We’re sitting at anchor in Cala de Santa Ponsa on the south eastern tip of Mallorca and we’ve just had a fabulous week in Palma, the capital. We booked into the Marina, initially for a few days in order to get some work done on the boat, but extended our time there, partly to get jobs done but also because it’s such a great place to stay.
RCNP marina is one of several but is closest to the old town and the quirky ‘boho’ Santa Catalina district. We arrived after an 11 hour sail in 33 degrees and were overjoyed to find a 25m outdoor pool next to the showers. Bliss! Not wishing to wander far that evening we ate at the Marina restaurant, the upstairs of a rather marvellous marble and teak club house filled with trophies that felt just like an old gentleman’s club. Nonetheless the food-tapas followed by lobster risotto-was delicious and the view over the marina to the city wonderful.
Our stay started so well and continued better. Fernando, marine gas and refrigeration expert, fixed our custom built fridge so it now keeps cool without draining all our batteries, and found the solution for our gas cooker (our gas bottles can’t be refilled in Europe so we’ve had to switch to camping gas) that allows us to use both types of bottles and keep the safety solenoid in place. He was so amazing and helpful – thankyou again Fernando! We managed to replace our leaky hose, buy a fan to use on shore power as it’s so hot and buy ridiculously expensive fuel for the fuel cell generator.
Only one glitch – Jono moved my bike whilst parked ashore so it was no longer propped against anything. The first I knew about this was when I heard a loud crash and looked over from the deck to see only one bike. Where was mine? Yes, at the bottom of the sea! Plumb line confirmed a 3.5m depth and by duct taping 2 long mooring hooks together he was just able to hook a wheel. Phew! No real harm done apart from riding a very squelchy saddle for a few days.
With important jobs done we spent the rest of the week enjoying the city. Early morning runs along the bay, early evening swims, sights such as the magnificent cathedral, wandering lovely narrow streets with beautiful ancient stone or Art Deco buildings, stopping for tapas and sangria, and eating at some of the fantastic restaurants. Anna and Alex, who we worked with in Plymouth, are en route from Cartagena to Sicily and came ashore for a very boozy, chatty lunch. Great fun – I think I can remember some of the tips they gave us!
We finished our stay in Palma with a truly touristy day out, taking the old Victorian wooden train from Palma to Soller, a lovely town set amongst the northern mountains. The route took us through the arrid centre studded with olive trees. The train used to carry citrus fruit to the city and as we descended towards Soller the slopes were lush with orange and lemon groves. The town itself is a vibrant tourist resort with beautiful buildings, interesting shops and galleries, bars, restaurants and street entertainers.
We then took the equally antique wooden tram from Soller town to the beautiful Port de Soller where we enjoyed another fantastic seafood lunch. Mallorca definitely gets the ‘thumbs up’ – we even stumbled across many of the spots where the “Mallorca Files” is filmed.
