| Mallorca has long attracted the
rich and famous. To the northwest, white beaches and olive
trees adorn the jagged Sierra de Tramontana. To the east,
expansive beaches sink into calm bays, while to the southeast,
caves mask underground treasure. Inland, towns retain their
unique culture where windmills drawing water has been sacrificed
to developers, even the most jaded travellers sigh at the
expanses of sea, sand and rock that sprawl across much of
the island.
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Palma’s streets can be a dizzying,
yet thoroughly satisfying experience. Wander through
the expansive maze of twisting lanes in the old quarter
and you forget that you are on an island. After a
visit to the various department and designer stores
near Plaça de España, it becomes hard
to imagine that the city was once a devotional retreat
for Fernando and Isabel. Head to the beach, and you
suddenly feel as though you´re no longer in
Spain given the abundance of German and British tourists
sunbathing on the white major urban center, Palma
still retains a genuinely local flavour.
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Palma´s many ethnic restaurants are
paradise for those sick of tapas. Pricy but popular outdoor
restaurants fill Plaça Mayor and Plaça Llotja,
but budget eaters head to the side streets off Passeig del
Born, to the cheap digs along Avinguda Joan Miró,
or to the pizzerias along Passeig Maritim. Make sure to
try the ensaimadas (pastries smothered in powdered sugar)
and the sopa mallorquina (a pizza-like snack of stewed vegetables
over brown bread).
Mallorca is a huge
island, and many of the best beaches are a haul from
Palma. Still, several picturesque stretches of sand
are accessible by city bus. The beach at El Arenal
11km to the southeast is the prime stomping ground
of Mallorca´s most sunburnt German tourists.
The waterfront area is full of German signs for restaurants,
bars, and hotels – think Frankfurt and Mediterranean.
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