Category
G
The Ma-10 through the olive terraces, which is most of day four.
Two bases, one mountain road and a lot of swimming – Palma, the Tramuntana and the southeast coast in seven nights.
The opening scene
Day four, somewhere above Banyalbufar, and I have pulled over for the third time in twenty minutes because the light keeps doing something I have not seen it do before. The road is empty – it is ten past seven – and the sea is a long way down on the left, flat and grey-blue, with one boat on it. There is a cyclist coming up the hill behind me who will be here in about four minutes and after that I will probably see nobody for half an hour. This is the part of Mallorca that nobody puts in the brochure, and it is the reason to come.
The ask
Seven nights, first time on the island, and the brief is almost always the same: they have heard Mallorca is beautiful, they have also heard it is a party island, and they want to be reassured. They want mountains and villages and swimming, somewhere good to eat every night, and not to be in the car for four hours a day. The answer is two bases, a hire car for the middle of the week, and leaving the famous coves until the end.
You’ve reached the quiet door.
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