Mallorca, Spain
Winter getaways are essential when you live in the United Kingdom, and when I say winter getaways, I mean getting away from the winter, so wipe that confused look off your face. After spending 5 months in the winters of Scotland, my partner and I decided we were due for some sun, and, better yet, we were approaching a big milestone of 10 years together, so, of course, we had to go somewhere the sun generally shines year-round: Spain. But we always like to travel somewhere new, so a month out from when we travelled, we decided on Mallorca, one of the many Balearic Islands off the coast of Spain.
I just want to preface, travelling anywhere from the Isle of Coll (where I live) is always going to incur some extra costs; so here they are, we flew to Mallorca on the 17th March but left on the 16th, and we took a ferry to Oban, which arrived around 3:30 pm-ish, and then the next train to Glasgow wasn’t until 6:30 pm, by the time we got to Glasgow it was 9:30-ish, no flight is leaving that late, so we have to pitch ourselves up in a hotel for the night. However, barring those extra costs, we (2-people) managed to swindle return flights (one-way from Glasgow/return to Edinburgh) and 3 nights’ accommodation for £280, which I think is pretty good when booking a month out.
Anyway, let’s talk about Mallorca.
When researching Mallorca, I found Magaluf as the most popular area among British people, as it is the main area for nightlife (surprise surprise), but one thing my girlfriend said was that she wanted to be on the beach in the sun, so I found the best beaches in Mallorca were all over the island but two areas that stood out were Playa de Muro (where we ended up staying) and Alcudia, which are situated on the north-eastern part of Mallorca. However, the airport was right at the bottom of the island, so we had to catch two buses to get to Playa de Muro. Fortunately, the bus only cost 7 euros each, compared to a 90 euro Uber, I’d say we chose right. If you don’t mind waiting an hour and a bit on a bus, then I would highly recommend this; otherwise, rent a car, which is pretty affordable and highly recommended if you’re staying for longer and want to explore more of the island.
Playa de Muro, though, it’s hard to judge cause we travelled in low season, a lot of holiday homes and beach resorts were getting ready for the summer, but there’s something about travelling to a beautiful holiday destination that is not flooded with tourists, don’t get me wrong, it’s weird, we talked with a local man in Alcudia who owned a shop on what would be a popular strip of shops during summer, he mentioned around March, April they mostly get a lot of Dutch and German cyclists, which make sense as there was a big bicycle race in Mallorca recently. On the whole, Playa de Muro and Alcudia are beautiful areas, and we would 100% come back. Palma is nice, but when you’re on an island, it’s nice to be in an area where it feels like that. Palma is a city, and that made me feel less like I was on holiday. Palma is the main centre of Mallorca, close to where the airport is.
Our short time in Mallorca was amazing, relaxation and holidays don’t always need to be every day going out and doing something new, but can be best enjoyed simple. Like sitting on the beach in the sun, having a drink, doing nothing. Enjoying the fact that you’re sitting on a beach in the sun, while it is winter time at home. Something I’ve found when travelling in Europe is that some of the best days I’ve had are just doing nothing in a city/country I’m visiting for the first time, taking in my surroundings. Needless to say, Mallorca, I will be back and probably when the beach clubs are popping.
