I don’t often post trip reports because, well, we just keep doing the same things and going to the same places so it must get very repetitive and tedious for the reader. However, Jane and I decided to do something different and have a November
stay in the Old Town of Pollensa, being true PP stalwarts at heart!
We arrived at a near deserted Palma airport on Saturday November 5th with just 43 of the 156 seats of our easyJet flight filled, it was like a private jet and bags came off in record time.
Sixt provided an excellent Audi A3 to take us to Pollensa where there was plenty of parking in the tarmacked car park across the road from the childrens’ play area.
Arriving at the
Hotel Cal Lloro, situated just of the main square, we had to phone to gain entry but were soon in a very spacious comfortable room, which had the bonus of a fridge, and a balcony with table and chairs and a view across the square to Club Pollensa.
Our first night was at Centric in the square, the only night of our stay which was warm enough to dine outside. The service was excellent, better than the PP version I thought. We shared an assortment of local cheeses and then I had fabulous Argentine Beef and Jane the Roast Suckling Pig. The meat is shredded and then reconstructed into a block…..sounds odd but was deemed to be a thing of great loveliness.
On Sunday we venture into the port for coffee at Brisa Marina (best coffee in the port I think) and a wander round to see what was open. Answer….not a lot! Lunch sitting outside at Zarzales eating Christian’s fantastic tapas was memorable and just the right size for lunch. In the evening we discovered a restaurant we’d not seen before in the old town, La Trencadora, an Italian restaurant which, in the summer, has a fantastic outside garden space to eat in. What a brilliant restaurant! I had Beef Carpaccio to start with and for main a Pork Saltimbocca which was amazing. Jane had Sea Bass which she thoroughly enjoyed. We shared a dessert called Orange Cake, which turned out to be a flan and was delicious. The coffee is right up there with Brisa’s too. The interior of the restaurant is amazing, with a wood fired oven for pizzas and a very wide selection of wines. The service was really friendly and this place really ticked all our boxes.
On Monday we took a trip into Palma, catching the train from Sa Pobla. 16 Euros return for both of us was something of a bargain and we enjoyed the trip immensely, particularly wandering around the fantastic food market which is close to the station. We had lunch in the sun at the café on the Soller Line station platform (no trains running now until February though), then back on the train again to Sa Pobla. On a very wet evening we called a taxi and ate at one of our very favourite haunts, C’an Josep, where a great welcome awaited. We shared the Iberico Ham for starter. For main I had the John Dory, always a favourite here and Jane pronounced the Lamb Chops to be excellent, as always. What a great place, and lovely people we have known for so long now. Feels like home here.
On Tuesday we had a drive down to Capdepera and Arta, returning for lunch at Brisa Marina, as always tremendous value. We were lucky to have a break in the weather, which had started off pretty grim overnight. In the evening we tried yet another new place, La Fonda, which was just two doors away from our hotel. I had an excellent Fish Soup and we both had Chicken Escaldums (a traditional chicken stew) which was absolutely delicious. We had good, friendly service and were impressed with the place, including its extremely quirky artwork on the walls.
On Wednesday we promised ourselves a trip to the Monastery du Lluc which I’d not visited for some years. There was a huge art exhibition and that was extremely interesting along with the historical displays in the museum. We returned to Pollensa via Soller and through the mountain toll tunnel, and lunched in the square eating toasted sandwiches at Café L’Illa which we’ve been to before and were served by the same waitress as in the summer, the happiest, smiliest person you could hope to meet! So many restaurants are closed at this time of year (Il Giardino, La Font del Gall, Numero Ocho etc) that the choice was limited. We had a look at Clivia but felt that it was eye-wateringly expensive compared to others so settled upon going back to La Trencadora again. This time I started with a Trio of Bruschetta, which were really interesting and excellent and for main, whilst Jane enjoyed the Pork Saltimbocca I’d had on Sunday, I had a Ham, Cheese and Mushroom Calzoni out of the wood fired oven and it was epic (both in size and taste!). We had two fantastic meals at this restaurant, and with wine neither cost more than 55 Euros. We have trips to the port planned for May and July and this is the place we’ll visit in the old town. I just cannot recommend this place highly enough. The staff are Italian, so friendly, and the setting and food are just terrific.
Thursday was our last full day of the holiday. We had another drive around, going up to the Mortitx vineyard and winery to buy some dessert wine for our son, and then driving up to the tower that sits above the viewing area on the way to Formentor. The views from up there are quite stunning. From there we drove to Alcudia and through to Bonaire where we sat having drinks in the sun before driving back to PP for what was a highlight of the trip, lunch in the sun at Stay. At this time of year you can park on the road leading up to the restaurant and we had tapas to share, and what great value they are priced between 4 and 5 Euros a portion. The food at Stay has always been consistently great but in all the years we’ve been coming to PP we’d never eaten there at lunchtime……we’ll certainly be back. In the evening we re-visited La Fonda just next to our hotel. The second visit wasn’t quite as successful as the first. For starter I had what was described as Sobrosada with Honey, which actually turns out to be a small piece of the sausage in a sweet filo type pastry covered in honey and nuts – it was really different and tasted amazing. For mains we both opted for the Lamb chops which were not a patch on C’an Josep and were a bit fatty and dull. Overall the meal was OK, but somewhat marred by a large table of Germans who were extremely noisy, banging on their table, and the fact that I was sporting a remembrance poppy seemed to provoke some (how can I put it) “negativity”, pointing and staring – a bit unnerving! Whilst we were given complimentary Schnapps on our first visit, this wasn’t offered on the second…..we were the last customers in the restaurant and they clearly wanted to close! Make of that what you will!
Our stay at Cal Lloro was extremely comfortable. There’s a large roof terrace at second floor level (where our room was) with tables and chairs and four sun loungers. The hotel has just 8 rooms and served a perfectly adequate continental breakfast served at the table, and the owner was very helpful and friendly. The stay cost less than £75 a night (even at current exchange rates), so I thought that to be good value, given the situation right on the square.
Before checking out on Friday morning I went round to the fantastic little bakery around the corner and bought Chicken and Pea Empanadas to eat on the flight home. Masterstroke! They were excellent as ever. A trouble free drive back to the airport and the ever slick Sixt
car hire return saw us checked in in no time. Now here’s a thing….at this time of year Terminal A is closed, so we flew from Terminal D, where the internal Spanish
flights go from. Guess what? Water is two thirds of the price in Terminal A, the food available is in a different league and nothing like the “rip-off” prices in the tourist terminal! Maybe I’ll detour through there in the summer.
All in all this was a very interesting break. Ever so quiet, clear roads to drive through the mountains, the chance to explore the old town and try new places to eat. I didn’t realise that Club Pollensa in the square is a private members club (80 Euros pa) which welcomes visitors but has differential pricing with discounts for members. That said, two rounds of Amarettos and Brandies for 11 Euros must be something of a bargain…..wonder if it increases in the summer? We thoroughly enjoyed staying in Pollensa for a change, but very much looking forward to returning to good old PP in May.
Hope I haven’t bored you!
Duncan