Saturday, August
18th
After a very easy
check-in and passage through Security, we enjoyed a hearty breakfast in
Wetherspoons, which is now becoming a tradition in our family before we fly.
The flight was
unexceptional, but it just made me glad we’d booked with Air Berlin again – they really are a great
airline to fly with and we arrived just before 2.30pm. The difference between Palma and Stansted was
huge – grey overcast skies in the UK and hot sunny weather in Mallorca!
Although we expected
it, the queue for the car hire passed quickly and by 4pm, we were negotiating the road out of Palma, the stunning view
of the mountains to our left a welcome diversion from the road ahead.
Trouble finding the villa
– very frustrating but when we did find it, absolutely brilliant and
everything we could wish for. Narrow road and a very tight bend to get to it,
though, which will test our driving skills over the next few weeks!
Before the meal – Café
Espanyol – where else? Lovely atmosphere in the square, lots of old women
gossiping. Michael made friends and Sophie took him to see some of the shops.
L’Aup was very busy
(we hadn’t booked), Keith was not happy with his suckling pig, but I enjoyed my
lamb stuffed with dates. Clientele mainly Brits and some big parties. “Kenny
Rogers” singing. Desserts of black and white choc mousse and fruit/ice cream.
No wine, just drinks. Children had chicken fillet and spaghetti Bolognese.
Bread, butter and pate were enough to miss starters. Bill: 87 euros.
Late night dip and
then a good sleep in the air-conditioned rooms.
Sunday, August 19th
An early wake-up and
the kids in the pool first thing. Then a trip into PP to get diesel and
breakfast at Restaurant Llenaire, which was lovely. Fantastic views over the bay in
the sunshine.
An essential stop-off
at the brand new SYP and then back to the villa for swimming and sunbathing.
Ahhh!
After an afternoon of
swimming and sunbathing (although the dark clouds prevented it slightly), we
went off to Cala San Vicente to buy rubber rings and lilos. The kids trekked
off to the shop while Keith and I sat in the Bar Mallorca relaxing. They came back with
most of the contents of the shop and we then had to fit them into the car!
Back at the villa, the
children had a brilliant time jumping in with their new toys while I
photographed lots of beautiful plants in the garden, in particular gorgeous
cacti and vines.
We met the owners of
the villa – Pedro and his wife Maria – maybe I was wrong about those characters
in the books!!! They were lovely and have a large area of land at the back of
the villa where they grow vegetables and keep a pig and some hens. Whilst
hanging some washing out I met some more neighbours – a herd of goats who are
tethered (hobbled?) in the most barbaric way. One even had a wooden board
fitted over his horns. The poor things gobbled up some biscuits and cake and I
longed to rescue them.
The clouds were
growing darker as we drove towards Pollensa in the evening and I wondered
whether we would have a thunderstorm. In the square, locals dominated… lots of
groups of old women sitting chattering. We found a table at the top of the
square and admired the view while Michael went off to play with some friends
he’d made the previous evening. Another English couple sat down next to us and
we laughed over their little boy who kept running off. A lovely atmosphere as
always. Keith found a new bar specialising in beers – he tried one of 11%!
Storm clouds gathered
as we sat, and Sophie and I went to reserve a table at Bar Nou, somewhere I’ve
always wanted to try. We booked a table for 8.30 in the narrow street running
along the outside of the restaurant. It was busy with people eating under huge
cream umbrellas.
Our meal was lovely –
starters of mixed salad, chicken wings and garlic bread followed by chicken
breast (succulent and moist) and a huge rabbit for Keith. Michael had spaghetti
from the specials board.
Main meals were served
with broccoli, boiled potatoes and delicious grilled asparagus. My chicken
breast was simply grilled and tasted delicious. A nice glass of white wine.
Bill for food and
drinks (no wine) came to 80 euros. Nice setting despite the neon lights of the
bank opposite, but I had a view of the church walls. Friendly attentive service.
Bread, pickles and olives as an appetiser.
Monday, August 20th
It was a cloudy morning so Keith decided to teach me
how to play pool. I have to confess, I wasn’t very good!
The cloudy weather
continued for most of the day, with some heavy rain in the afternoon, but it
was still warm enough for the children to enjoy the pool and we sat talking and
watching them play during the morning.
Lunch was a relaxed
affair sitting under the vine terrace and then I had a brief chat with the
goats afterwards. Their smell makes me yearn for warm goat's cheese on crusty
bread with ripe tomatoes!
We drove into PP early
for ice cream at café L’Algar and watched the square wake up. It seemed very
quiet to me with only the odd holidaymaker arriving for an early drink. The
waiter went out of his way to avoid us, but we eventually got what we wanted –
large ice-creams for the kids and drinks for us
As it neared 7pm and our meeting with Tony and
Margaret, the square became a lot busier with a lot of people heading for
Dakota Tex Mex and Bony’s. I realised I don’t really like the square much at
all and prefer Pollensa square – there are more locals and a lot fewer gimmicks.
We all arrived at the
Bar Cultural together and sat and chatted for over an hour watching as a convoy
of vans turned up to disgorge a load of tat for a sort of mini market which
seems to take place every night now. Perhaps they’ve moved off the Pine Walk?
The unanimous decision
was to eat at Maxim’s and Tony and I walked over to get a table. It was busy
with people eating and drinking and we were lucky to get a large table. The
meal was OK – I was only able to sample my main course of lamb shoulder as we
didn’t have starters or dessert and I have to say I was still hungry when we
left to go back to the villa. However, it was delicious and well cooked and the
bread and olives went down very well. The meal was accompanied by a bottle of
the house Rose, but it wasn’t the meal I had envisaged as Keith and I don’t
tend to stint while we are on holiday. But eating with another couple is always
tricky unless you know them really well. We had a good chat and watched
everyone wander about in the square examining the various stalls of tat. Sophie
went off and bought herself an ankle bracelet and a necklace while Michael
spent the entire evening playing with some boys.
The evening ended with
a very nice glass of Mont Ferrutx on the terrace!
Tuesday, August 21st
We awoke to a loud
thunderstorm and torrential rain…we hoped it would clear the air so getting up we
made a coffee and watched GMTV.
The thunder didn’t
last long and by 8.30am the
sky was clear and blue but still windy, so we drove into PP for breakfast at
Mollie’s Café, calling into the British Food Shop on the way to pick up some
British beer and baked beans.
Breakfast was
plentiful and friendly and we staggered off to SYP in PP to stock up on the
essentials before spending the afternoon back at the villa, sunbathing and
enjoying the pool.
In the evening we
decided to eat at Ca’n Costa but before our meal, we had a drink at the new bar
in town – La Birreria which specialised in lots of different beers from Germany,
Belgium
and France.
Keith ordered me an 11% beer which I sipped slowly!
Wednesday, August 22nd
Another loud thunderstorm woke me this morning, but this time the rain
didn’t let up by breakfast and it was a steady downpour which showed no sign of
stopping. We had breakfast and then decided to go out for a ride in the car
along the coast in the hope of finding some sun.
By the time we’d reached Alcudia we could see the clouds lifting in the
distance – they were still firmly over the mountain tops but there were a lot of
blue skies. We drove back to the villa via PP and SYP and then had lunch on the
terrace – pizza for the children and cheese and crusty bread for Keith and me.
The afternoon was sunny with an interesting sky and the BBQ went ahead as
planned. We cooked chicken, burgers and sausages, but the BBQ wasn’t that hot
so we finished the meat in the oven while I kept an eye on the potatoes.
After the meal, Keith and the kids settled down to watch the football (England
v Germany)
and I went to bed to read.
Thursday, August 23rd
A brilliantly sunny day so we spent most of it by and in the pool. It
was especially nice to sit at one end and dangle our feet in the water while
sipping a cold beer. The maid arrived mid-morning to change the beds and towels
and give the villa a quick clean.
After she went we had lunch (pizza, chicken rolls) and then watched Neighbours!
We can’t get enough of it and it’s become a daily ritual to sit down and have a
break from the sun (if it’s out!).
It clouded over slightly in the afternoon but we still managed to get
some swimming and sunbathing in before going into PP at 4.30pm. First stop was the British Food Store
again, where Keith stocked up on beer and baked beans and then we went off to
Café L’Algar for drinks and ice-creams. It was a warm late afternoon and we
headed back to the villa to change and then go into Pollensa for a drink. I
called into El Molino to book a table and we parked just over the road before
meandering up to the square for a drink at the Café Espanyol.
The waiter’s mother made an appearance and she was a lively character!
She took out her guitar and started an impromptu jamming session, much to the
embarrassment of her son! It was another lovely evening and again the
atmosphere was wonderful. I don’t know why we go anywhere else!
At 7.45 we walked down to El Molino for our table on the very small terrace…
Friday, August 24th
I awoke late to another grey and drizzly day, so after breakfast, we
drove into PP to change some money before the weekend. It started raining and
as we’d parked at the far end of the marina, we were caught out by a thunderstorm
and had to run for cover outside Stay.
We were there for a good half hour before it relented, and then we
wandered along the front looking for a watch strap for Sophie. The children
were in need of ice cream so we stopped at Gran Café 1919 and treated
ourselves to one, whilst watching the rain fall again. Everyone looked fed up
with the rain and I felt sorry for families with young children. At least we
have the villa and lots of entertainment to keep us amused.
Before returning to the car, we studied the menu at La Llonja and then
drove into CSV to see if Trotters Bar was advertising the football on Sunday.
It started raining heavily and we got caught behind a bus for ages.
Back at the villa, I got soaked running to open the gate and it thundered
all around us… hmm!
We spent the afternoon holed up in the villa – thankfully we had more
than enough to keep us busy and in the evening drove into PP for a drink at the
Daina Hotel. It was very breezy as we sat on the promenade watching people walk
past.
Dinner at O Lume.
Saturday, August 25th
It was another cloudy day so we decided to go into Pollensa and have a walk
around the town. I particularly wanted to find the Roman Bridge
that had eluded me for so long. We walked up the flight of Calvari steps, and it was hard work in the
humidity. At the top was a small bar so we had a welcome beer and ice cream before walking down on the road.
Following the signs, we came at last to the ancient Roman bridge and the
tangled mass of an olive tree next to it, which looked as old as time itself. By now we were all sweating profusely in the heat so we stopped off for
a drink at the Café Espanyol and then went back to the villa, calling in at
Ensenat for bread on the way.
We enjoyed a lazy afternoon with a delicious lunch of goat’s cheese and tomatoes
followed by a couple of bottles of Cava and a snooze in the sun. The pool was
very welcome in the heat.
Dinner in the evening was at Eu Centro in Pollensa - see notes.
After the disappointing meal, we called in at the Bar Juma for ice cream and a drink to round off the evening.
Sunday, August 26th
Today was very hot, humid and oppressive, but we had to visit the Pollensa
Market as always. We managed to park on the outskirts of the town and walked in
via the second market square which was full of stalls selling clothes and
fabrics.
Keith and Michael went off to buy knights, while Soph and I meandered
around the stalls looking at jewellery and crafts. We met up at the bottom of
the steps and had a quick beer before deciding to have brunch at La Font del
Gall.
Excerpt from PP forum review:
I'd normally make do with a pastry and a cup of coffee at the Cafe Espanyol on market day in Pollensa, but this year we decided to have a treat and eat brunch at La Font del Gall.
We'd missed breakfast completely, so after wandering around the stalls of the market on a very hot Sunday morning, it was a lovely relief to sink into one of the chairs at La Font del Gall and let them make us brunch.
We had a lovely meal - hubby and I went for the full works which included haggis, egg, potato scone, toast, bacon, tomato and Scottish sausage. The children had sausage and bacon baguettes. The food was beautifully cooked and served by a friendly waiter and it was a real delight to sit and watch people wandering by enjoying the market day in the old town.
I have a feeling we'll be doing it again next year!
It was very pleasant sitting in the street watching people go by, and
Sophie bought a beautiful Indian cotton skirt.
After a quick dip in the pool at the villa, we drove into PP so Keith
could watch the football at Mulligan’s Bar. I took the children to Café Caramba
where we logged onto the internet and checked emails. I posted a message about
the sign in Pollensa square.
After making sure I had no important emails (!) we went to Café L’Algar
for ice cream and then wandered along the promenade in the heat. We managed
to watch the last 20 minutes of the match amongst the shouting crowd in
Mulligans. Not a place I’d like to return to!
It was with heartfelt relief that we got back to the villa and plunged
into the pool! How wonderful it felt to be cool!
In the evening we decided to go to Stay so after parking the car we
booked a table and then made our way to Bony’s for a drink. It was busy as
usual and I looked around for Bonyslad but there was no sign. It would have
been nice to swap eating stories.
Monday, August 27th
We were at SYP early this morning to stock up on essentials and then we
stayed at the villa all day, swimming and sunbathing. It was very, very hot so
we decided to BBQ in the evening and not move from the villa at all.
The evening was very pleasant – watching the sun sink behind the
mountains was beautiful and Keith and I sat on the terrace with a bottle of
wine in the cool of the evening. Perfect!
Tuesday, August 28th
Another lazy day spent around the pool – it was really too hot to do
anything else, and the experience of baking on the sunbed and then getting cool
in the pool is hard to beat.
In the evening we tried to book a table at Siller but every time we went
past it was closed. We had a quick drink at Suttons and Sophie bought a new
watch strap. It was fearsomely hot – 31 degrees at 6pm.
Dinner tonight was at Tiberi.
Wednesday, August 29th
Yet another scorcher and we spent the morning by the pool, but at
lunchtime decided to drive off to La Victoria,
a restaurant situated on the headland overlooking the bay. The road leading to
the restaurant was very winding and had few barriers! My heart was in my mouth
as I was driving!
We had a lovely lunch and the children enjoyed playing with
the various cats that wandered around. It was very quiet… almost as if everyone
was subdued by the amazing view.
The drive back down wasn’t as bad as I feared despite meeting a couple
of cars. Back at the villa we spent the rest of the afternoon swimming and
sunbathing.
Dinner in the evening at L’Aup
Thursday, August 30th
Today we took the boat over to Formentor. It was quite overcast, but
still warm and we had a lovely ride over to the other side of the bay with
great views of the coastline.
We spent an hour at Formentor in the café, watching people arrive for a
day at the beach and just enjoying the views.
Back at PP, we drove to Cala San Vicente and had lunch at Trotters. Not
my ideal choice but the food was good and the staff friendly. We got back just in time to see Neighbours and then relaxed all
afternoon.
Dinner in the evening at Ca’l Lloro – an overcast evening with a few drops
of rain.
Friday, August 31st
Ventured into PP for shopping (Keith bought me a beautiful Lladro piece)
and picked up some pizza slices and cakes at a bakery.
Back to the villa for our last day of sunbathing and relaxing. It was a beautiful warm sunny day.
Dinner in the evening at Ca’n Costa and our last night in the square. I
bought some wine at Ensenat.
Saturday, September 1st
Breakfast at Mollie’s:
Excerpt from PP review:
It's become a tradition for us to have breakfast out on our last day and for the second year running we went to Mollie's Bar.
They do a fabulous cooked breakfast of sausage, bacon, fried bread, egg, tomatoes and beans, accompanied by toast and fruit juice.
The staff are always friendly and the place is usually busy with tables set out on the street so you can watch the world go by.
We went twice during the holiday for a treat and it was well worth it.
They also have an extensive menu of British favourites for the time you want a taste of home!
After breakfast, we took a slow drive to Porto Petro via the Costa
de Los Pinos. A couple of drinks at a café after blundering around a hotel
grounds!
Lunch at Porto Petro and then the drive to the airport.
A lovely holiday, full of fun, laughter, good food and drinks!
