King of the Balearics

The biggest of the Balearics, Mallorca has long been a favourite of the world's travel pack.  It's got extremely good looks on it's side, after all.  We're talking tiny inlets, sweeping bays and sandy coves, all lapped by turquoise waters.  And away from the coast, it's a case of sweet-smelling pine forests, hidden hamlets and jagged mountain peaks, so let's explore........

Day One:-

First on Phil's hit list was a walk to the Watch Tower which is visible from our balcony.  It took him 40 minutes to walk to the tower and a further 15 mins to the end of the headland.  Initially all tarmac and easy going but the last bit was rocky and slippery so good shoes necessary.  And all before breakfast!!!

The directions from Biniorella, where we were staying to the Watch Tower are:

3 km

Leaving Biniorella turn left downhill on road.  At roundabout turn right signposted to Camp de Mar and continue downhill until you come to a left-hand bend, on the corner of which, is a flight of steps leading down to the sea.  At the bottom of the steps turn left onto the promenade and follow round until you come to a sundial turnaround.  At this point continue along the promenade in front of the Playa Hotel and then take the boardwalk, which finishes, by the La Siesta Restaurant.  Here turn left a short distance uphill until you reach the road.  Turn right and continue uphill to the next T-junction.  Go right here and follow the road until you come to a fork leading uphill.  Take this fork and in 30 metres ascend a steep flight of cement steps on your left.  At the top turn right and ignoring a road to the left continue uphill until you can join a rough path alongside a stone wall.  Within 50 metres you will come to a gate through a stone-faced wall.  Go through the gate leaving a well-made stone boundary wall on your left and continue steeply uphill until you shortly meet a crossway of paths at the brow.  Here turn right and ignoring a path diagonally left which breaks through a fence, stay on the path  as it winds its way uphill.  In a few minutes you will catch glimpses of the watchtower above you through the trees.  Continue straight ahead leaving the fence always on your left until you reach the tower.  From here it is possible to continue to the end of the headland following a rough and stony path, with occasional stone marker cairns.  In order to follow the easiest path it is necessary to go through the broken fences on a couple of occasions.  Remember that this fence could be repaired in the future and access may change.

These watchtowers were used to control the coast and to protect the town against pirate attacks.
The Torre des Cap Andritxol was built between 1580 and 1582 and was restored by Claudia Schiffer's family, and this watchtower enjoys the most privileged views.  Standing 180 metres above sea level on the promontory that separates Camp de Mar and Cala Fornells.

Palma embraces the sea, and a stroll along it's waterfront provides ample proof that this long-standing love affair is far from over.  So we decided to do this easy walk which follows the curve of the bay from it's passenger ship terminal to the city centre and it is particularly enjoyable in the early evening.
We left at 5.30 to avoid the traffic - schools finish at 5 pm and parked, free of charge, in the road by Club de Mar just after the cruise liners.  This walk is really a social climb through Palma's seafaring classes.  Hardworking fishing vessels give way to hobby boats and weekend craft, rust buckets and tourist galleons are overshadowed by gin places and Mediterranean cruise ships.  The Club de Mar is where many of these pleasure boats moor - a captivating sight for anyone drawn to the romance of the sea but spare a moment to look across the bay at Palma cathedral.

Passeig Maritim - though bordered by a busy road, this waterside promenade allows walkers to progess peacefully round the harbour.  There is also a 3 mile cycle track which runs alongside.  The remains of five windmills dominate the skyline and on the horizon you can see the imposing silhouette of Castell de Bellver.  Across the road rise the mighty bastions that once protected Palma but now contains the contemporary arts museum.

Port Pesquer - Lines of vivid blue nets strung along the quayside mark the entrance to Palma's fishing port, where fishermen paint boats and mend nets.

Passeig de Sagrera.  Lined with tall palms, this pedestrian avenue is flanked by historic buildings recalling Palma's maritime past.  An ancient gate to the port, Porta Vella del Moll has been reconstructed to the left of the 15th century La Llotja where our walk ended.  Do pop inside and try to imagine the merchants of 500 years ago haggling over silk, spices and silver.  Next door is the galleried Consulat del Mar, built in the 17th century as a court to resolve trading disputes (thoughts of Brexit).  Decorated with flags and cannons, it is now used by the Balearic Islands' government.

Tapas territory - As evening began to roll in we sniffed out the Calle Apuntadores, (walk up Calle San Joan opposite and then turn right).  This area is lined with tapas bars and we chose Le Cueva  and eeny-meeny-miney-mo-ed our way through the menu.  Three tapas between the two of us was plenty.  Afterwards we popped in to Abaco on the corner.  A famed Baroque-style cocktail bar, situated in an elegant town house in Palma's historic quarter, it is a mix of Gothic splendour, kitsch décor and outrageous opulence.  A spectacular entrance hall bursting with 18th century antique furniture, flower displays, portraits and candelabras weeping wax, has you wondering if Miss Havisham from Great Expectations - or perhaps King Louis XV - will pop up at any moment.  Apparently at 11.30 p.m. on Fridays, spiralling rose petals descend from above to musical accompaniment for precisely 3 mins and 44 seconds.  Unfortunately, we missed seeing this - too late for us OAPs.   Essentially a bar and expensive but well worth it.  The main bar area is actually the old courtyard and would have been the stables.  Perfect for pre-dinner drinks or somewhere to sit after supper.  Opens at 8 pm.

So with full bellies we walked back to our car and our thoughts turned to the next day.

Day Two:-

As it was Wednesday at 10 a.m. we drove to Andratx town proper as it is market day -lots of the streets are closed off to make way for countless trestle tables and stalls.  Talk about an all-out assault on the senses.  You could buy anything and everything from hams and fruit to designer handbags (fake, of course) thro' to clothes, saucepans and shoes.

  After all this shopping we drove five minutes down the road to the chic, yacht-filled marina that is Port Andratx and stopped for a coffee.

From Port Andratx we then took the PM103 down to Sant Elm.  This little-known spot boasts a dinky sandy beach and is backed by a handful of restaurants that do a mean line in paella.  The Hostel Dragonera had been recommended and we were not disappointed.  The views and food were very good.  Throw in a gelateria or two from down the road and you've got all the ingredients needed for a lazy afternoon in the sun.

Day Three:-

A dose of culture today by way of Bellver Castle.  It's tucked away in the west of Palma on a pine-cloaked hill on Carrer Camilo Jose Cela.  Talk about well looked after - it's hard to believe this fort has been standing proud for 700 odd years.  It's main claim to fame?  It holds the title as Spain's one and only circular castle.  Plus it serves up stellar views of Palma Bay.

For lunch we ate at Meson Ca'n Pedro in Genova.  Real value for money.  Virtually all Spanish diners, which says it all.  Noisy, busy restaurant in the hills.  A little off the beaten track.  Book and ask for a table on the terrace.  Casual place, go with the flow.

Day Four:-

Castell d'Alaro.  Walk to a ruined castle with spectacular views.

Nervous drivers should not even think about tackling the 10 km hairpin road to Orient from Bunyola.
(Don't miss the turning to Orient in the centre of Bunyola - sign is on left hand side of wall).  There is a much easier approach from Alaro but those who make it to this village are rewarded with a marvellous sight - one of Mallorca's tiniest hamlets nestling among olive trees at the foot of Puig d'Alfabia.  Park close to the L'Hermitage hotel and then follow a small path opposite L'Hermitage hotel, signposed to Alaro Castle.  The walk takes about 1 1/2 hours and is stunningly beautiful and the views from Alaro Castle magnificent.

Then on the descent where paths converge go down to Es Verger restaurant for roast lamb to die for.  Es Verger is famous for one thing, paletilla de cordero, shoulder of lamb to you and me, which is marinated in mild spices.  The meat is spoon tender with that unmistakeable flavour that only cooking for three hours in a wood-fired oven can give.  Es Verger is open every day of the year, and closes at 8 pm and doesn't take reservations.  Extremely rustic.

Back in the car, we then headed towards Soller.  Instead of taking the express toll tunnel that cuts through the Tramuntana mountains, we opted for the more picturesque route up and over the rocky summit.  And really glad we did.  Granted, the hairpin bends were a bit hairy at times, but the views out across the meadows and olive groves were fabulous.  Plus, we saved a few euros in the process.  We then headed west driving along the zigzag-y Ma-10 road to Deia.  All terracotta rooftops and cobblestone streets, this coastal town high in the hills is ridiculously pretty.  My recommendation?  Head up to the church that stands guard over the higgledy-piggledy houses for some wow-factor sea views. We then drove along the coastal road all the way down to Andratx and home.  A pretty exhausting day but that said, the views of the Mediterranean did make it worthwhile.

Day five:-

Lunch at our favourite restaurant.  Hotel Villa Italia, perched on the side of the hill overlooking Port d'Andratx and the Sierra de Tramontana.  Three course set menu at lunchtime 29 Euros includes a glass of wine, bread, olives, vat and a generous three course meal.  Perfect location, excellent food and wonderful service.  Sublime.

Day six:-

The sun is out so it's a day by the pool with a good book.

Awesome Moana birthday party

What a wonderful birthday party Emmie had at RockReef  Bournemouth yesterday.

Such a fab place for the children to burn off some energy.

The children climbed a variety of walls and the competitive nature certainly came out.

It looks surprisingly hard work and it was great to watch their confidence grow as the time passed.

Great healthy fun and adventure with lots of exciting climbing challenges.

They also loved THE CAVE!!

Emmie and her friends had a fantastic time.  The experience was both fun and challenging.  Some of the children had never done anything like it before and they loved it.

And the view from the restaurant next door where they had pizza and ice cream is AMAZING, even on a rainy day such as yesterday.

And Emmie was heard to say after blowing out the candles on her stunning Moana birthday cake (made by Gemma, of course).

"The best birthday party I've ever had!".

Thank you Te Ka for an excellent party.  Shame we couldn't continue the fun and games at the Moana Beach Hut but sadly the rain stopped play so it was all back to Emmie's home where even the weather couldn't put a dampener on things as shenanigans ensued, libations were consumed and a good time was had by all.

Easter fun, fun, fun

The grandchildren came to stay with us at the start of the Easter holidays which was a lovely treat so we took them to Jake's, just walking distance from us.  It was absolutely fantastic.  Right from the off we felt at ease and were happy to let them engage in all the wonderful activities on offer.  Of course, being able to be outside at this time of year was an extra special bonus as the weekend's weather was truly a springtime heatwave.  With brilliant sunshine on Sunday temperatures climbed to 25 C - a record for April 9.  Even more impressive, it was the UK's highest temperature recorded this early in the year.

This has helped make a memorable spring - flowers blooming, trees breaking into leaf and heaps of blossom sparkling in the sunshine.  As Shakespeare put it in Sonnet 98:  "When proud-pied April dress'd in all his trim/Hath put a spirit of youth in everything".  Even sat in the garden with the sun umbrella up and had a bar-be-que.

The weekend's hot spell was only brief, though.  Monday came down with a bump.  Temperatures returned to something more typical of April.  As an old saying warns, "Till April's dead, change not a thread", meaning, don't pack away your warm clothes quite yet.  It makes good sense because April is a transition month between winter and summer, often making for some wild swings in weather. 

Apart from the unusually mild weather so far this month, another striking feature is how dry it has been.  There has hardly been a drop of rain and the ground is drying out fast in the warm sunshine.  And with the trees unfolding their new leave, they will soon start drawing up huge amounts of water from the ground, drying out the soil even more.

With the ground so dry though we decided it was ideal for a picnic, so packed the blanket and the grandchildren and headed to Mottsifont.  They really enjoyed the informative Easter egg hunt - just the right size for little legs - and also the Easter activities in the Stables.

                                                   Jamie loved building the bug hotel.

Whilst looking at the Pet Cemetary in the grounds Grandad spotted the "real" Easter bunny.  We then wandered by the Test river looking for and seeing the Trout.  Great excitement when seen.  Really enjoyed our first picnic of the year and as children are allowed free run on the well kept lawns they had such fun.  Can't beat rolling down hills.

On Good Friday Emmie invited me to watch Beauty and the Beast with her.  After admiring her beautiful Easter decorations we headed off  to the cinema.

I really enjoyed it.  Ian McKellen's take on Cogsworth is a treat and Emma Thompson is the singing teapot you never knew you wanted and whilst Ewan McGregor's French accent may stretch things a little as Lumiere, he's hard to resist.  Gaston and LeFou are an excellent double act.  Emma Watson is a fine Belle and Dan Steven's Beast has the scary edges knocked off early BUT the Wolves are much meaner, uglier and hungrier.  They are SUPER TERRIFYING this time.  Maybe, it's the way Disney brought them to life, but regardless, they seem vicious and ruthless.  They also pop up multiple times; they terrorise Maurice before they try to attack Belle.  There's also a nasty ringleader who has a scar and a backstory that we never get.  Oh well, thank goodness Emmie was holding my hand.  I loved the Disney original but this film also worked for me.  A full on, lavish, theatrical musical, a tale as old as time. Thank you for inviting me Emmie.   And after all this excitement we headed to Branksome Beach for a glass of wine and fish and chips followed by a lovely walk along the coast.

On Saturday the whole family headed to Kingston Lacy (except poor Alun who unfortunately had to work) for another Easter egg hunt. The grounds are full of great places to explore, climb and play. A great day out for everyone.  Lots of exercise and fresh air with a chocolate rabbit to end the day - gets no better than that.  We then wandered through the beautiful grounds, vistas and gardens which whilst immaculate are also very family friendly and relaxed.  Stopped at a great picnic spot too.

                                                    Learning to tell the time.

                                                 How many does it take to hug a tree = 10

Caroline invited us over for the perfect Easter lunch on Sunday.  Easter is the festival that puts lamb and fresh greens on the table which Caroline cooked beautifully.  Followed by a delicious frozen berry yogurt for dessert. Yummy. So lucky to have a daughter who is such a good cook.  The apprentice is now the Master.

Excellent.  We had such a lovely Easter relaxing with the family, good food and fun.  Thank you.