Mallorca Travel Guide

The sun-soaked island escape is part of Spain’s Balearic Islands, a group of islands and smaller islets east of mainland Spain. Mallorca has a rich and varied history, with different cultures and religions ruling the island over the centuries, leaving behind their unique architectural styles and cuisines. Today, it’s a mix of shop- and cafe-lined streets, imposing Modernist, Gothic, and Art Nouveau historic cathedrals. castles, and coliseums, and a yacht-filled seafront, and beyond that, a picturesque countryside dotted with ancient olive, lemon, and orange groves, the striking Serra de Tramuntana mountain peaks, and the ever-present sparkling blue of the Balearic Sea. If you’re looking for an idyllic island escape with beauty and history in spades, look no further. Here, Shea outlines how she and Syd spent their days on the Spanish Isle.

After a long-haul overnight flight, we loaded my overstuffed luggage and Syd’s bike (yes, his entire bike) into our little rental car and drove across the island from Palma to our hotel in Deía. We worked with Wagner Bespoke to help us plan this trip and it was an absolute dream from start to finish. It only took about 10 minutes into the drive before I started hanging my head out of the window to take pictures. We arrived at our hotel just in time to change, scope out our room, and head to dinner. We stayed in the Tower Suite which was incredible (and a great workout going up and down the spiral stairs). It was an old lookout to watch for pirates and had the sweetest balcony on the top floor. Our first meal was at the Tramantura Grill and afterward we took a stroll at sunset around the expansive property. No one is paying me to say this, but I have nothing but high praise for our stay at The Belmond. From the visual storytelling around every corner to the food and service, it was everything I believe beautiful design should be—a luxury experience that also feels warm and inviting.

Syd and I are both addicted to our morning routines, and we follow them even on vacation. Although we were quite jet lagged, we woke up early every morning of the trip to take tennis lessons and go for a walk (me) and ride around the island (Syd). We met up for breakfast at the hotel and then cat-napped by the pool for a few hours. As it was our first full day on the island, we explored Deía and walked up the hill to Iglesia de San Juan Bautista, a beautiful, old baroque-style church. We worked up an appetite and stopped at De Moniö for lunch and I purchased quite a few ceramics to be shipped home. They also had a delicious dark chocolate chip cookie with sea salt that we couldn’t resist. We spent our afternoon by the pool and spent the evening at the famed El Olivo. This is the fine dining restaurant at our hotel, and arguably the most photographed, with views of the ocean and an otherworldly ambiance amid the glow of candlelight under ancient olive trees.

We made a last-minute decision to rent a Vespa and explore the island—I love to leave room for impulse detours while traveling and this was one of the highlights of our trip. We rode to Sóller and Port de Sóller, did some site-seeing, hung out on the sand beach, and ate a light lunch at El Sabor. Mallorca is known for its rocky coves, but this was one location we visited with an easy sand entrance. That evening, we took a sunset cruise that was offered through our hotel. I loved getting to experience Mallorca from this perspective and we each appreciated the azure blue Mediterranean water in our own way—I dipped my toes in and Syd cliff jumped, one of his all-time favorite activities.

We still couldn’t get enough of the scooter, so we did some sight-seeing around the island and spent our afternoon in Valldemossa. This was one of the towns we passed our first day on the island and that I kept snapping pictures of from afar. It’s very picturesque and there are quite a few little shops and cafes—I purchased some leather sandals for the girls and espadrilles for myself. This town is also home to the Chopin Museum and gardens. We didn’t tour the museum, but you can admire it from all angles in the town and wander through the gardens for free. Most beaches in Mallorca require a bit of a hike, so we put on our walking shoes and trekked to a nearby Cala to watch the sunset.

Eli from Wagner Bespoke recommended spending an afternoon in Palma, the capital city of Mallorca. In my research prior to visiting, I read about a restaurant called El Camino, a narrow tapas bar with great design and great food. I’m so glad I booked the reservation ahead of time because every seat was full. We had many delicious meals on our trip, but this was the highlight for both of us! Syd ordered practically everything on the menu and every single item was outstanding. We shopped at the outdoor market as well as local galleries and shops. Lifestyle Mallorca was in a gorgeous building and offered a fun mix of home decor and fashion. We also did some sightseeing around the Catedral-Basílica de Santa María de Mallorca. The city had a market set up in the morning with lots of local vendors which was fun too.

Through a serendipitous chain of events, we were given a hot tip about a secret beach that required a drive through many, many switchbacks followed by an hour hike. Syd and I decided that this kind of adventure was exactly how we wanted to spend our last day of vacation. We saw donkeys, gardens, and abandoned fishing cottages along the way and the journey made the reward even sweeter! We swam in the sea and lay on the rocks all afternoon. There was one village I had not checked off my wish list yet, so we took a detour on the way home to visit the village of Fornalutx, which is often referred to as the prettiest village in Mallorca. Its medieval cobblestone streets and winding passageways were so charming, and I loved that all the doorsteps were overflowing with terracotta pots. We stopped at a bakery, admired the charming tile roofs, and then returned to our hotel. We changed for the evening and had a great dinner at Nama overlooking the mountains and village below. On the way to dinner, I popped into a boutique to buy this cute woven purse I had been eyeing all week through the windows.