We awoke to the best weather of the whole holiday with endless blue skies and hot sunshine. Perfect! Keith opened his presents in the garden and was very pleased with the tee-shirts the children had bought him (Sophie chose another from the Cafe Espanyol). I had suggested going back to the spider restaurant for a celebratory breakfast, i.e. Restaurant Llenaire (the children used to be entranced by a fake spider hanging from a branch of a tree next to the seating area), but I knew it had changed hands and was now called Swing! Hmmm!
We all piled into the car and found the road that runs behind the resort of Puerto Pollensa. It used to be that you could drive towards Alcudia along the front but it has now been pedestrianised and you can only drive towards the port during certain hours.
The new road is very slick and brought us out in the area called Llenaire. We went right at first and found ourselves too far out of the port so we turned around and headed back, finding a convenient parking space along the way. Swing and another restaurant, Siurell, are on the corner and I had thought that Swing opened at 9am (according to Google anyway). There were some men doing dangerous things with drills and electrical cables so my heart sank as it didn't look open.
We walked up to the entrance and even though the opening times were chalked on the wall as 10.30am, a member of staff said they weren't open until 11am. The best laid plans! We had no choice but to walk on and find somewhere else which wasn't a problem as the weather was gorgeous and the views were stunning.
Eventually we came across a cafe called La Maina which was serving breakfast and I'm sure we ate here years ago, when Sophie was suffering from a bad ear infection. Why didn't I write a blog back then?!
We took a table and had a good look at the menu, three of us ordering the full English while Sophie defected and chose the German breakfast instead. The breakfast came with tea or coffee, orange juice and all the usual suspects. My only gripe was the sausage which tasted cheap and nasty!
A steady stream of people walked past all heading towards the beach or into the port and it was lovely to sit and soak up the sunshine while we ate.
The plan had been to walk around the marina and look at the boats but it was very hot and none of us had hats or sunscreen on. We reluctantly walked back to the car gazing at the stupendous views. I had forgotten how beautiful it was here!
As it was our last full day we decided to make the most of the weather and go back to the house to sit around the pool and relax. All too soon we would be back at home and three of us would be returning to work.
On the way we called into the Eroski on the edge of town to get some water and a snack for the afternoon. We parked in the underground car park and spent a very pleasant hour examining all the different things to buy. I adore supermarkets abroad - the smell is intoxicating and I could spend hours looking at everything. Unfortunately, we didn't have a lot of room in the case so I was unable to take any wine home with me, which was a real shame. Perhaps if we visit again, we'll drive and I can fill the boot with wine!
Back at the house there wasn't a parking space outside so we dropped off the children with the shopping and found a space in a car park near a school. It meant that tomorrow morning, we'd have to go and collect the car to load it up with the luggage. I suppose we could have waited until a space became available and then collected the car, but knowing our luck it would have disappeared when we returned!
I made a half hearted attempt at packing but the lure of the sun was too much and I spent the afternoon outside with everyone else. Mike amused himself by asking me to throw some of the loose tiles around the pool into the water so he could retrieve them!
All too soon, the time came to tidy up the outside terrace and pack as tomorrow morning we were setting off at 7am. We managed to get a lot of clothes into the two hand luggage bags but there was still a lot to go in our big case.
Birthday meal
This evening we walked up to the square and Sophie and I made a reservation at Q11 (or Onze) for 7.45pm. We decided to celebrate and visit Jimmy's Cocktail Bar this evening as it was Keith's birthday but when we arrived we found it closed. What a disappointment! We went instead to the Monkey Bar and Sophie ordered an Aperol Spritz while I chose Campari and 7UP, something I used to drink every evening. When her drink arrived she took one sip and spat it out, saying it was too bitter. I think she had been given Campari, because when mine arrived the drinks looked and tasted identical. It meant that I ended up with two glasses!
The couple on the next table decided to join our conversation and agreed with Sophie about how bitter the drink can be!
After our drinks we strolled the short distance to Q11 and were shown to our table on the edge of the seating area. The place was very busy and we were glad we'd booked! The building where it's situated used to be run down and scruffy but it has been turned into a very smart dining place indeed, with an upstairs seating area and a wine shop next door.
I ordered a bottle of white for Sophie and I to share called Quibia which was delicious. I love it when the waiter brings an ice-bucket to put the wine in - little things but it all adds to the lovely experience!
We chose starters from the tapas menu - goats cheese on crusty bread for me, pa amb oli with ham for Keith, an octopus dish for Mike and corn polenta with ham on bread for Sophie. Unfortunately, as we were eating our starters we were attacked by mosquitoes and Sophie estimates she was bitten at least ten times, mainly on her legs. The staff were very good in handing out repellents and citronella candles, but it was a horrible thought that the little buggers were so aggressive. All of us have been bitten on the holiday with Mike suffering swollen hands as a result.
Thankfully they seemed to disappear as the evening wore on but I knew we'd have a legacy of them in the days to come. Our main courses arrived and Sophie had chosen the vegetable risotto with a parmesan crisp while the rest of us went for the suckling pig. It didn't look like a big portion, but when you cut into it the meat trebled in size! It was delicious!
 |
| Sophie's vegetable risotto |
Three of us found room for dessert while Keith had an Irish coffee. Sophie and I enjoyed panna cotta with a red berry coulis (too much acidic fruit for my liking) while Mike had chocolate cake. We'd ordered another bottle of the wine as it was delicious and Mike was drinking that rather than the beer.
Although we'd planned on going to the new Ca'n Costa, Fogoneu (it was closed but very pricey) we had a fantastic last meal and it was a great celebration for Keith's birthday. The bill came to 206 euros, the most expensive of the holiday but that was mainly down to the two bottles of wine we ordered (25 euros each) and also I suspect, a premium in prices for being in the square.
We strolled home and noticed that our street was much darker than usual. We could hardly see the way!
 |
| Birthday boy with new tee-shirt! |
No comments:
Post a Comment