Day 1. A week in Palma, Mallorca

On By Little Miss TravellerIn Europe, Mallorca April 2016, Spain

We decided to exchange the chilly Easter weather of northern England for a week on the Mediterranean, staying on the largest of the Balearic Islands, Mallorca.  My husband hasn’t visited Mallorca since he was 13 and following a weekend visit to the island last year with my younger son,  I’m hoping to convince him that it’s now an upscale destination and there is more to the island than just Magaluf and around the clock partying!

We booked flights from Leeds/Bradford airport (LBA) with the low cost airline Jet2 and drove to the airport by car.  LBA is my least favourite of UK regional airports, it lacks airside facilities and is cramped but it’s an easy drive from home and an 11.00 am departure time persuaded us to choose Leeds for this trip.

Palma, Mallorca
Seafront, Palma

Our flight arrived into Palma on time and after a lengthy wait for our luggage we caught the airport bus (No.1) into the city centre.  The journey cost €3 each and took us very near to our hotel along the seafront, taking approximately 25 minutes.  Our hotel for the week was the Melia Palas Atenea overlooking Palma’s large marina.  I’d stayed in a Melia hotel on an earlier visit to Madrid and was impressed so I thought we’d try them again.  The hotel looked unpretentious from the roadside but stepping indoors we were impressed with the large open plan lounge.  Checking in was prompt and efficient and we soon had access to our comfortable and newly refurbished 7th floor room.  A quick look around the hotel and we found the main restaurant and bar on the second floor with panoramic views across the harbour.  Outdoors on the terrace we viewed the outdoor pool but I’m certain I won’t be using it in early April,  but it all looked very attractive.

Palma Marina, Mallorca
Palma Marina

By now it was 4.00 pm so we took a walk across the road alongside the large yacht harbour which stretched as far as the eye could see.  Husband was impressed and beng fond of sailing spent quite some time looking at yachts and daydreaming of owning one of them!  As there are around 3,000 boats moored there, he will have plenty of scope for more daydreaming as the week progresses.  Unfortunately it then started to rain so we couldn’t enjoy drinks out on a terrace but hopefully we’ll make up for this later in the week.

Returning to our hotel we unpacked and freshened up before dinner which we had arranged to have in the hotel restaurant.  Husband had suggested booking half board which we finally opted for, but I was a little concerned in case dinner wasn’t up to our expectations having arranged it for 7 nights!

Dinner, Melia Palas Atenea, Mallorca
Goats Cheese and Pine Nut Starter

After some pre dinner drinks we headed to the large restaurant and managed to secure the last window table.  The a la carte menu was extensive and so we had lots of options to select from. The food arrived beautifully plated and each course was delicious and so I was pleased that I had agreed to eating dinner in the hotel.   The restaurant wasn’t busy yet there were enough tables occupied to create a pleasant,  fine dining atmosphere.  After coffee in the lounge listening to a pianist playing a grand piano we retired to bed after a successful first day of our Easter break.

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46 thoughts on “Day 1. A week in Palma, Mallorca”

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  15. Aah, sounds like an ideal break! And wonderful pictures of the palm trees and the beautiful harbour in sunshine. I’ve never been anywhere in southern Spain, only to the north. Have to go one day 🙂

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  19. I loved Mallorca (and Palma), we visited a few years ago and spent 2 weeks in Pollensa in the north of the island. I had the same reservations as your husband but my view definitely changed. So much to see and do and such a beautiful island if you keep away from those touristy resorts.

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    1. Thanks for commenting. It is much quieter now in early April as its not warm enough for the beach. I think it probably depends where you stay to avoid the partygoers. The capital Palma where we are staying is very nice and there’s no rowdy clubbers here, just expensive yachts!

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