Recommendations for Mallorca? Both dining and generally.
Is Soller better or Palma?
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You canât really compare Palma to Soller. The former is a fairly large city, whilst the latter is a small town (with the nearby Port de Soller being a small tourist resort).
We often visit the island. My brother in law and his son originate from Soller. We have stayed in the area although now much prefer to stay in the Port de Pollensa area on the northern coast.
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I will follow along here because I am considering a week in Mallorca next March, prior to my stay outside Vejer. (Open tany ideas about spending one week in a place with good connections to either Jerez (preferable) or Sevilla (doable)
I did a lot of reading and for me, at least, Palma and Soller seemed most interesting, although I am hesitating about Soller because from videos I watched, it appears mobbed with tourists and is a fairly small town with not so many tempting restaurants concentrating on Mallorcan cuisine⊠Now, I could be very wrong, but to me, Palma seemed FAR more interesting than Soller. I think there are two good food markets in Palma.
Am I very wrong about this, Harters?
Would it be a mistake to stay in Palma and maybe take a day trip to Soller, rather than having two basesâone in Palma and one in Soller? (Iâd be alone, and trip would be end of February/first week in March; car rental is possible but not desired.
I do see that prices in Mallorca are very high as compared to many places on the mainland.
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Youâre absolutely right, IMO. As I mentioned, the Port is a tourist resort and folk will take the short tram ride into Soller town. Tourist numbers are added to by those arriving on the train from Palma. It used to be the main way locals would travel to the islandâs capital but is now much more a tourist attraction. I do the quality of restaurants in the Port have improved in recent years as the resort has tried to move upmarket but Iâve no recent personal experience.
If it was me, wanting to get out and about to see the island for the first time, I would stay in Palma. Get the train to Soller one day (itâs a lovely trip over the mountain). Use the local bus service to get elsewhere, if you donât want to hire a car.
erica1,
I can assure you that the dining in SĂłller is perfectly fine.
Granted, there arenât the many Repsol sunned or Michelin starred restaurants there as there are in Palma or the wonderful Maca de Castro in Port dâ AlcĂșdia, but we enjoyed our meals in our 5 days there, both in SĂłller and Port de SĂłller.
We enjoyed Canâ Boqueta, Caân Pintxo, only open in the evening for small plates, and our very favorite was the inside courtyard of Luna 36, our best meal.
Our hosts sent us to Port SĂłller for lovely small plates dining at EL Sabor (very nicely pricedâwe went twice at night and extremely popular). There is also BĂ©ns dâAvall on the highway to DĂšia, which would require a taxi (2 Repsol sun but 15 minuntes outside of town.)
Again, as I mentioned in that other travel forum, there is the lovely town of SĂłller, and via an ancient tram the other resort-like seaside beach town of Port SĂłller. During the high season, yes, there are many, many visitors based in Palma who take the vintage train ( not tram) to SĂłller for a day trip. I left a link for you on Fodorâs explaining the difference between the Palma to SĂłller train and the SĂłller to Port de SĂłller tram.
The issue you may have is that you plan to go very off season; thus, youâll need to check the restaurantsâ operational hours. These may or not be open. We went in early June.
Yes, in Palma we toured both markets and dined (lunch in each) at locally famous market counters (think Madridâs Casa Dani) but also dined in 2 Repsol sunned restaurants within hotels:
Zaranda in the Hotel Es Princep and Dins Santi Taura in the Hotel el Llorenç Parc de la Mar (1 Michelin star, 2 Repsol suns). Many of the finest, as in expensive, luxury dining spots are found within the 5-star hotels.
We also loved the Canary Islandsâ themed LaVieja de Jonay
HernĂĄndez, whose chef hails from Tenerife (we dined there twice).
But just be aware that in Palma youâll find many, many fusion restaurants and âinternational cuisineâ menus, given the international clientele. (example: the excellent Tokio a Lima, Mar de Nudos or Fera).
And we had the famous ensaimadas at Caân Joan de Sâ Aigo, the classic, along with Forn Sant Francesc.
And thereâ the very bohemian Bar Flexas, another institution.
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I did a trip to Mallorca a few years ago, in peak summer time so August. We stayed in Soller for two weeks - at a beautiful finca (finca câas sant) around 15 minutes walk to Sollerâs city centre. We had a rental car so could drive anywhere.
Soller town: small, some good restaurants, not crowded by evening time. We never really stayed there during the day. We would either go to Soller beach or take day trips around the surrounding mountain villages. Beautiful area, driving along the coast line seeing the sea.
Soller beach/Port: 5-10 minutes away by car from Soller town. Beautiful beach, good restaurants. Crowded during the day but still a relaxed vibe. We had dinner here many nights as well as itâs just a great place to walk around and enjoy life.
Palma: we stayed here two days. Some very good restaurants but I found two days enough. Many tourists including some younger party people. Note that from Soller the distance to Palma by car is very short, around 20 minutes.
If I were to go to this area again, and in summer time, Iâd do one week Soller town again (same finca) and one week Soller beach. And then drive to Palma a few evenings.
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We loved staying at THE SALVIA in the heart of SĂłller but as I mentioned on Fodorâs this was in June, not February. And as I mentioned there are many lovely finca hotels around there, but you need to check each oneâs opening months and it would be wise to inquire about the feasibility of visiting the town in late February or early March.
A visit from June to August may be completely different
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Are these two locations worth it? Or were there more local spots that seemed to excel?
I am generally very skeptical of touristic hotel restaurants
Do you recall the specific market counter restaurants you dined at in Palma?
We were there on business and needed to experience the 2 hotels and their dining, but on our own dime we enjoyed these 2 casual spots:
La VIeja de Jonay Hernåndez, with its Canary island cuisine and Maleva Mallorca, serving grilled meats and empanadas, Argentinian style. Both are off the square, Plaça de Raimundo Clar.
But again, so many restaurants in Palma serve fusion cuisine.
Iâll be back to you regarding the market standsâŠ
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We loved strolling through the Mercado del Olivar and we ate at Los Maños.
At the Mercado de Santa Catalina, the place to nosh is Bar Can Frau, which reminded me of a Casa Dani in the Mercado de la Paz or a Quim in the BoquerĂa. They have an Instagram page.
www.mercatsesantacatalina.com
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Thank you @Maribel ill be sure to bookmark and report back.
@Harters do you have any specific recommendations for either soller or Palma in terms of dining? Sounds like you go often!
Donât miss Lluna 36 on the street of the same name just below the art museum, at Carrer de sa Lluna. Itâs delightful!
www.luna36.es
For seafood in Port de SĂłller, you have Es Canyis.
www.escanyis.es
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Unfortunately not. As I mentioned upthread, for the last 15 years or so weâve stayed in the Pollensa area so Iâm very out of date with Palma or Soller restaurants. I donât like Soller as a âfly and flopâ resort
Gosh. Is it still going? When we first visited some 45 years back, it was regarded as the Portâs âbestâ restaurant, serving a mix of Mallorcan and French dishes (catering to the French tourists who made a sizeable portion of the total in those days)
SĂłller isnât a resort. Itâs one of the most atmospheric, picturesque, charming towns to my eyes, in the Serra de Tramuntana (along with DĂšia and Fornalutx and very, very tourist - filled in season, Valdemossa), with cobblestone streets and former fruit merchantsâ mansions and reminds me somewhat of a provençal town. There was considerable trading during its heyday in fruits, oranges and lemons with Provence. The Salvia, where we stayed, is a former fruit merchantâs mansion. The town has an excellent art museum, Can Prunera, and a beautiful church, EsglĂ©sia de Sant Bartomeu, whose façade is the work of a disciple of GaudĂ. It also has a small museum in the train station woth works of Picasso and MirĂł.
Market day is Saturday, which takes uo the entire central square.
The beachside resort is Port de SĂłller, linked to SĂłller via the wooden tram.
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Indeed so. As I mentioned in my initial contribution to the thread.
FWIW, my BiLâ's father used to manage the family farm which grew citrus fruit and olives. Back in the day, it was a profitable trade but gradually ceased to be, and youâd often see fruit just left to rot. Thanks to the local co-operative and the âFet a Sollerâ brand, thereâs become something of a renaissance in local products. The father also used to run a beach bar, attached to the Mar Bel Hotel, which was also owned by the extended family. Itâs where the BiL met his future wife.
By the by, anyone interested in reading about the culinary history of the island should get a copy of âBread & Oilâ by Tomas Graves (son of poet Robert). Itâs a lovely read, originally published in the Mallorcan dialect of Catalan as âPa amb Oliâ
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Yes, agree, and Sollerâs beach is gorgeous as well. Getting cocktails from the roadside bars barefoot and strolling back to your place on the beach is one of lifeâs big joys.
I visited Luna 36 as well. Liked it a lot. It was a recommendation from our finca. Which I think is also good advice for seeking out restaurants in this area: just ask informed locals. Restaurants change over time, chefs come and go, and whatâs good now may not be good next year. Our finca also offered some great food by the way, in a lovely courtyard setting. As always âgreatâ means different things to different people, and also I will judge it differently based on context. I wouldnât seek out high end Michelin type restaurants here, but more local, simpler restaurants.
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Damiano, Iâm happy to read that you stayed at Caâs Sant and that you liked it AND that the finca is only 15 minutes walk from Soller town. Yes, I would want to look for more local, simpler restaurants but itâs good to know that I could have dinner at CAâS SANT if I did not want to walk into townâŠ
I watched a few videos on YouTube last weekend and, from those, got the idea that Soller town was really overrun by foreign tourists. BUT. the video was filmed in summer time⊠(Iâve never used videos before to plan a trip but I am really uninformed about the island, except for the ample info Iâve received here from Maribel and you all)
My own trip would not take place until next year, so I have time to ponder.
My other options might be (5-7 days) Malaga (most convenient for me); and anywhere that has a good train or air link to Jerez. (If I decided upon Malaga, I could drive to Vejer from thereâŠprobably take an overnight along the way (FINCA CORTESIN??? Meal at LOS MARINOS JOSE??) even though for most people it would be an easy straight shot to Vejer.
To put the Rama Lama in the Ding Dong (forgive me) I might even figure out how to connect my iPhone to the car so I could listen to music along the drive and, therefore, might be able to take a 2-plus-hour drive. Without the music, itâs such drudgery⊠Iâm always way behind the estimated arrival time on the GPS.
OkâŠback to MallorcaâŠsorry for the detour.
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My BFF, the madrina at our wedding, who is a luxury travel concierge to VERY high wealth individuals, whose names she canât reveal, knows the Finca CortesĂn extremely well, as she used to stay there once a month, while being a â house managerâ for an equestrian estate there, whose owner will remain nameless here. She loves it, especially the spa, the dining and the beach club. Itâs widely considered the best country house hotel in Spain and has hosted many celebrities, including Nobel literature winner Vargas Llosa (who died this week) and celebrities galore. Itâs on the par, luxury level wise, with the AbadĂa Retuerta, that we both know.
Weâre headed in May to Los Marinos JosĂš for lunch with her while staying at a friendâs condo in Estepona.
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