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November 23, 2022
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7 min read
When we started Easygoing, I decided to visit Mallorca - where I had never been before.
I had a ton of assumptions, but strangely the stories I heard were so different from one another.
Some described Mallorca as a touristy party island just like its most common reputation - in Denmark we know Mallorca as the home of the vulgar "Pig Parties" (Grisefester) in the '70s, where you would belch from pork and sangria until early sunrise or you passed out. To my surprise, others described Mallorca as this calm and beautiful place.
I decided to see as much as possible within my limited time on the island. Unlike how I normally travel, I only had 3 days in total and for the first time in so long, I was all by myself. But this time I had a car, so I was up for whatever opportunity that presented itself.
Apart from a couple of meetings, my only plan was to see both the northern and southern part of the island.
I started out in Cala D’or and drove along the coast to Porto Cristo, making a stop in Portocolom.
Along the way I did what I recommend all travellers in Mallorca to do: Turn off the main road! When you see a sign that says something with “Cala”, just turn and see where the road leads you. It led me to Cala Marçal and Cala Anguila - both had great snorkeling conditions with crystal clear water - and yes, snorkeling is a great passion of mine.
So afterwards sitting there on the shore, enjoying the turquoise waters and eating ice cream I was already convinced of the beauty the island holds. Later on the trip, I visited Cala Sant Vicenç and encountered the same thing.
I simply love Mallorca for those small Calas.
Already on the very first day, I had fallen in love with Mallorca.
My expectations were low to begin with, but the island totally took me by surprise. And just to put a pin in that feeling, let me tell you about the hotel on the first night.
I don't know how you find hotels, but here is how I do… I open one of those scanner sites (no need mentioning, you all know them), then I type in the area and look for hotels that meets some of my criteria: affordable, original, sustainable, good rating and respect for the local area. This time I quickly found the perfect place for my stay: The Sant Salvador Hotel. A beautiful Hotel in an old monastery on the top of a hill. Driving there was a challenge but the view was rewarding. The hotel offers food made by local produce and it was delicious. Sitting on their terrasse, drinking a glass of white wine, I felt so calm and lucky.
Again my expectations exceeded reality: The hotel room with its' big monastery walls was cool, simple but functional, and it had the most amazing view of the south part of the island.
On the top of the hill, where the monastery is situated, I could see the mountains rising in the distance and if I looked the other way, the shoreline curved the island as far as I could see. I enjoyed the sunset from the mountain and promised myself to come back some day.
The next day after a wonderful breakfast, I drove north and spent the day cruising the mountains. A totally different experience than the flat south part of the island. But equally as beautiful. Driving slowly after the groups of cyclists climbing up the mountains, and stopping at the small parking spaces along the road to breathe in the fresh air and being swoon over the breathtaking scenery. Wow, again Mallorca took me by surprise.
I spent the night in Cala sant Vicenç, watched the sun set behind a mountain ridge and went to bed, thinking that I could spend my next 15 holidays in Mallorca and never get bored.
I woke up early to swim all alone in the blue water. It was way too cold to stay in long, but it surely woke me up and got me fresh and ready for the new day.
I made a few stops on the way to the airport. One of them in Pollença to climb the 365 steps to the Església del Calvari and let me tell you, the view was worth the climb! I just kept saying to myself: How did I miss out on this island until now?
Okay…. Now I am reading my own description of Mallorca and think to myself: Am I exaggerating all my memories? Is Mallorca really like this?
Therefore, I have spent some time researching the island after returning to Denmark, and I have come to this conclusion: Mallorca is diverse. It still has areas of tourist class hotels with bars on the ground floor, where people from all over Europe come to party. It has nice all-Inclusive family hotels to please kids of all ages. It has a history that speaks through its old monasteries and countryside to make all of the active tourists return year after year. And as I can confirm, don't forget the beaches!
The beauty of Mallorca is that it all exists within the boundary of quite a small island, where 9 million tourists come to spend their vacation every year, and a lot of them come back, once they have had a taste of this piece of heaven.
To me the 3 days I spent in Mallorca turned out to be just the beginning of an adventure that I have to come back to explore further.
- Anne Madsen Tabor, Co-Founder of Easygoing