Palma de Mallorca, Spain – full of vitamin D place on a cheap price

The City of Palma

We took a journey to Spain in the beginning of May. For me that was quite an emotional journey and a shining light, keeping in mind that at the time in England the temperatures were around 5 degrees and it was raining every day. By the way, Palma de Mallorca has been the only place I could wear my summer T-Shirts, flip-flops and short pants… for now. Because the summer in the UK is the biggest myth – everyone speaks about it, but very few have actually seen it…

Old, small typical streets in Palma

L'Arenal, Mallorca

We traveled with the low-cost EasyJet and stayed in the resort L’Arenal in a 3 stars hotel for 3 days. The total amount of money we spend for the plane tickets and the hotel was 76 pounds /breakfast included/. Yes, no kidding. It’s very cheap. You could find hotels in L’Arenal from 15 to 40 euros per night. There are, of course, more expensive ones, but here I am speaking about an experience connected with sightseeing, emotions, nice company, local food, sun, beach and fun, not a hotel experience in a Spa resort.

Palma Cathedral

The City of Palma

Once you land at the airport there is a local bus which takes you to L’Arenal, the price of the ticket is 2 euro. The hotels at the resort are not that posh but good enough for a week stay and the breakfast is quite delicious. Local buses run for 24 hours every day and connect the resort with Palma, the cost of the ticket is 1.30 euro or 1.50 euro, depending on the line you take.

Food markets in Palma

Variety of Refreshing Drinks in Palma

The biggest impression I had from Palma is that the life there is really chilled out. You can rarely see people eating sandwiches on foot or carrying a take away coffee – everyone sits in small, very charming restaurants and enjoys the Sun. If you become a regular customer in a place you will receive very nice green olives as a gesture of attention from the owners and never forget that you SHOULD drink Sangria - it’s something like a wine punch typical for Spain and Portugal. It’s usually made of wine, chopped fruits, some kind of sweetener like sugar or orange juice and a small amount of brandy could be added sometimes..

Sangria

For the girls – if you want to introduce yourself to a German guy and can’t go in Germany – Palma de Mallorca is your place, most of the tourists there are German. The only thing is that most of them are at a middle age… You basically hear German speech everywhere and in many places can see signs and adverts in German language also.

But anyway, great sand, long beaches, crystal clear water and once again quite cheap prices. For example a dinner or lunch in a small restaurant in Palma, let’s say a pizza, a big sangria, coffee and tapas or paella will cost you around 12 euro.

Things in my opinion you should definitely do:

1. Visit the Cathedral in Palma, a project taken over by Antoni Gaudi, built between 1229 and 1346/ the entrance fee is 6 euro/.
2. Drink Sangria
3. Get lost in the old small streets in Palma
4. Go to a local market and try the local food – there is a variety of very delicious olives, fruits, wine, pastry and the typical  Tapas – small bites of cheese, fish or meet which is a perfect match to a beer
5. Eat paella – I personally prefer the one with shrimps



A German bar in L'Arenal

6.  Visit another small town close to Palma, for example the medieval Valldemossa, which is very romantic, 1 hour away from Palma and the journey costs 4 euro, return ticket. The famous American actors Catherine Zeta Jones and Michael Douglas have a house there, and that fact will be mentioned many times from the local people. ;)

Valldemossa, Mallorca

And more important, wake up as early as possible, close your eyes and feel the Sun, the vitamin D and the happiness should be appreciated…

Rubbish Bins in Palma

P.S. Pay attention to the Spanish rubbish bins, they look like an E.T.