Spain
Birgitta from Sweden has a really cute house in central Soller, where she rents out simple but very tasteful rooms. I was recommended by a friend (it's not an official B&B, they just rent out to friends). Beds are brand new, linen freshly white and the view is quite breathtaking. And there's wireless internet. AND she's the cutest lady you can imagine.
It's on the main shopping street in Soller, c/ Luna 119. Write a nice email to Birgitta at mamasoller@hotmail.com and I'm sure you'll be welcome.
You should book your airport transfer before you arrive in Palma Airport. My reason for suggesting this as a top tip is that upon arrival you are greeted by a welcome desk in the airport and directed to your vehicle. This ensures a hassle free arrival – something to not worry about. The guys we used are www.justtransfers.com/airports/palma.html. After booking you also receive local contact numbers should you need it. The price is really cheap and they cover all tourist resorts on Mallorca.
Es Petit Hotel in Valldemossa is a wonderful family-run hotel in the Tramuntana. With only eight rooms, each one of them different, it provides the best choice for a relaxing break.
Excellent personal treatment, plus amazing home-made Mallorcan food, and breathtaking views.
Son Borguny is a charming small hotel full of character in the village of Banyalbufar.
The two suites have spectacular views of the sea, but all the rooms have been decorated with love and attention to detail.
Penny, the owner, is a warm and helpful hostess.
Banyulbufar, Mallorca. Excellent directions on their website: www.sonborguny.com
A beautiful hotel about 20 - 25 minutes stroll along the coast from the cathedral (and a 5 minute bus ride into town).
Modern but not cold or boring (Scando style).
Lovely sized rooms (enough room for a big bed and sofa). Discreet TV hifi combo, with a free DVD and CD library (good selection too).
Beautiful coastal views (amazing for the sunset).
A good bar, great breakfast, great burgers (on room service - in fact the room service food is better than the main restaurant which was a bit nouvelle).
Wonderful staff, just really super helpful.
Calle sirena, portixol bay
+34 971 27 50 25
www.portixol.com
We booked our trip through Balearic Discovery, a small travel company based on the island. Reliable, knowledgeable and helpful, I’d definitely recommend them if you want to explore some of the quieter corners of the island (they have some great rural hotels from about €55) or pre-arrange activities like horseriding, wine tasting, yoga or deepsea fishing.
Ca Sa Padrina is a small former townhouse with simple rooms. The location is brilliant, on a quiet street right in the centre, and the lack of reception and restaurant keep the prices down (doubles start at €100). Not having breakfast at the hotel isn’t a problem as there are so many good cafes within a few minutes’ walk. It’s a good compromise between budget hostels and the designer hotels like the impressive but slightly scary all-white Puro and starkly minimalist Convent de la Missio.
www.hotelcasapadrina.com
Hotel ca sa padrina
C/Calle Tereses 2 07003 Palma de Mallorca
Tel: 00 34 971 425 300
Fax: 00 34 971 719 708
A family-run hotel located within walking distance of the centre of Soller. Dating back to the Muslim era, its impecable accommodations and facilities surrounded by the magestic old orange farm provide visitors with a welcoming sense of wanting to be there forever. The memories from the friendly service provided by Andres and his wife Ana during my honeymoon in August 2000 remain unchanged.
Calle La Villalonga, 23, 07100, Soller, Mallorca
Tel: 971 63 33 32
www.cascurial.com/en/finca-cas-curial.htm
A beautiful little town on a bay. By far the best place to stay is L'Esplendido hotel which faces the mouth of the bay with the two lighthouses on either side. The hotel is beautifully done up and with lots of interesting spaces so as not to feel too crowded, including two pools on the terraces at the back with the most spectacular view from the infinity pool.
Really experience the chill by taking the tiny tram to Sollier which winds through the village back gardens with the temptation to pick lemons from the trees very high.
Port de Sollier is in the north west of the island nestled on the other side of the amazing mountains. Best way is to drive there (30mins from Palma) and make sure to take the tunnel (small toll).
Village on the north-west side of the island. Drive up from Palma takes 30 minutes (buses every hour). Go down to the fishing port and have lunch in the restaurant there after a dip (beware the jellyfish).
In the evening try Son Moragues - most beautiful restaurant setting I've ever seen. Stay in 'Es Petit Valldemossa' hotel in the heart of the village. In the morning have a coca de patata with a coffee. This is my paradise.
The Juma is a small hotel right on the square at the centre of Pollenca and above one of the local cafes. It is comfortable and the owners, a local family are very helpful and welcoming. So are the bar staff.
Plaça Major, Pollenca, Mallorca.
A lovely hotel in Deia, a small town nestled in the north western mountains of Mallorca (the Tremuntana range). The hotel is situated ideally, the breakfast terrace overlooks the pool and is surrounded by mountains which makes you feel like you're floating.
Deia is a beautiful place, although the presence of two five-star hotels means a lot of restaurants are pricey (although excellent). The tapas bar at the end of the road out of town is fabulous. A walk up the hill from town takes you to the cemetery where Robert Graves is buried. It's a beautiful place with spectacular views. If you need a pinch of reality, take a trip to Palma, for a day of shopping and city stuff, before taking the orange train (wooden narrow guage train, which used to transport oranges) across (and through, literally) the mountains over to Soller - a nearby port, which is quiet and friendly and a million miles from Magaluf, but just a 15 minute taxi drive back to Deia.
About three kilometres from the centre of Palma, this is somewhere to go to be pampered. The service here is exemplary. The staff know how to serve without being servile. The Mallorcan is a different person from his counterpart on the mainland.
It boasts five stars, all of which are well-deserved. Everywhere there is space. Cool and marbled. High ceilings and tumbling water.
Even the lifts are examples of good design with walls and ceiling of black glass. The myriad tiny lights in the ceiling illuminate the interior giving an infinity of images of the occupants, who appear to be floating in a void.
Soft squashy sofas and cool, comfortable chairs are everywhere. On landings, around unexpected corners and always within reach, huge ornate bowls of apples and oranges. The decor is subdued elegance from the wide marble staircases to the large abstract paintings on the walls.
Calle Francisco Vidal Sureda 23E
La Bonanova, Palma 07015
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