Rediscover Mallorca
Old walls, new hotel
Formerly the bishop lived in the Palau Sa Font.
A historic bishop's palace as a design hotel: the Palau Sa Font in Palma's old town. The natural stone façade with its Moorish-curved windows is pink, the German operators have staged a true play of colors on the inside: lime green terrazzo sinks, vanilla-yellow (rather small) rooms, tomato-red armchairs, wrought-iron tables and beds. And in a courtyard a sea blue pool for splashing. From the tower, the view sweeps over rooftops, palm tops and the towering cathedral. Address 1): Palau Sa FontCalle Apuntadores 38, Palma, Tel. 0034/971/71 22 77, Fax 71 26 18, also via www.designhotels.com
Dine at Chopin
Stylish: Refreshment in the Chopin
2: Pius Schnider left the Michelin stars in Switzerland and exchanged them for a life in Mallorca without remorse. He has that with his wife Gabriela Fontana Chopin opened in Palma's old town, close to the monument of the composer. Matching the staging: classical music, elegant furnishings. A pleasure to be served after a stroll through Palma by the attentive chefs the lunch menu: about cold celery-apple cream soup, Filet goulash stroganoff, panna cotta with apricot and raspberry mousse. For us, this is worth at least a star at these prices! Address (2): Restaurant Chopin, Calle Puigdorfila 2, Palma, Tel. 00 34/971/72 35 56.
Look and shop
The Old Town of PalmaA charming maze of stairs, archways, walled gardens, busy squares, quiet corners, dead ends. Renaissance Palacios and Art Nouveau houses with great attention to detail. A great place to go for a stroll, to see, to shop are the streets that leave the Plaça Major in a star shape. First a coffee in the Grand Café Cappuccino (Sant Miquel 53), a stately town palace with pomade-styled tops, palm trees in the garden and art on the gallery. In the old-fashioned shop opposite, the old ladies have been selling fans and garters for 50 years. The shoe store Passy (Sant Miquel 53) offers mules with flowers or sandals with transparent straps. at Forum (Sant Miquel 20) there are matching the trendy clothes. Then turn into the alleyways: Im bizarre (Calle d`en Pisa 6) Carmen Tomas sews crazy clothes and shirts made of fabric, in which ham is otherwise packed. Young slippers with soles sold off car tires S`Avarca (Sant Domingo 14).
In the delicatessen Colmado Santo Domingo (Carrer de Sant Domingo 1) hang the sausages from the ceiling. Lovely souvenirs: fig bread, herbal liqueur and honey. Pyramids of candied fruit, chocolates and marzipan, all homemade, are in the candy store Pajarita (Sant Nicholas 4). In Calle Brossa, in addition to the old carpenter's shop, a stylish shop offers brand-new "fine finca ideas", from rustic dishes to garden lanterns made of tin.
Palmas long nights
Friday evening, 23.30 clock. Time to warm up for the hot hours of the night in Palma. A beer and a few dates with bacon in the "Gotic", the elegantly styled café bar opposite the venerable maritime trade exchange. Chatting, laughing, watching. Until a "Vamos a la lonja" calls. That's the keyword. The pack moves into the hottest district behind the stock market: narrow streets with bars, clubs and restaurants. In between a cocktail at the long bar of the Atlantico (Calle Sant Feliu 12). A glimpse into the dim barçelona bar (number 5) - comfortable cocktail stools, live jazz. Or that Nu In the Parc de Mar. Directly on the lake, behind the cathedral: No bar in the city has a nicer setting. 4 clock: Time for the Passeig Maritim, the racing mile at the harbor promenade. Long lines in front of the Pacha`s, the disco with rock cave ambience is still full. When the night ends? Around seven.
Cheap Palais
The Hotel Born is a jewel of the middle class: rooms with simple Mallorcan furniture, a wonderful courtyard, shaded by three mighty palm trees. There, guests sit for breakfast at Café con leche and ensaimadas, then enter the quiet side street, turn the corner and stand in the middle of the old town. They have it good. Address (5): Hotel Born, Calle Sant Jaume 3, Palma, Phone 00 34/971/71 29 42, Fax 71 86 18, (Tip: ask for rooms overlooking the courtyard).
Hake in the rabbit bay
On the rugged westernmost tip of Majorca lies Cala Conills, the rabbit bay. And there, right on the sea, a beach bar under the thatched roof. The kids are splashing in the pool. Fantastic view of the Dragon Island, which rises up to 300 meters out of the water. Ospreys and falcons live on the sheltered island.Hostess Maria brings fresh sardines, gilthead sea bream, hake or shrimp from the grill, salad and a glass of white wine. Address (6): Restaurant Cala Conills, Tel. 00 34/971/23 91 86, open daily from 10am to 11pm from May to October.
The wild West
The view extends far from the Torre de ses Animes, the stone watchtower on the west coast of Majorca. The route from the modest village of Banyalbufar to the noble Andratx is one of the most spectacularly scenic things the island has to offer. Extensive terrace slopes of the small "vineyard by the sea", as the Arabic name Banyalbufar means. A system of walls and water channels to make the stony mountain slopes arable. (7) Tip: Nice day trip by car: from Palma to the quiet villages of Peguera, Capdella, Galilea and Puigpunyent on small roads through the Tramuntana mountains and then across the coast from Banyalbufar to Andratx.
Eat full and see enough
Beautiful: terrace of Posada del Marqués
What a location for a restaurant: all around the wild Tramuntana mountains, in front of almond trees next to olive groves, deep down the plain of Palma. The sea is sparkling on the horizon. 500 years ago, the Marquis of Verger placed his stately mansion in the middle of the mountains, four kilometers from the quiet village of Esporles. The current owners thank him for it. And the guests, who enjoy typical Mallorcan - and that means hearty - cuisine in the former oil mill and on the terrace: fried seafood with garlic and vegetables, lamb shoulder from the oven, rabbit with onions. (9) Address: La Posada del Marqués, Finca Es Verger (turn off in Esporles), Tel. 00 34/971/61 12 30, Fax 61 12 13; Also the hotel with pool is a tip.
A secret beach
Where do the Mallorcans go if they want to take a bath? Quite simply: to a little visited pebble beach like S'Illot near Alcúdia, on the peninsula in front of the Cap d`s Pinar. The water is clear, there are no stalls, no ice cream vendor, no apartment complexes. Just a simple bar halfway up this endless blue. (14) Tip: From Alcúdia (past the city wall, over the first branch to Port D`Alcúdia) take the road towards Mal Pas and Ermita de la Victoria, it leads to the peninsula and the picnic and bathing place S'Illot past.
Fine cuisine in the Convention
Alcudia. Hordes of sun worshipers, cloned bed castles ... Not quite true: Because Port d'Alcúdia is indeed the tourist center on the largest bay in Mallorca. But down to the name of the coast and the actual place a few minutes drive away from the sea have nothing in common. In recent years, the listed old town, which is secluded behind a magnificent city wall, prepared. The Es Convent is now a brand new, trendy restaurant. Thick stone walls, pleasing jazz, pearl-colored linen on the tables, beef carpaccio with arugula and blue cheese, lamb loin with quince puree and raisin sauce, fruit integratin with cherry sabayon - after that you really only want a nice bed. There are also in the Convent: four rooms with selected beautiful furniture. (15) Address: It Convent, Hotel and Restaurant, carrer del Progres, 6, Alcúdia, Tel. 00 34/971/548 716, Fax 549 803, www.esconvent.com; closed on Monday.
Sleep like a monk
Curve after curve, the road rises. At the top is the oldest monastery on the island, a gloomy fortress: Santuari de Sant Salvador, at 509 meters altitude. Recently you can stay here. Hot water and a shower are available in the shared bathroom. The room smells of fresh floor wax. Clean are the sheets, with which I cover the bed. The virgin watches over it. Then I sit on my rickety chair at the Wink balcony. The night is pitch black. Only somewhere down in the distance do a few lights shine. The wind rustles, otherwise the silence prevails. You feel very far away from the world. (19) Address and tip: Santuari de Sant Salvador, Puig de Sant Salvador, Felanitx, Tel. 00 34 / 971/82 72 82, Overnight with a donation to the preservation of the monastery. Tip: Room 1 has the best view.
