punta alta en la vecindad. Or something to that effect. What a dingus. ENCONTRAR, y’all, encontrar.

This and That

Eat

In addition to Es Roquissar in Valldemossa, the poolside restaurant at Can Ferrereta, La Fresca, was chefs kiss. It didn’t hurt that they played that high end vibey loungey luxury hotel music that makes you feel like you’ve taken a bunch of muscle relaxants but also had six espresso martinis. Also, it might have been because I was at Mile 59 of my bike ride in 88 degree heat and utterly gorked, but I had a wonderful late lunch at Cassai Grand Cafe on my way back to Ses Covetes. In general, everything I ate while in Mallorca was super fresh and delicious. The climate allows for all kinds of tasty things to grow and yummy cheeses to be made.

Drink

Aww man, the wine here was so good. Tinto, blanco, rose, all great. No notes.

Explore

If I went back to Mallorca, I would for sure rent a boat (or more realistically in budget, join a boat tour) to access and explore some of the more remote beaches that aren’t really reachable by road.

Helpful Sources and Sites

There are tons of Mallorca resources out there that are at once more detailed and less long winded than this post. They are also more current. I won’t do all the work for you, but here’s one that’s pretty fresh.

Little Beach Guide: Mallorca

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