Majorca for Majorcans
RETURN TO SOME BEACHES
It is the case of Magaluf , in the municipality of Calvià, known as the place where British tourists get an early start on beach parties and all-inclusive excesses . Majorcans flee this area of the island like the devil. They normally frequent other areas and especially the coves during July and August, as It is Port des Canonge, Cala Banyalbufar, or the rocks that are in front of the Hotel Bendinat.
Posts to choose a sandy beach, the most frequented by the residents are the Porto Cristo Beach or Playas de Muro , where there are some beach bars with little noise and good food, such as Can Gavella or Ponderosa Beach , where Mallorcans order Sunday paella in front of the beach despite the high temperatures.
Ponderosa Beach Club
But this year, due to quarantines and travel restrictions, Magaluf is not at all similar to other summers . The beach looks like a postcard from paradise, as long as we don't turn our eyes to see the tall buildings.
Majorcans have begun to share the secret that the coast is not crowded and they have been encouraged to approach certain beaches where there are many tourists other summers. Facing Bondi Beach, one of the few bars and restaurants that remain open in this particular area , so affected by the drop in tourists, a good family camp is set up every weekend, with umbrellas and coolers.
Oh! Magaluf, but how beautiful you were.
palm beach It is another of the places that shows its best version. Its bars and hotels continue to receive people even though there are fewer foreigners, since it is close to the capital and is also frequented by residents given its proximity.
Known as the paradise in german , to take a dip in some spas on this beach, other years you had to avoid terraces where groups of people make a lot of noise with a beer in hand. You can appreciate a calmer clientele and enjoy an extraordinary sunset on the terraces, such as the one at the surf school and Bonaona Bar , or the restaurant spa 15 , located in front of the sea in the area of Can Pastilla.
The same thing happens with some beaches like Es Trenc, Caló des Moro or Cala Mondragó , so popular in travel guides that they came to expel Majorcans, who are not given to going too far and not parking near a place, something essential for them when choosing a place to spend the day. This year it is said that the water is clean and you can spread the towel keeping your distance, except on Sundays.
Es Trenc beach
VISIT THE FORMENTOR LIGHTHOUSE
It is the same situation that exists in the Lighthouse of Formentor , where traffic in summer is usually very congested. This road is very narrow and parking spaces are scarce, so there were long lines of cars during the high season. In fact, Mallorcans usually stopped visiting once the summer was over.
The circumstances were so exceptional to reach the Formentor lighthouse that in 2017 it was a density of five thousand vehicles per day . The government had to take control of the situation and restrict traffic from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., making a shuttle bus available to tourists. But this year it was not necessary because there are fewer vehicles and once at the lighthouse you can appreciate the Majorcan accent of many visitors.
to the nearby Sa Foradada viewpoint, in the town of Deià , so many Majorcans have been encouraged to watch the sunset this year that, on the contrary, the City Council has had to restrict the hours between 6:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. to avoid crowds , because so many residents were crowded that the authorities did not know how to control it.
The magic of the sunset from the Formentor Lighthouse
OFFERS FOR RESIDENTS
Other years, many residents also frequented the hotels following the Easter or early season offers. With the arrival of July and August, many of them stay on the island enjoying the island in their summer houses in Santanyí, Colònia de Sant Jordi or Puerto de Pollença , places that are not too far from their main residence, but where they have a space with a more summery atmosphere where they can be “in the cool”.
But some establishments have begun to offer discounts during the summer and a day pass with lunch and a swimming pool, such as the Hospes Maricel & Spa , in Palma, or Ca's Xorc Luxury Retreat & Restaurant , in Soller. So some islanders are acting as tourists , in this case, local.
The Hotel Castell Son Claret , in the small village of Es Capdella , is one of the places that this year offers special prices for accommodation, breakfast and dinner for residents. And the Majorcans do not waste the opportunity to sleep in a historic 17th-century castle and its 325-hectare estate at the foot of the Serra de Tramuntana , in this town than other years it is less visited during the summer. Some of the rooms at Castell Son Claret they have their own terrace and a swimming pool surrounded by vegetation, as if they had a private space.
Their oliver restaurant It is adapted to Majorcan palates, since its cuisine is mainly Mediterranean and uses many local products. On the menu there are very varied dishes, such as the Moroccan-style roasted shoulder of lamb and the Castell lemon cake with blueberry stew. Some also with a Balearic accent, such as the homemade Menorcan cow's milk burrata and the almond gató, a typical sponge cake that triumphs among residents in any menu.
The views always to the sea
THE SUMMER
Majorcans have lengthened their summer days this year because many telecommute and prefer to be away from the city , in a quiet environment where you can go swimming and push your bikes.
In the summer area par excellence of the island, the Colonia de Sant Jordi, the Hotel Honucai, has offered some discounts this year that are added to its more than reasonable prices where to spend a few days near the sea for those who do not have a house summer
On the roof of the hotel there is a swimming pool and bar with panoramic views of the coast, where concerts are offered on the weekend , while on the ground floor, there is his Salicornia restaurant , specializing in rice, meat and fish.
On the menu are many of the island's best-known dishes with suggestive combinations, like mussels with sobrassada emulsion and orange peel . Or the octopus with tumbet , a typical cake with layers of vegetables that is eaten throughout the year.
ADVENTURES OFF THE COAST
In front of the Honucai hotel, one of the quintessential Mallorca excursions departs daily: the visit to Cabrera , an island that is just over half an hour from the coast, away from people and in the middle of nature. Although the month of August is over, Mallorcans still travel to this National Park until October 31 when the good weather begins to wane.
The company Excursions a Cabrera has been doing this route for more than fifty years. And currently they offer several routes, some of three or six hours, as well as another more romantic one to contemplate the magic hour.
All these visits make a maritime route around the islets that make up the archipelago, a swim in its crystal clear waters and a landing in the port , where there is only one establishment: the bar Cabrera Canteen . On the way back, a dip awaits them in their blue cave , wave Cova Blava , as they call it, to feel in a lost paradise next to home.
The blue cave of Cabrera