Things to do in Mallorca

Mallorca is a small island in the group of Balearic Islands, located off Spain's coast in the Mediterranean Sea.

Currency is the Euro and prices in the major towns are quite high and certainly comparable with other European capital cities.

Mallorca's large, modern airport is located in the island's capital city, Palma and there is a good road infrastructure.

Tourism and agriculture are key industries for the island. Golf and water sports are extremely popular. The island also has a number of very prestigious ports.

Steak lovers
Among the best steak I have ever tasted, is that served at Meson Son Ferrer, located in Son Ferrer near El Toro. Totally unimposing and nothing more special in appearance than a cafe, it's all about the food. Fresh, high quality beef from an owner who is passionate about his steak. Reasonable prices, no need to book.

Coffee and Cake
Cappuccino is a chain of cafe bars that has grown quickly over the years and now has at least one venue in every major town. Each cafe has a unique character, try San Miguel in Palma for it's wonderful historic setting if you are passing through the old town. The almond cake with almond ice cream is really good!

Cappuccino also own a sushi restaurant in Portals called Tahini, which is good but expensive.

Great Breakfast
Wellies is located in prime position in Puerto Portals with plenty of outside seating for 'people watching'. Service and food are great - it's the perfect choice for brunch before taking a stroll around the port.

Dinner at Wellies is also very good, though more formal.

Eating at Home
There are plenty of supermarkets to choose from as well as smaller privately owned deli's and grocers. I have found the quality of Mercadona to be generally very good. You can now also shop online, great if you want food delivered on arrival rather than having to buy milk before you even unpack!

The meat from AA Dunn, the English Butcher in Avenida del Golf, Santa Ponca (formerly in Portals) is excellent, far better than anything you will find in a supermarket. If you are having a barbecue, don't miss their excellent ribs!

In their incredible hotel, Villa Italia have a small restaurant that overlooks the port at Andratx, the view at sunset is unbeatable and the food is among the best I have tasted anywhere. Prices are high, comparable with a good London restaurant at least.

Abaco is a bar set in an old manor house on Calle Sant Joan in Palma. A little like stepping foot into a period film set, decoration is elaborate - I don't want to give too much away and photography is strictly forbidden, but it really is worth a visit. Enjoy a champagne cocktail, or huge ice cream sundae in the evening on the patio, after having explored!

Escape the towns and visit Deja to experience a quieter few hours in a beautiful setting. Quite 'arty' with it's own history it is well worth devoting a few hours to wondering around before relaxing over lunch in one of the town's restaurants.

Mallorca is a great place for the whole family - most restaurants are very welcoming, not only having high chairs and suitable food readily available, but also in terms of the friendliness of staff.

As well as obvious family venues such as the very good beaches all around the island, it is worth visiting one or two of these venues.

Mini Golf at Palma Nova - Tucked just behind the main road is a huge mini golf course which will prove a great way to occupy a few hours and is suitable for kids from the age of about three. It is pretty well looked after and is built around man-made waterfalls and streams, complete with plenty of ducks!

Marineland - Located in Puerto Portals, Marineland is part of a group with venues throughout Europe and as such, is densely packed with good attractions including of course the dolphin show for which it is best known. It also plays a significant role in animal welfare with an extensive resource devoted to rescue and rehabilitation of sea turtles.

Palma Aquarium - A well equiped and modern attraction, well worth a visit on one of the rarer rainy days! There is plenty to see and again a strong theme of conservation and education runs through the exhibits.

Playgrounds - Residential areas have small playgrounds dotted around, these are normally very well looked after and have modern safe equipment. They are a great place for the kids to socialise with others of their own age for a couple of hours - it always amazes me how the language barrier never stops children from communicating effectively!

Useful Shops & Info
'Toys R Us' have a large store in the Son Fuster centre just outside Palma - useful for last minute presents for the kids, but also with a very good range of items for babies and home safety accessories.

There is a pharmacy located directly opposite the Porto Pi shopping centre in Palma that is always open, 24 hours a day every day, even Christmas Eve!

There are a number of good English speaking doctors in Mallorca. We use Dr Amit in Palma Nova (telephone +34650249952). As well as being a GP, he is also a qualified OBGYN.

For travel toys, wrapped and ready to go, take a look at my wife's website for her new business My Travel Surprise.

I can't end this lens without a mention of Mallorca's capital city, Palma. There is vast information available on the internet and in guide books, but Palma really is a great city and I would suggest allowing for at least a couple of trips at different times of the day.

Experience both the old and new parts of the town. The old town, with its cobbled streets is a mix of contemporary and traditional shops, bars and restaurants opening out onto piazzas and large city streets with famous name retailers.

There are plenty of good car parks as well as good public transport links. Try to find the traditional toy shop in the old town and make time for a coffee or two!

Porto Pi, the shopping mall on the edge of Palma is worth a visit, with a good mix of independent and larger retail shops. If you have time, it is also worth going to the small town of Portixol in Palma - I think this will prove to be an interesting "up and coming" area - property prices here are rising and there are some really great bars and restaurants.

Photographs of Mallorca on this lens are copyright of the author and should not be reproduced without written permission. The map image has been purchased by the author under licence and should not be reproduced. Text and ideas are on a Creative Commons Licence.

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This work by Daniel Mitchell is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-Share Alike 2.0 UK: England & Wales License.