Mallorca

Majorca

An island with a mild climate, pleasant even in summer with temperatures that rarely exceed 30-32 degrees, a constant and pleasant breeze and cool evenings. The island is heavily exploited by tourism, and even the hidden coves are full of people, with bars and clubs on the beach. Traffic on the island is fairly heavy and getting around with a rental car along the coast isn't very fast. In any case, the less frequented beaches and resorts are on the east coast of the island, while the more urbanized resorts are near Palma. The excursion to Cabo Formentor is pleasant and very scenic.

Sa Coma, Club Royal Mediterraneo

We spent our stay on the island at the Club Royal Mediterraneo, a pleasant complex directly on the beautiful beach of the resort town of Sa Coma, with good value for money. Accommodation is in comfortable apartments with a kitchenette, living room, bedroom and large terrace, ideal for families with children. Half board is served at the "Mediterraneo" buffet restaurant, reachable by crossing the road that divides the complex in two. The food is decent, though with little variety and poor-quality first courses. You can dine on an outdoor terrace overlooking a beautiful pool, one of the 3 in the complex. The beach, reachable via pedestrian paths within the Club, has fine sand equipped with sunbeds and umbrellas (rather expensive), and clear blue sea.

The only flaw is that after a storm, for 3-4 days the sea brought in quite a bit of seaweed in some spots, especially at the shoreline, though it was enough to move a hundred meters or so to find completely clean areas. In the evening there's the classic village entertainment, first for the children accompanied by the mascot, a huge puppet, then with shows often put on by outside artists. Alternatively, a stroll along the busy street of Sa Coma, with many clubs and restaurants, or along the pedestrian path that runs along the sea. Hotel website:

Excursions

Cabo Formentor

With a nice full-day excursion, you can reach the splendid viewpoint of Cabo Formentor (about 50 km from Sa Coma), reachable through the not-recommended tours of the Tour Operators (as usual expensive and chaotic), or better with a rental car (about 25 euros for a small car). One tip is to get there before 11:00, to enjoy in peace the beautiful walk that reaches this rocky promontory overlooking the sea, a peace that inevitably disappears with the arrival of the first organized buses. It's also true, however, that the clearest view is in the afternoon, with the right light. Continuing on the road past Cabo Formentor you can reach a beautiful little beach (Cala Pi), via a very scenic road, following the signs for the luxurious "Formentor" hotel. The beach is long and narrow, surrounded by pine trees, the water is crystal clear.

Since this too is a destination for mass excursions, the same recommendation as before applies. The entrance to the parking lot to reach the beach is paid. To end the day, along the way back, you can briefly stop at Porto Pollensa (a seaside resort with a nice little harbor), and Alcudia, a town not far from the sea, reasonably interesting, with beautiful little squares and typical houses.

Cuevas del Drach, Porto Cristo

The most famous caves of the Balearics, the Dragon Caves, can be reached from Sa Coma by local bus in about 20 minutes to Porto Cristo. Particularly suggestive and very large, with beautiful limestone formations, they can be visited with group tours classified by language, accompanied by "gestapo-style" guides, to strictly check that no filming is done with video cameras (careful, they're hidden in the most unexpected corners). The beautiful Lake Martel is very impressive, in front of which you'll witness a romantic musical show. Admission is paid: €7.50 for adults, children free up to 6 years old.

Palma de Mallorca

The capital of the island, it offers a very beautiful old town with period buildings including the Cathedral, a masterpiece of Gothic art, Bellver Castle and the characteristic village of Valldemosa, residence of famous artists and painters. On the Paseo Maritimo, there's the pedestrian area with large hotels, shops, restaurants and clubs, and the port area where luxurious yachts are moored.