I had thought, for ease and convenience, that it would be a good idea to have a rental car delivered to the hotel. It seemed quite decadent, to be honest, but it was a plan that backfired on me!
When Keith and I pulled back the curtains of our room this morning, we were astonished to see a market setting up! And a market with a lot of vans now parked on all the surrounding streets... only I could have organised a car to be delivered, and then have nowhere to park the damn thing!
After breakfast, we went back up to our room to stand on the balcony, and we soon spotted the Hiper rental car driver with his colourful yellow shirt. He left the car a little distance from the hotel and we met him in reception. He took payment from me, and 70 euros for a full tank of petrol. To get it back we had to return the car full.
He then accompanied me over to the car, showed me how to actually start it and that was that! A black Renault Clio was all mine! He said I needed to move the car quickly otherwise the police would be along with all sorts of punishments, so I messaged Sophie asking her to come down as soon as she could. I thought the car was smaller than we'd ordered and I had been hoping for a Skoda Octavia estate that we'd had before.
The rental man went off to chat to someone in the market but he kept looking over at me and said again that I needed to move it. Rather than ignore him I foolishly decided to look for a parking space elsewhere, so off I went. However, in the area around the hotel, there was nothing, and I had to contend with cars parked on both sides of the narrow streets. I must have done about five laps of the hotel and surrounding roads when Sophie told me to park it back where it originally was, as everyone was ready to check out.
Luckily, Zain came with me and he managed to get all of the suitcases into the boot, as well as our coats, so that was a huge relief. Within ten minutes we were driving out of Palma and onto the motorway towards Pollenca, a half-hour's drive away.
It was a beautiful morning with not a cloud in the sky. The mountains to our left looked gorgeous in the sunlight, and I was looking forward to going back to a place Keith and I loved. We were soon turning off the motorway and travelling down the long road that leads to Pollenca and Puerto Pollenca. On each side of the road were thick woods and little lanes leading to villas or farmhouses. When we came to the golf club, I knew we were very near!
Our hotel for the next few days was the Hotel Son Sant Jordi, and we were hoping it would be a bit more luxurious than the Hotel Balear we had just left! It's situated not far from the main square in Pollenca but has no parking. We arrived, and we were able to offload all of our luggage outside the hotel. Sophie and Zain went to check in while Keith and I managed to park the car a little distance away on the street.
The hotel was an interesting choice for us because we had eaten in their restaurant back in 2008 and the meal had been a disaster. We were hoping that maybe the owners had changed since then, but first impressions were very good.
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| The Hotel Son Sant Jordi |
The woman in charge checked us in and took us to our rooms through the beautiful gardens. They have a pool but it wasn't open (and I doubt I would have gone in anyway...brrr!). Our room, called Las Aguilas (the eagles), had two windows overlooking the gardens and the mountains beyond.
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| View from our window |
We soon got our bearings and remembered that one of our favourite all-time restaurants, Ca'n Costa, was a short walk away. This was near the cockerel fountain square, which in turn led to the main square, overlooked by an imposing church.
The last time we visited, Ca'n Costa had been called Fogoneu, but now it looked like that had closed down as well and was maybe a private house? I envied the owner if that was the case! We had heard that La Font del Gall was open so we called in and made a dinner reservation for tonight, for the four of us. We were very much looking forward to going back and dining there again.
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| A lovely new shop next to La Font del Gall - sells wine! |
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| Keith in his favourite place! |
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| Ca'n Moixet - House of the little cat |
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| The streets of Pollenca are pretty perfect to me! |
We roamed around the town and discovered that the small shops and bars at the bottom of the Calvari steps were closed, which was a shame as this was my favourite part. It still has the same views over to the Puig de Maria, but the service was always better than at Cafe Espanyol (Ca'n Moixet).
Eventually, we ended up at the main square to find even Ca'n Moixet closed. There was a notice on the door saying that they were closed but it looked like it was only on a Tuesday, so that was a relief! Next door was a restaurant called U Placa, and as they were the only bar and restaurant open, they were doing a roaring trade!
We spotted Sophie and Zain at a table and went to join them, but we got the feeling they really wanted to be on their own to soak up the romantic atmosphere! We had a quick beer and then left to visit Puerto Pollenca as I wanted to see the sea in the sunshine.
On the beach
Keith and I drove to Puerto Pollenca and parked in the town. Again, it seemed very quiet with some roadworks going on near the front. Our first view of the sea and the wide bay was spectacular, especially as it was so sunny.
I have never seen Puerto Pollenca so quiet, though! There was hardly anyone about at all, and most of the seafront bars and restaurants were shut. It looked like a lot of the hotels were closed as well. I went in search of sunglasses but couldn't find any supermarkets, so we gave up and had an unscheduled drink at a bar called (I think) Tecun on one of the alleys leading to the main square. It wasn't my ideal choice as there wasn't much of a view but at least there were people having a drink outside, so it had a nice atmosphere!
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| Main square Puerto Pollenca |
We had heard from the owner of the hotel, that the clinic in Puerto Pollensa was closed and we wouldn't be able to take the lateral flow tests there. The only other place was the hospital in Alcudia, so after our drink, we decided to try and find it and make it easier for tomorrow when we'd have to go.
We took the coast road to Alcudia, which is stunning, passing another good restaurant, Ca'n Cuarassa on the way (it was closed). The views over the bay and mountains were spectacular, especially with the background of cloudless blue skies.
I had put the directions for the hospital into my phone and we found it very easily. It wasn't a large hospital and was situated on what looked like a residential estate. We re-traced our route back and I couldn't help stopping and taking some photos.
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| Our Renault Clio |
Before heading back to Pollenca, we drove to Cala San Vicente in the vain hope that the Bar Mallorca would be open. This is another of our favourite bars with views over the beach and the towering cliffs beyond. I love driving around the road and seeing the small bay open up before us, but we couldn't do that as the road was closed!
We found our way down to Cala Molins through the town and parked in the small car park. The place was deserted except for a couple of people on the beach. One of them, a very brave, or foolhardy, man was attempting to swim in the sea! Brrrr! No thanks! Naturally, the Bar Mallorca was firmly closed, and work was still ongoing on the hotel next door. It had been two years since we visited and not much had changed!
Back in Pollenca, we parked in the scruffy car park on the outskirts of the town and walked the short distance back to the hotel. We sat for a while outside as I really wanted to make the most of the good weather.
Dining at La Font del Gall.
Keith and I showered and changed, and went to have a drink in the square before dinner. The only bar serving drinks was U Placa so we sat there and soaked up the atmosphere. The town was festooned with Christmas decorations, and various festive songs were being transmitted from loudspeakers dotted about the streets. There was a gorgeous smell of woodsmoke in the air and I was utterly entranced by it all. It was just how I imagined Pollenca to be in the winter. The town takes on a mysterious atmosphere at night, with lots of narrow dimly-lit streets radiating out from the centre and I often think about the film, Don't Look Now, and the horrible little dwarf!
We sat and enjoyed our drinks but it did feel quite chilly! There were a couple of heaters dotted about, but the one nearest to us was the wrong way around so we didn't benefit from the warmth!
We had arranged to meet Sophie and Zain at the restaurant, and they were seated when we arrived, after having a short walk to see if any other places were open. Another couple was also in the restaurant so there really had been no need to book, but we wanted to be sure! We took our seats and had a good look at the menu. Sophie and I had talked about sharing a bottle of wine, and we picked out a Mallorcan red wine called A Punt, which we'd had before.
We were given bread and aioli and Sophie and I opted for the mussels in a tomato sauce. Both men had salads to start and for our main courses, we chose duck (Sophie), lamb (me), suckling pig (Keith) and sea bream (Zain).
The man who was waiting on us was very friendly and chatty, and we had a lovely meal. Keith declared his suckling pig as delicious and everything he imagined it would be! Another British family came in, and one other couple, so it was great to have more company. It did feel a bit strange, though, sitting inside with the heating on!
I didn't have a dessert as I was full from the lamb (it beat me!), but Sophie and Zain indulged in puds of lemon meringue pie and creme brulee. I suggested a liqueur but they didn't have any Drambuie, so I ordered Tia Maria for Sophie and me instead. She hated it, and I wasn't keen, to be honest. It had been so long since I'd drunk it, and I think I got it confused with Cointreau!
We were given shots of Limoncello on the house, while Keith had his second whisky. The bill came to 181 euros which we thought wasn't bad considering all the alcohol that was consumed!
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