Soller to Puerto de Alcudia, Mallorca…..from the mountains to the sea & beaches

May 28th, 2024

Another lovely day (yup sunny and pleasantly warm) one which will be quite busy as we are heading to Alcudia on the northern coast of Mallorca however to get there we are taking the bus to the Estacion Intermodal in Palma. Then a bus to the airport where we are picking up our car which we will keep for the balance of the trip….hopefully, all will go well.

Since we know exactly where to get the bus it is a rather uneventful journey back to Palma, then a 5-minute walk to the EMT bus stop to take the express bus to the airport (about 18 minutes) where our car “awaits”. We are a bit wary of how the car pick-up will go as there are many stories of less-than-stellar car rental experiences in Mallorca.

The Click Rent folk are well organized and there is some upselling nonsense regarding insurance coverage. Although we had purchased full coverage through Discovery Cars (an aggregator) the Click folk explained in the event of a claim we would have to go through Discovery to get our $$$ back as a damage deposit would be taken by Click and in the event of a small accident the police do not come nor provide a report….herein lies the hook >> how do you determine who is right and who is lying ??? After some debate, the agent canceled the previous transaction and rewrote the deal cutting out Discovery albeit for a few bucks more but providing full coverage…another reason why we just love renting cars (not).

What would a visit to Europe be without shopping at a Carrefour, this is one bigass store with crazy selection, only 6 minutes from the airport…

…we will have a kitchen at our next stop so it is time to stock up on a variety of items. Some of the prices here are shockingly cheap compared to our grocery chains which of course would never think of gouging us. Our destination, the town of Port d’Alcudia is only 45 minutes by car so we arrive at the Bonavida Apartments by about 14:00. The place is spotless, the welcome process simple and pleasant and the apartment while rather sparse is quite functional. Most importantly it has a great view of the beach!!!

We are here for 5 nights the goal being  to do some exploring but also to lax out.  After exploring our digs we are quite happy …time to celebrate a successful day!

 May 29th, 2024

A lovely morning sunny and a forecast temperature of 24C…breakfast is on the balcony with views of the ocean….a pretty nice start to the day. Playa d’Alcúdia is a long, white sandy beach stretching for nearly 7 km bordering the Bay of Alcudia with a walkway between the apartments, condos etc. and the beach. There are quite a few entry points from the street and  this beautiful beach has something for everyone. Family friendly, clear shallow water, kayak, SUP, jet ski etc. rentals. and loungers as well as shower/toilet facilities placed strategically . The loungers/palapas are rented by the municipality at reasonable daily rates (10 EUR) ….there are small supermarkets every few blocks and if you are short on water toys, don’t worry there is no shortage of those either..

 

Today was a laid back day, so beach time, some walking on the beach and all round relaxing with cocktails on the balcony in the late afternoon…so much so that we were not inclined to walk into the Port where there are numerous restaurant choices. We took a chance on the Everest Steak House & Pizzeria which was a mere 3 minute walk …

..and sometimes you luck out >> unpretentious but tasty home style food with good service > 2 meals, 2 large beers = 47 Cad!!

 

May 30th, 2024

Another gorgeous morning we have a quick breakfast and drive to explore the Cap de Formentor …

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…..we have read horrible accounts of traffic congestion on this 33km road to the Far de Formentor (lighthouse ) located at the end of the “cap” peninsula. As one can imagine this is very twisty, narrow road with rather modest guardrails between you and the abyss. A further complication is that in addition to the cars and buses there are hordes of cyclists. This has led the authorities to close the road to all but cyclists and shuttles from June -September. Today is almost the last day we can drive to the lighthouse and with those dire warnings we start the drive by 8:00, interestingly there are virtually no cars to bother us. At the Mirador de Es Colomer we are there with only one or two other parties to take in the awesome views….

 

…and so it went, all the way to the lighthouse, a very pretty drive with great views and I envied the cyclists who were challenging themselves on this route..

A word about cycling in Mallorca and especially in Alcudia > I have never seen so many bike shops with so much high-end equipment for sale or rent. In fact I stopped in a shop and talked to the owner who explained it is a growth industry with great riding radiating from around the town (most roads in the town & villages) have dedicated bike lanes….hundreds upon hundreds of riders, club rides, individuals, families,  you name it. Our hotel even has dedicated “garages” for the bikes and bike stands if one needs to work on his/her bike.

On the way back we took another side road to see the Talaia de Albercutx (watchtower) built at the end of the 16th century. It was one of the main surveillance points in the area to alert the population about incursions by pirates and corsairs. Today there are only ruins of this tower but the views of Cap Formentor and the Bay of Alcudia are impressive…while there we saw a Search & Rescue aircraft make multiple sweeping turns over the ocean …whether this was in response to an emergency (there was some smoke on the water) or simply a training exercise we never did learn…

We were so efficient in our sightseeing venture we decided to stop in at the Alcudia Old Town before returning to our lodgings. Under King Jaume II of Mallorca, the imposing city wall with its crenelated towers was completed in 1362. Parts of it, such as the city gates Porta de Mallorca and Porta del Moll are still preserved today. Narrow streets wind through the city center of Alcúdia >>> lots of pretty shops, restos and the like…

The port and town, as many in Mallorca, are separated as in the 16th century pirates were frequent in the Mediterranean area. They were coming from the north area of Africa and they were sacking the villages close to the coast taking with them money, food and people who were sold as slaves in Africa. As such, towns were fortified and people lived with those making a living from the sea “commuting” between the port and town particularly when an attack was imminent..

A very pleasant old town where we enjoyed some refreshments before retuning, time flies when you are having fun…Home in time for a short siesta before heading into to the port for dinner, about a 20minute walk along the beach. The Bistro Mar was recommended by the Bonavida manager + Tripadvisor had good things to say…it’s been a great day and expectations are high !! Located in the Marina with an outlook on the boats, we snare a good table order a bottle of white and take in the vibe. It has been a while since I have had a paella > I opt for the Arroz Negro Squid Ink Paella while Annie has the Spaghetti with Mixed Seafood….both were outstanding and the paella portion was humongous…but I did manage to leave nary a bite.

 A lovely dinner as we waddle back along the beach enjoying the slowly setting sun …