Excellent Adventures: Majorca with Jackie Beale

Majorca, or Mallorca, is the largest island in the Balearic Islands which are part of Spain. Like other surrounding islands, Majorca is a popular vacation spot for tourists traveling from Germany and the U.K. 

Our friend Jackie recently traveled to Majorca and documented some of her Excellent Adventure to share with us! 

Bather: How did you get there?

Jackie Beale: Getting to Majorca is a worthwhile adventure. It's a flight to Barcelona, a flight to Palma Airport, and then a drive to wherever your road trip begins. All in all, about 20 hours door-to-door.

B: Where did you stay?

J: We took advantage of the fact that Mallorca was so diverse coast-to-coast, and decided to move around a little bit. We spent our first night in Soller, a historic mountain town on the West side of the island. We got a perfect little AirBnb with easy parking that was walking distance to everything, and had a patio facing the mountains. Soller itself really only needs the three days we spent there.

The next place we drove to was the countryside, Finca, recommended by a friend in Arta. 10/10, no question. For our last two nights in Majorca, we stayed in a really inexpensive AirBnb in the hills of Manacor which I wouldn't recommend. It was perfect as a home base, but that's about it.

Don't miss: Cap de Formentor, Cala Romantica, Cala Torta, and Cala Llombards. I could go on forever.

B: Must see and do?

J: We went for the beaches, and that's really what we did. We spent our mornings mapping out our destination, driving, and hiking or walking to whichever places we chose for the day. Majorca is so rewarding if you work for it. Drive a little, hike a little, research a little — don't be lazy. Every journey was worth it.

Cap de Formentor Beach might be the nicest place I've been in my life. The beaches on the West side are rocky and unique to Majorca, whereas on the East side, there are crystal clear waters with sandy bottoms.

Tip: Bring running shoes because there's a bit of a hike. And goggles. And floaties. And GoPros.

B: Restaurants, shopping, and touristy things you can recommend?

J: We really used Majorca as one giant road trip. Each place we stayed was for sleeping and showering, and we spent the days driving from one end of the small island to the other. Food was the one thing we struggled with. For breakfast and lunch, we'd doit  the Spanish way with a baguette, some fruit, and cured meats. Dinner was usually expensive and subpar, even though we tried our hardest to find otherwise. The only restaurant I'd recommend is Restaurant Es Truce, traditional Majorcan cuisine on the side of the highway, and the only good deal and delicious food combination we found on the island.

B: 5 adjectives you'd use to describe the island?

J: Pure. Adventurous. Mysterious. Beautiful. Diverse.

Want so see more from Jackie?

Follow Jackie on Instagram @jacbeale
Check out her website at www.jackiebeale.com