I love Mallorca and I decide to explore more of the island than I have done previously. Said and done I plan a route that take me to different areas, from small authentic villages in the mountains to popular costal areas where the tourist flock. I plan to stay in private homes as I always do. I book a flight, a car and set out in the height of the summer.

 My first stop is in Esporles, a small but beautiful old village with honey coloured houses nestled in the Tramuntana mountains. Here I have my own room at the top of an old town house and I have a private roof terrace with this amazing view.

In the morning the locals meet and chat outside the local shop. This shop hasn’t got any signs or displays outside, so arriving the previous evening there was no trace whatsoever that there is a shop here. It looked like an ordinary house like all the others. No garish signs are in your face when you enter either. Just nice food on display. Plain and simple. I find this very refreshing.

Esporles has a shady square where you find most of the restaurants and cafes.

Esporles by night. Same square in the evening illuminated and full of diners. Looks very inviting doesn’t it? Es Brollador is my tip here.

Walking back home past the church with only the moon to accompany me. Magical.

It’s July and it’s hot in the daytime. Time to go to the beach! Living in the mountains means that you have to go all the way down them to get to the sea. MANY hairpin bends later down a very narrow road with much hooting at each curve I found this gem of a beach. The upside of this very scary descent is that there are few other people here. Bliss!

Day two I visit Valldemossa, a pretty village known mostly for a monastery where Frédéric Chopin stayed with his beloved George Sand in the winter of 1838. At the time Chopin was ill with tuberculosis and the mountain air was considered good for his lungs. But it rained for most of the time and the dampness in the monastery made things worse, and was the beginning of the decline of his heath. He managed to compose the Raindrop prelude here so some good came of it. Still it’s hard to envision this as a cold, damp and dreary place on this hot summer day.

Nowadays the place is swamped with tourists, but it’s still a very sweet town when you manage to get away from the crowds so you can see it properly.

Taking a short break at a cafe people watching the people watchers.

Well the next day I did it again, even though I swore I would never go down terrifying narrow hairpin roads ever again. But the road leading down to Port de Valldemossa is at least wider if only marginally but I successfully descended the mountain and enjoy another late afternoon at the beach. Getting nicely into vacay mode.

To get to the next stop on my road trip I have to whizz to the southeast side of Mallorca. Here in this quiet part of Cala Ferrera, I’m staying in small but nice modern apartment close to the sea. This apartment block is like a little oasis in the otherwise busy holiday resort. One of many on this stretch of coast. There are beautiful calas or coves on the rocky coastline with small beaches and the pines grow close by. This is the lovely view I have from my balcony. The late afternoon sun shines on the pine trees and makes them look like sculptures.

I spend a few days here listening to the sounds of the sea, the wind in the pine trees, the bird singing and the doves cooing. My landlord tells me that research has proven that the heartbeat and pulse slows down when you are close to the sea. I don’t know about that but I do know is that when I get here I suddenly feel extremely tired and just want to unplug from the world. And what a great place to do it in. Listen! Isn’t it relaxing?

I’m also very pleased to be able to walk just a few steps down to the cliffs and jump into the sea. No car rides or hairpin roads required here! The water is blissfully and wonderfully warm.

One of the few excursions I go on is to nearby Portopetro. It’s a nice little fishing village with a very relaxed atmosphere. The restaurants look out onto the small port with the fishing boats and all of them have fresh fish on the menu.

Here I have a humble salad with grilled sardines at Restaurante Portopetro. The perfect lunch!

I also go to the small town of Santaní, but here I get a minor chock as it’s jam packed with Germans. I mean literary everyone spoke German around me and to me. As it’s also market day even more people are here and the whole experience is overwhelming.

After a brief lunch I flee to the nearby little village of Ses Salines. The quietness and slow pace here is somewhat a relief.

It’s fun snooping around small quirky shops like this one I found.

These green doors and windows seam to be a prominent feature on the island.

After a stroll around the village I have a tea and cake in a cool place, Cassai Gran Café & Restaurant. These Mallorquin court yards are so lovely and it’s nice to sit here for a bit in i the shade.

Next I’m going to stay in Alaró. Follow me there!

Copyright and photo: Anita Martinez Beijer