Petra, a trip to the heart of Mallorca
There are few places in the world that offer such an exotic combination of wonderful landscapes, virgin beaches, geographical diversity and heart-stopping sunsets like Majorca. Without forgetting the interior of the island that, sometimes, is the great forgotten.
Mallorca is much more than a beach, much more than history, much more than monuments, much more than Mediterranean gastronomy because the largest island of the Balearic Islands is always much more! This picturesque island, bathed by the Mediterranean, is a worldwide claim for its beaches and coasts although behind its sun, which shines radiantly 300 days a year, its fine sand and the smell of salt on each of its turquoise beaches many charming towns are hidden. Today we travel to Pla de Llevant region to get to know a small inland town called Petra and discover the most rural Mallorca and traditional.
Petra, in the interior of the island of Majorca.
AGROTOURISM SON SANT ANDREU
With our desire to escape from the most touristic and typical places on the island, we arrived at the town of Petra 50 minutes from Palma (MA-15), in the heart of the island, and very close to Manacor. We chose this town not only because it is one of the great unknowns of Mallorca but because here is the accommodation we were looking for to enjoy a dream vacation and tranquility at Agroturismo Son Sant Andreu. It is a mansion built in 1652, surrounded by fields and vineyards, which in its day was a Possession (type of rural habitat typical of Mallorca) and one of the most important houses in the Pla de Llevant region.
receives us María Barceló, owner of this farmhouse as well as Rafa Nadal's aunt, and she tells us the story of this family villa that has made us fall in love for keep its baroque tints latent.
Nicolás and Debra are the ones who run this place. After traveling around the world and spending some time in Australia, They arrived here and felt love at first sight. Nicolás gives us a tour of his extensive facilities: “My wife and I we were looking for tranquility and beauty in the same place and we found Son Sant Andreu, the perfect place. The complex is made up of different buildings, a small chapel and a huge cellar that was formerly used for winemaking, cereals and other crops. Now in this warehouse we celebrate concerts and cultural events.”
Agrotourism Son Sant Andreu.
THE ROOMS AND THE ORCHARD
In the main building are distributed the ten rooms of this great farmhouse, each of them very different but with the same vernacular touch. All the rooms have a very peculiar decoration with Majorcan antique furniture, High ceilings, romantic canopy beds, and plenty of natural light from floor-to-ceiling windows and French doors overlooking a privileged and mountainous environment. We stayed in the Olivera room, premium suite, with private living room and terrace with views to the pool and gardens. We feel like the kings of this paradise!
The next day we wake up in this house with the sound of chickens, that mark the time of dawn and remind us that it is time to explore the more than 400,000 square meters, space more than enough to walk, unwind and enjoy some wonderful views of the Pla de Majorca. It also has a solarium terrace next to the pool to take a refreshing dip.
One of the rooms at the Agroturismo Son Sant Andreu.
OUR MALLORCAN PEOPLE
We get into his orchard surrounded by orange, lemon and mandarin trees. Strutting hens lay eggs for our delicious breakfast. We have that feeling being in our own town, smelling like home, in the usual place, this is the peace we needed. Another great charm of this accommodation is that we can use the different kitchens that they have in different rooms of the farmhouse and thus bring out the chef that we have inside!
After taking a refreshing dip in the pool, we have a picnic in an area set up for it, with typical products of Mallorca, that Nomadikafood brings us home, a new concept that makes it available to all lovers of different countries and cultures a wide range of high quality products. We ordered some delicious mallorcan llongets, typical rolls with which the sandwiches are prepared, and a variat, the quintessential tapas of Mallorca that combines Russian salad, fried and mushrooms. And we put on our boots!
Swimming pool at the Agroturismo Son Sant Andreu.
BETWEEN TRAILS AND HERMITAGES
There is a path that starts from Sont San Andreu by which we can reach to the mountain of Puig de Bonnany after a walk of just over an hour. we lose ourselves by a path with lush vegetation, the ascent is easy, even to enjoy with children (318 meters of altitude). At the top is the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Bonany, one of the hermitages with the greatest devotion on the entire island located in a spectacular viewpoint with a geodesic vertex. This hermitage is shared with the municipalities of Sant Joan and Villafranca de Bonany, which we can see in the distance from its viewpoint. We enjoy a bucolic and quiet sunset with panoramic views of the entire Pla region.
The next day we take a bicycle to discover corners of the town of Petra (just one kilometer away), which enjoys a large historical complex in which its cobbled streets and its picturesque stone houses. On our walk we discovered the most illustrious character of the town, Friar Junípero Serra, a missionary born in Petra which is very present in many places and to which a museum has even been dedicated.
One of the streets of Petra, in the interior of Mallorca.
We walk the church of Sant Pere, a parish church of Gothic style from the 16th century, the convent of the Franciscans, the Calle Mayor and we ended up in the Pare Serra square, in the heart of the municipality, where we leave our bicycle and enjoy a good Mallorcan wine.
Majorca is that paradise of Spain in which you will always find a good plan for all tastes, also in its most unknown interior. We will be back!