Location: Mallorca, Spain
Date & Time: 8th – 11th February 2018
Airline: RyanAir
Accommodation: Hotel HM Balanguera, Palma de Mallorca
Reason: Take a short break from the rat race.
Day 3 – Explore the Attractions
We skipped breakfast on Saturday – just too tired and after Friday night’s antics, sleep was definitely more important. We finally got up, dressed and left the hotel around midday. Since arriving in Mallorca, this was our first time out in the daytime (before 6pm, actually out early enough to enjoy daylight) and guys when we tell you it felt and looked very different.🤪.
❀ Hunger Strikes Again – The Hunt for a Spanish Omelette
Once again, food was on our minds but we struggled to find something amongst the very limited options. We tried to find a Spanish omelette, however not many places offered it. In fact, on closer inspection, we found that the Spanish omelette in Mallorca is very different to the Spanish omelettes we’ve had in UK. The omelettes that we’ve tried in the past were quite thin and did not include potato, whereas in Mallorca the Spanish omelette was described as something close to the thickness of a quiche pie.
After questioning several restaurants, we were simply unable to find anywhere offering our beloved Omelette – which was so odd considering we were in SPAIN! We ended up grabbing lunch at The Lucky Bun. The food is ON POINT with offerings the likes of baobabs and burgers.
❀ Bellies Full – Time to Uncover the Beautiful Sites of Mallorca
We visited the famous Palma de Mallorca Cathedral, tried black vanilla ice cream, visited the newly refurbished sea port in the centre of Palma and watched many boats go by. Although the weather throughout the day was a combination of cold, wind and rain, we persevered until the end.
We continued to wander the paths of old town exploring the beautiful architecture, the various shopping areas and of course our favourite – buying a shed load of different flavoured Lindt chocolate. The day wouldn’t be complete if we didn’t have the constant staring of locals (has anyone else experienced this?). Oh and how can we forget more dog poo everywhere.
❀ Chilled Evening – Dinner and Shots
Once again we headed to Tiki Tako for a few of our favourite shots. We grabbed (more like queued and waited ages for) dinner at Le Tano Pizzeria and took it back to the hotel to eat whilst chilling in bed…Perfect end to our day.
Day 4 – Last Day!
❀ I scream, you scream, We Tell have to have Ice cream!
First things first, finally the sun is out therefore – ICE CREAM!!!! Whenever we travel, if we see an Amorino Cafe, we have to order some – it’s become somewhat of a tradition. Who says NO to ice-cream! Unfortunately, this time it didn’t live up to its usual high standards; the waffle was cold and didn’t appear to be freshly made. We’ll attest this to the store being understaffed and very busy.
Unbeknown to us, the Sa Rueta (A children’s festival celebrating the beginning of lent, Sa Rua is the name of the adult celebration.) children’s carnival was in full swing on the Sunday. It was the busiest we had seen the town since arriving. The streets were crowded with children dressed in cute costumes and dotted all over town were a number of different activities for the little ones to enjoy.
❀ Lunch Time – The Search for Food Commences
Most stores and restaurants were closed, the select few restaurants that were open were absolutely heaving with people. Once again, we were on the hunt for somewhere to eat. By 1:30pm everywhere was packed; it took us over an hour and we had to settle for burgers as other places were either closed, full or didn’t have anything appealing or worth our coin.
A particular restaurant – La Bottega di Michele (Yes we are naming and shaming!), provided terrible customer service. As we were the only black customers or people in the whole area, staff and customers were constantly staring at us to the point where we felt uncomfortable. In addition, we were sat in isolation right next to the kitchen entrance even though there was another 2-seater table available, when questioned, they ignored us. At this point our feet hurt as we’d been walking for a few hours, however we chose not to stay since they didn’t appreciate our possible patronage. We left, it’s not by force to spend your money where you’re not welcome.
All was not lost, we discovered Gin Burger which was a great experience. It was also nice to see the festive spirits of town and a lovely way to end our stay. After lunch, we made our way back to the hotel, grabbed our bags and headed to the airport.
❀ Our stay at Balanguera Hotel
The hotel was in a prime location, close to restaurants, a supermarket and walkable distance to the harbour as well as other key sites. Our stay was pleasant but unfortunately, the hotel structure let it down! The building is very hollow and there seems to be very little or no sound proofing at all. Every step, shuffle and drag from the room above or below sounded as though we were right next to it. To add to this, whenever someone on our floor closed their room door, the force would make our room door move, making it sound like someone was trying to get inside our room. It was quite disturbing and not very calming or settling when trying to sleep. If you’re a light sleeper, this will definitely be an issue. On a more positive note, their customer service was great! The staff were very helpful, always on hand to call a taxi, share directions and as mentioned before they even helped us research spa options. Their customer service definitely helped to make our overall hotel experience better.
❀ Key points to note:
- Siesta – from 2pm to 5pm. Small local business tend to close but larger stores will be open.
- No alcohol can be bought in the supermarket after 12pm.
- When it rains or has rained, the pavements are EXTRA slippery.
- There are a lot of dogs and not enough owners cleaning up after them!! This was extremely irritating as you have to keep watching your steps otherwise you could have a situation as we very nearly did (check our youtube video).
❀ Check out our detailed reviews of al the food spots and sites we visited in Mallorca
Overall experience rating: 
We have told, now it’s time for YOU to tell… Please let us know your thoughts and experiences in the comment section below.
Until our next post continue to Taste, Experience, Laugh and Live life to the absolute fullest.
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