A mini-break holiday in Mallorca (Majorca) is easy from Heathrow Airport in London.This mini-break holiday took place in early June. As Mallorca is a summer tourist vacation destination, flight and room prices will vary based on seasonal rates.
Piecing a 2-day mini-break for people working different schedules coming from different places in London will always be a challenge. What time can you depart? How quickly can everyone get to Heathrow? What flights go out of Heathrow to beach destinations under two hours of flight time?
After dedicating much research to desirable destinations that fit the criteria and didn’t break the bank, this June, we settled on a concise break to Palma in Majorca. The flight time from London to Palma 2.25 hours. We then had an additional 40 minute drive from the airport to the harbour village of Portals Nous.
Mallorca, or Majorca is the largest of the Spanish Balearic Islands, located off of the
Spanish coast in the Mediterranean Sea. It has a Mediterranean climate with mild, wet winters and hot, bright, dry summers. Palma is the capital.
We arrived at the Portals Hill Boutique during a fierce thunderstorm that seemed poised to disrupt our weekend. However, it passed relatively swiftly, giving way to a gentle, warm evening sun.
Nestled on the hillside of Puerto Portals, the Portals Hill Boutique is just a ten-minute stroll away from the prestigious blue-flagged Portals Nous beach. The renowned port is close to the beach, a favourite destination for a global yachting clientele. It features an impressive 639 moorings, adorned with designer boutiques, gourmet restaurants, cosy cafes, and vibrant social hotspots.
On that evening, the Portals Hill Boutique hosted an art exhibition for Mona Mooleo
.
The hotel was teeming with elegantly attired guests,
with abundant drinks and delectable canapés.
While there was no necessity to venture beyond the hotel's confines, as it marked the first of our two nights in Palma, we decided to take a brief stroll to the port for an evening meal.
The concierge recommended the Santina Harbour Club, which seems, according to their website, to be suitable for brunch but was open for dinner. I do remember having a watermelon salad, which is, on reflection, rather brunchy.
Our itinerary for our first full day in Mallorca was all about poolside ambience. The hotel boasts more than 30 suites, including two opulent penthouse suites, one of which is elegantly furnished by Fendi. The reception area is situated on the hotel's ground floor, where guests can descend a splendid spiral staircase leading to the Pool Bar & Lounge and, further beyond, to the outdoor pool.
The poolside area may be perceived as somewhat limited when accommodating all the hotel guests with pool loungers. Nonetheless, table and chair arrangements are available, as well as cabanas for rent. Furthermore, they have a designated "quiet space" situated a bit farther from the pool, complete with extra loungers.
Eventually, an unsuspecting family of German children vacated their loungers, and we late-comers quickly snapped them up and enjoyed them for the rest of the day. Although they returned eventually and grumbled a bit, we ultimately did them a favour as the loungers were directly behind an elderly thruple that canoodled for most of the day, a show not suitable for small children.
That evening, we returned to the port for dinner, but found it difficult without reservations. Always make reservations, especially on weekends.
We were finally seated at a place called Wellies, unfortunately right next to the elderly thruple that we had been observing for the whole day. Always make dinner reservations! More power to the thruple, but we didn’t need to share.
On our final day in Mallorca, the poolside atmosphere seemed less lively as our thruple had checked out. Regardless, with our evening flight ahead, we once more dedicated the entire day to our original purpose: lounging by the pool and savouring the sunshine and enjoying the DJ. The hotel thoughtfully offers a changing and shower facility, where we freshened up before our flight.
We had a perfect mini-beach break, though admittedly, we never made it to the beach. The Portals Boutique Hotel is a beautiful hotel with great service, a nice pool, good food, and if you are as lucky as we were, free risqué entertainment. The hotel also has restaurants, a shop and a spa and also organises yacht experiences.
My friend, Beth went to the same area a fews days later but put more effort into her trip that we did. Following are what energetic people can do in Palma, Mallorca:
Palma Cathedral is a Gothic style Roman Catholic cathedral built during the reign ofJaime II of Majorca At 44 metres, The cathedral has the second highest nave of all Gothic cathedrals. Make time to visit the cobbled alleys behind the cathedral, too narrow for cars.
Palma's Old Town is a maze of medieval streets steeped in history and culture. Here you will find galleries and museums along with great shopping and top restaurants. Visitors to Palma, before the airport was built, arrived by ferry or boat at the harbour in the neighbourhood of La Lonja. Calle Apuntadores is a main artery, pulsating with bars and open-late restaurants.
Castell Bellver is a royal fortress, summer residence and once a prison. Built in the 14th century, the castle offers panoramic views over the city of Palma and the surrounding pine forests. It is one of the few circular castles in Europe and central courtyard hosts summertime classical concerts under the stars.
Cycle, skate or walk down the promenade from Palma to Portitxol and Es Molinar. This promenade has a total length of 16km, and connects the city to the bay. Dotting along the path are fisherman-style houses and beautiful views of sea and sky.
If you are so into tennis that you will forego a day of sunbathing for it, you might want to check out the Rafa Nadal Musuem. Here you will find tennis rackets that he may have used, along with outfits from different tournaments over the years. There are interactive games and restaurants, and also a gym, training facility and a spa onsite.
You can do all these things, or you can just lay by the pool, order lunch from the bar, and enjoy sitting very still for hours on end. Heaven!
