We flew into Palma on Saturday, arriving about lunchtime. After all the stress of the week and Mum’s operation, it was great to be able to relax with a holiday and we didn’t waste any time once we got there – grabbing a cab from the airport to the Hotel Costa Azul, on the seafront. We’ve been to Palma before but about 10 years ago, and on a family trip – so this time, although we were not there long we were determined to get a good look around. The Costa Azul is a nice, modern, not expensive hotel. It wasn’t really hot enough to try out any of the pool or sunbathing facilities, but the room was good – large enough and perfect for our weekend in Palma.
After dumping off our bags and changing into shorts to suit the nice weather, we headed out. I was desparate for my first Aperol Spritz of the year, so we stopped off at a cafe a few blocks up from the hotel. ‘Cappuccino‘ turned out to be a bit pricey for a couple of drinks, but boy they tasted good. How is it when you get somewhere the first place you go in is always expensive?
Anyway, suitably fortified we headed off into town, walking along the seafront towards the cathedral. We spent a good couple of hours wandering around, intermittently browsing in the shops and stopping for drinks. Perfect Saturday afternoon shopping. I was particularly taken with the C&A, as we haven’t had one of those in the UK for years. It was like a trip down memory lane, and I got a really nice denim jacket 🙂
We stumbled across a cute looking restaurant, called Restaurante El Pilòn. It was a lovely looking small place, and it served a nice varitey of dishes. Everything seemed homemade and the service was very attentive. We had some traditional tapas and everything tasted good. The house white wine was a bit sharp, but the hospitality was top-notch and the bill very reasonable.
After an obligatory siesta, we headed back out, grabbing a cab into town and straight to the bar at the Puro Hotel for excellent cocktails, followed by stunning tapas at El Cuerno, which is just around the corner. The food there was fantastic – the best Pulpo A La Gallega I’ve ever tasted, and a welcoming homemade herbal alcoholic shot. The food, staff, drinks and ambience were all great – would recommend and definitely go back if I was in Palma again, and it wasn’t too expensive.
An excellent first day in Mallorca.
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