Mallorca: Palmanova

Hola,

I was intending to be slighty more regular with my blogs but due to the pressure of time - and having to write against a ticking clock I haven´t been.

So since I last wrote I have changed resorts three times. We spent a few days in Sa Coma and then Cala dór before arriving on Sunday in Palmanova where we will stay until the end of the trip. In essence, we have worked our way down from Alcudia in the North - south to our current location. Never straying far from the coast. Whilst in Alcudia I bought a local souvernier guidebook. Here is what it says about our resorts;

Sa Coma: The beaches of Sa Coma and Síllot are like golden brooch which is a delight to the eye.

Cala dór: Sometimes, in this privileged island, the bays enter the land and formnatural rivers of unrivalled beauty. Among these are Cala dór...the bright white houses and the Ibizian style adequately complement the perfect work of nature.

Palmanova: Palmanova and Magaluf are ideal places for an unforgettable summer holiday.

I wouldn´t be so kind to Palmanova and Magaluf. I was always expecting this to be the worst leg of the trip and it doesn´t look like proving me wrong. I am not complaining of course.

I had a bit of a moment the other week when I realised that I had been labouring under the misapprehension that I was due four days off during my time in Mallorca. I had already made plans for each day. It was only the day before my last day off I realised that I would infact only be getting a total of three days off. The last of which is on Wednesday. I am planning to take the train from Palma to Soller which is meant to be a spectacular journey and Soller is meant to be lovely. And maybe a little bit of the evening in Palma itself. Fingers crossed for some good weather as today it rained again.

That said my last day off made it all worthwhile. I had sought the advice of a local and asked for a quiet beach or cove. He pointed to a track on my map just outside of a tiny village called Betlem. He said you can drive to Betlem but then the road runs out and you have to follow a track and pick a point to clamber down the cliffs to the sea. Sounded like what I wanted.

On the morning of my day off I woke with only a slight hangover at 8am and after a bite to eat ordered a cab to take me to Betlem. I was a little concerned when the taxi driver had no idea where it was - even when I pointed to a map and repeated ¨aqui" louder and louder. Eventually she called for back-up and we set off in the general direction of Betlem. I began to get a little unnerved that maybe I was biting off a littlemore than I could chew - particuarly as I was reliant on getting a taxi to pick me up for the return journey. Added to this was also informed that today was a public holiday so most people were off work. My taxi driver seemed a little bemused that I wanted to go to a village that didn´t have any hotels. I smiled and bit my tounge...

TBC