Walking in springtime in Mallorca

My guest post today from Nick of Villa Parade highlights that spring is one of the best times to visit the island of Mallorca, especially if you enjoy walking as a way to explore the beautiful scenery of this island and get away from the crowded tourist spots.

I find that spring can be the ideal time to visit the Med, as the weather is slightly cooler and there aren’t as many tourists as the high season, so it’s an excellent opportunity to explore. There are great range of activities in The Balearics to choose from. I’ve been on many of Mallorca’s walking trails, and with the Almond blossom in bloom throughout March, it’s a really beautiful time to see the island.

I also hear from many people who go to Mallorca in the spring because of its cycling routes, often used in Triathlon training, as well as from those who love wildlife and travel to spot the island’s famous Eleonora’s falcon.

One of my favourite walking routes is trekking up from Alaro to Castell d’Alaró. It takes about two hours and you need to follow signs from the PM210 to the peaceful valley of Orient. The walk takes you through olive groves climbing up to the plateau, with views of the Puig D’Alaro, a rocky outcrop with an old Moorish castle at the top. It’s worth the effort to see the beautiful views over the sea from the summit and to work up an appetite for the famous lamb dish in the Es Verger restaurant, renowned for its red wines, on the way back down.

There’s also a beautiful Mallorquin sunset walk from Roca Blanca, starting from PM-221 Formentor Road, to the peak of Fumat which shows the Formentor Peninsula, the North Eastern tip of Mallorca. at its best. A friend recommended this route to me it’s perfect if you’re looking for a bit of an adventure and you can picnic at the peak and visit the old lighthouse on the way down and have a dip in Cala Figuera. The walk is about 8km and finishes with a sunset view of Formentor’s most famous beach, Cala Formentor from Albercuitx Watchtower.

I’d love to from anyone who’s got any other tips on exploring Mallorca, especially walks that you’ve enjoyed on this beautiful island.

Many thanks for this guest post to Nick at Villa Parade who offer exclusive villas and holiday apartments throughout the Mediterranean, including Mallorca.

Photo credits: Almond Blossom by lightbrigade,  Castell d’Alaro by benjami,  Cala Figuera by Cayetano on flickr.

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César Manrique and the volcanic island of Lanzarote

My guest post today from Nick Hall, of Lanzaroteguidebook.com  will give you a unique perspective on the volcanic island of Lanzarote, through the influence of artist César Manrique who made it more than just your average package holiday destination.

Lanzarote has long been saddled with a slightly downmarket reputation in the UK, ever since the 1970´s, when the Monty Python team termed it Lanzagrotty. But nothing could in fact be further from the truth. As this small speck of Spain has been far less touched by tourism than larger Canarian cousins such as Tenerife and Gran Canaria. Lanzarote retains its raw, if unconventional, volcanic beauty largely intact – despite welcoming over 1.5 million visitors every year.

This delicate juggling act has been largely orchestrated by a local artist called César Manrique, who battled against the worst excesses of over development during the 1970´s, securing an island wide ban on high rise buildings and advertising hoardings. He simultaneously created ecologically friendly tourist attractions that work with Lanzarote´s volcanic terrain, rather than against it, illustrating that there are viable alternatives to the water parks and golf courses so popular elsewhere in Spain.

Timnafaya National Park
Lanzarote was subjected to a massive series of seismic shocks during the 18th and 19th centuries. Violent eruptions rocked the island, remodelling around one third of Lanzarote´s land mass and replacing farms and villages with lava fields and volcanoes.

Fortunately these peaks are now dormant, but the Timanfaya National Park, the scene of these eruptions, is always alive with tourists – attracting around 900,000 visitors a year. The surreal scenery here really is out of this world, so much so that Apollo 13 astronauts studied photos of this terrain to prepare themselves for their moon landing mission.

Manrique sympathetically harnessed this raw terrain for visitors. Discerning the optimum touring route through the Park and creating the magnificent Devils Diner. This incredible restaurant with 360 panoramic windows, sits on the top of one of the volcanoes, where visitors can watch their food being cooked by the heat emanating from below on massive grills.

Jameos Del Agua
The Jameos del Agua was a huge collapsed lava tube, before Manrique, with the help of local architect Jesus Soto, transformed it into a breathtaking subterranean concert venue and auditorium. It is replete with tropical gardens and a superb swimming pool that is apparently reserved for the sole use of the King of Spain.

This is the creation that helped to put Lanzarote on the map as a viable tourist destination in the 1970´s. It attracted VIP visitors and celebrities such as Peter Sellers and Omar Sharif, all keen to explore this unique new holiday hot spot.

Hail César
Manrique went on to create a further six similarly unique and imaginative tourist attractions, such as the Jardin de Cactus, a homage to the plant worlds spiniest species. And the Mirador del Rio, an incredible volcanic look out point which grants visitors a bird’s eye view of the neighbouring island of La Graciosa, helping to earn Lanzarote the status of a UNESCO protected biosphere in the process.

Nick Ball is the editor of Lanzaroteguidebook.com – the in-depth Lanzarote tourist information guide. Visit the site to download a FREE copy of their 96 page guidebook to the island. You can also book holidays and villas in Lanzarote online.

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Top tips for a great holiday in Puerto Pollensa - Majorca

My guest post today takes you behind the package holiday image of the beautiful island of Majorca and the northern coastal town of Puerto Pollensa. Ross Fraser has visited the holiday town of Puerto Pollensa many times over the last 15 years and runs the popular holiday website  puertopollensa.org.uk.

Majorca (or Mallorca in Spanish) can often be dismissed as a serious holiday destination due to the number of very commercial resorts on the island. But the truth is that Majorca is a wonderful place, bursting with history and interesting things to see and do. This article goes into some detail about what I like to do when I’m in Puerto Pollensa as well as some interesting things to see outside of the town.

Things to do in Puerto Pollensa

1. Walk along the Pine Walk at sunset
The pine walk is a pedestrian area that runs along the beach to the left of the town for about 2 miles. It gets its name from all the pine trees that run along the whole length the beach.The best time to visit is in the early evening when the sun is setting on the bay and you can hear the sea slowly lapping against the sand on the beach. The pine walk is a really magical and relaxing place and there are some wonderful hotels along the way that you can stop off and have a drink - my all time favourite is the Hostal bahia where I love sitting out on the veranda in the evening.

2. Take the bus to Formentor
There are some fantastic things to do on the island if you have a car but one place you can reach by bus and boat is Formentor. Formentor is a secluded cove to the left of Puerto Pollensa. See it on Google Maps here. My tip is to take the public bus from Puerto Pollensa - there are some outstanding photo opportunities to be had, so make sure you take a camera. The bus journey can be quite scary the first time you do it as the bends in the road are so tight and hills so steep, but it is worth the experience. Formentor has an exclusive hotel that has welcomed many famous guests including Agatha Christie who wrote the novel Problem at Pollensa bay after her time spent here. Formentor is a quiet place that doesn’t attract too many tourists so if you have some spare time take a beach towel with you and some food and spend the afternoon swimming in the crystal blue water. When it’s time to go back I would recommend sailing back on the boat which takes around an hour to get back to Puerto Pollensa.

3. Soak up the atmosphere at the Pollensa market
There are many markets across Majorca a number of which I would avoid as they are aimed at tourists. However the market in the old town of Pollensa is one worth visiting. It is on every Sunday and is only a 20 minute public bus ride from Puerto Pollensa. The market sells virtually every type of produce the island has to offer – from fresh fruit and vegetables to flowers and clothes. There are some lovely cafés in the main square where you can sit and absorb the atmosphere as locals buy their weekly groceries. This is a great place to come and chill out. Try the local olives the cafés serve which are flavoured with pickles and taste delicious.

4. Visit the Roman ruins in Alcudia
The new part of Alcudia is not worth visiting in my opinion, but the old town is. This town is rich in history and if you have any interest in the Romans it is a real gem. Outside the main wall of the old town there are a number of ruins including an old Roman amphitheatre which is within walking distance of the main public bus stop.

5. Walk across the Tramuntana mountain range to Cala San Vicente
This walk should be completed in the morning otherwise it is too hot after lunch and will be too tiring. The views from the top are fantastic as you can see Pollensa bay, and Cala San Vicente bay in one viewing. The reward at the end of the walk can either be a drink in one of the beach side bars or a swim in the sea. If you don’t wish to walk back there is a local bus if you time it right or you can hire a taxi.

6. Have a drink in the square at night
The main square in Puerto Pollensa is one place that residents of the town come to relax. This is a great place for people watching, I love having a drink there in the evening and watching the old men and women chatting about the day’s events.

Things to do out of town

The Edwardian steam train to Sóller
You can catch this train from Palma city, as it leaves frequently throughout the summer months. The train takes you to Sóller which is less than an hour away. It’s a real fun journey and certainly worth doing. If you don’t have a car you can take the public bus to Palma which takes about an hour from Puerto Pollensa and catch the train from there.

Valldemosa was where Chopin spent a summer before he died, you can visit the place he stayed at and listen to a piano recital if you catch the right time. It is one one place that is easier to get to by car.

Hopefully this article will have given you a flavour of what to expect when you visit the north of the island. Majorca really is a great place to visit and if you have the time there are great places to explore all over the island. The north of the island and especially Puerto Pollensa is a really special place that will always give me happy memories from the many summer months I have spent relaxing there.

 See more of Ross Fraser’s photos of Puerto Pollensa on Flickr

Ross Fraser is a keen traveller who has spent the last 15 years visting Puerto Pollensa in Majorca. He writes travel articles and runs the popular Puerto Pollensa resort website puertopollensa.org.uk.

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