Majorcca- 10 days on a sunny island part2

the last leg of the trek to the top

Back for part2 of my Majorccan holiday!

Castell d'Alero

After 3 days of eating and drinking, we needed to get a little exercise in.  We decided to tackle this baby!  Castell d'Alero perches 800m above sea level, it is one of Majorcca's most popular mountain walks...you can drive a good bit of the way, until you reach a traditional Majorccan restaurant. There, you can park your car and make the rest of the journey by foot.  We soon discovered that there are a few people that like to drive this bit as well...the road is a bit rough, but if you are not feeling the fittest, then take your car t the next 'car park'.  We were feeling pretty good, and thought it was only another 1/2 hour walk to the castle...I really don't now what we were thinking...as the journey was a total of 1 1\2- 2 hours. it was great! But I will say it was 30 degrees that day, thank god I wore a very light sundress!! The summit was well worth every bead of sweat that was dripping down my bust!We had a well deserved coke and a slice of cake at the cafe above.  We learned that they bring supplies by donkey once or twice a week.....

the view from the top!

After a short break, we made the journey back down the mountain.  As you can see from the picture, Majorcca is very mountainous, which is something that I didn't expect..

Once we made it back, we had a lovely lunch at the restaurant where our car was parked. Braised shoulder of lamb, chips and salad with the restaurant's own wine..simple but delicious...

a gorgeous lake, possibly reservoir, in a park that we drove through on our way to Pollença

As we made our way up to the north of the island, we drove through mountain roads with hairpin turns...and cyclists every where!  These Majorccan's love to keep fit..Our next stop was Pollença. A very popular spot with English and German tourists and retiree's.  We were unsuccessful in finding accommodation in the town within our budget, so we moved on to the next village, Acudia.  Found a bargain at 45 a night! Right in the center of this walled town.  That night, we drove back to Pollença, another beautiful walled town.  In fact, it looks like nothing is happening when you first drive in, but when you get to the town square, you feel as if you found a secret party... This place was super buzzy by night, with loads of narrow streets that had cafe's and shops.  We had a beautiful meal that night down a quiet lane with candle lit tables...

the beach at Cala Sant Vinceç

Litre's of sangria at bar Mallorca across from the beach

Now you're probably wondering, where is the seaside resort that I was talking about in part 1 of my Mallorcan holiday...
Well...this is the place we had been looking for...beautiful, not too tourist-y and a local feel.
We stayed at a great 'hostal' Hostal Pino, 64 euro a night including breakfast and our own large room with a shared verandah...the hostal was a few min. walk from the beach, with sea views.  There was even a pool for us to use.
We stayed here for 2 nights, and would have stayed longer if they hadn't been booked out.

Hostal Pino at Cala Sant Vinceç


The food served at Bar Mallorca, was great...fresh salads, seafood and litre pitchers of sangria.
Just a few yards away from the beach...perfect for taking a break from the mid day sun.. :)

We were getting into the last few days of our trip, and decided to keep heading north east.  About an hours drive from Cala Sant Vinceç we stumbled upon a cool village, Arta. Again as we drove through the narrow streets it looked like there wasn't much happening.  Until we hit the main street in the middle of the town.  This was another beauty! To top it off we found a great cafe, Cafe Parisien.
When you walk in, you feel as if you are in Paris...through the light and airy cafe there is a beautiful courtyard with a mature grape vine covered pergola.

The garden at cafe parisien

one of the outdoor menu's at the cafe..

Our bed for the next two nights was the most expensive, 91 a night.  What a lovely spot!
Casal d'Arta. At the top of the town, it was with in perfect walking distance to all of the beautiful shops and cafe in the heart of Arta. For us, this was one of the most luxurious places that we had stayed.
It has a beautiful rooftop garden, a massive german breakfast with fresh espresso.  Classicly decorated with attention to detail.

We stayed here for 2 nights, I would have liked to stay for our last night, but they were full...

The rooftop garden, with views to the castle of the town....

beautiful tiling in the smoking area....

the front of cafe Parisien

It's time for me to head to work....I have one more post to make about this little gem of an island...
for now, I will leave you with a few more pic's in and around Arta....

These lights are on all of the streets in Arta.....

Simple but tasty tapas.....