Twenty Four Hours in Palma

A big advantage of a holiday base near Camp de Mar in south west Mallorca was that it was just half an hour from Palma and the airport. We’d decided in advance to spend a night in the city to celebrate our wedding anniversary. Arriving late morning we dropped our luggage in the hotel and a minute later emerged from the narrow Calle de Can Brondo into the major thoroughfare of Passeig des Born. Coffee and cake in Capuccino allowed us to catch our senses before taking a pre-lunch ramble through the city.

Strolling along the shiny tiled walkway that is Carrer Sant Jaume, it was both cooling and atmospheric. Shaded by its tall buildings, the upper floors occasionally dazzled in the sun’s spotlight, vines dancing up stone walls punctuated by colourful hanging baskets. Wrought iron balconies, wooden shutters, even the graffiti seemed to have its place. Small independent shops, smart restaurants and niche shops took their place alongside exclusive boutique hotels like the Can Alomar, Sant Jaume and Hotel Born, with its Terraza Bar set in the sunlit courtyard; one of many to feature trees, plants and fountains.

Suddenly we were upon the single knave gothic church of Sant Jaume, one of the city’s oldest and a peaceful place of simplicity and beauty. At the top of the street stood Plaza Santa Magdalena, flanked by its church and convent.

Crossing La Rambla we headed past San Miguel and into Mercat d’Olivar. Keep your shades on! This place is a riot of colour, especially around the fruit and veg. Everywhere you look are the magnificent products of the land in glorious technicolour. Resisting the strong urge to just pick things up and take a bite, it was an assault on the senses - everything smells so wonderful, all that freshness. It’s a cacophony of noise too as locals talk to, at and across each other.

Round the corner and it’s the meat section. Nothing homogenised here. The pigs and rabbits look just like pigs and rabbits. Whatever the meat, whatever the cut, it’s the real deal with the feel of quality. Walk on for every type of ham, sausage, cheese, olives, bread…there’s chocolate and sweets too. In an adjacent building the fresh fish demand an adjustment to your senses. A marvellous array of seafood, you’ll find yourself staring closely at some labels and looking for the translation, because some of these fish you’ll have never seen before. If you do fancy sampling anything, there are cafes and bars dotted around. Perched on a stool with a beer and tapas, there’s no finer way to enjoy a market.

Palma is well served by markets and if you fancy a more eclectic example try Santa Catalina. It’s situated in the cool ex-fisherman’s area west of Avenida Argentina. Here you’ll discover quirky art and artisans alongside vibrant restaurants, bars and cafes with a covered foodie market at its heart. The buildings are converted old fisherman’s cottages and windmills, giving it a unique ambience. Next to it you’ll find the Parc de Feixina gardens, which stretch right down to the marina. You also have Mercado Gastronómico San Juan, open every day with food and wine from twenty different vendors, live music and a real buzz. It’s in a very old building, ten minutes from the city centre by car or a five minute bus ride. Then daily from Easter to September you’ll find a big artesanal market at Plaza Major, surrounded by shops and restaurants.

And so to lunch. Me and the coeliac had booked ahead for this one. Carrer de San Miguel was full of shoppers ahead of siesta time. A short passage down some steps took us into the unprepossessing Carrer de la Missio, just wide enough for a single vehicle, and there we found Hotel Convent de la Missio, which houses Marc Fosh Restaurant. If you don’t know of Marc Fosh, he’s been working in Mallorca for some time now and he’s the island’s only British chef to have been awarded a Michelin star. Now before you skip this bit because ‘I can’t afford a place like that’, bear with me. A three course lunch will set you back just €29.50. Yes, it might be a bit more than you’d normally spend on lunch on holiday but…this is an experience you deserve to have!

Arriving at just after 13:30 for our fashionably Iberian 14:00 reservation, we’d become a little warm on a very hot and sticky July day. Walking through the main door we were relieved by the air con and then struck by the chilled out nature of the restaurant. We relaxed with an anniversary-inspired sparkling wine and received what was to be impeccable service throughout. There’s a five course menu for €39.50 but we decided on three courses and agreed to share a supplementary cheese selection at €12. There’s helpful advice on wine choices and we loved the recommended glass of rosado. Gluten free was no trouble: “tell us what you’d like, we’ll just make any necessary adjustments”.

The coeliac started with creamy rice with salt baked beetroot, pesto and spiced cherries; I opted for chilled almond and olive oil soup with slow cooked cod, aubergine caviar and pickled peach. Then on to textures of cauliflower with ras el hanout, dried grapes and dukkah; glazed pork belly with eucalyptus, carrot parmentier and a warm new potato mustard-seed salad.

Does salivating and typing count as multi-tasking? I thought not. And so to desserts…chilled melon soup with ginger crumble, redcurrant and lychee sorbet; smoked chocolate ‘cremoso’ with cumquats, vanilla cream and mandarin sorbet.

The descriptions might sound a bit pretentious but every dish was unbelievably, stunningly good. Suchimaginative, creative combinations, at times we found it quite moving and certainly a joyful celebration for us. We approached it very mindfully it has to be said and savoured every moment. We were the last table out. Oh yes, the cheese! A lovely board comprised cheeses from Galicia, Manchego, Mahon, the Pyrenees and Cabrales, a blue veined cheese from Asturias. Served with a beautifully piquant tomato chutney, almonds and figs, not forgetting a very good Ribera del Duero red wine to accompany it, we opted to take it before dessert. If you’re visiting Palma, seriously think about coming here, you won’t regret it.

Gradually we window shopped our way back to the hotel. By now our room was ready at the Brondo Architect Hotel and we’d been upgraded to a top floor suite! It’s evidently cool and quirky, showcasing Mallorcan architecture, modern design and distinctly bohemian flourishes. Each floor contained numerous shelves loaded with books; the bar restaurant was full of light with outside tables under canvas, where we took our welcome drink; all customers have the use of a smartphone to help them round the city; and our room felt like a loft apartment. Service was really helpful and we loved it.

After a good lie down we ventured out again as night fell. Just round the corner in Plaza Mercat were several good looking cocktail bars. We settled on Bar Nicolas and over a Vera Lynn and a MiTo we looked on contentedly as tourists and natives came out to play. Later we strolled down towards the cathedral, La Seu - a truly splendid sight illuminated after dark - and found a place in the popular Bar Dia on Calle Apuntadores. It serves up authentic no-frills tapas in a lively atmosphere. We had just enough energy to stroll back to the Brondo.

In this part of the city there’s no shortage of great tapas, restaurants and clubs and the narrow streets are heaving at peak season. This part of the city is known as La Llonja and if you want somewhere special for a cocktail, the place to go is Abaco in Calle de Sant Joan. It was once named by The Times as ‘the best bar in the world’. It’s interior is truly stunning. Push open the huge wooden door off the narrow street and you’re met by an amazing exhibition of fresh flowers and fruit covering an ornate staircase. Full of paintings, sculptures, tapestries and antiques it’s a place you quickly fall in love with as you sit back and watch the parrots in the courtyard.

Recharged and after a good breakfast we walked to El Corte Inglés at Avinguda Alexandre, the ultimate Spanish department store. Top tip: sign up as a ‘foreign tourist’ on your first purchase and you’ll get 10% off all subsequent purchases. Those cunning marketing people. It’s a great store though.

For shopping Palma has a perfect balance. If you’re being dragged round under duress, the quality of the architecture is such that that you can ask to wait outside and just look up at the wonderful properties. And you’re never far from a bar or cafe. So where do you start?

For real designer names, stroll along Avenida de Jaume III and into Passeig del Born.

All the high street names can be found at either end of those streets, heading up towards Placa Major and the surrounding lanes, including Calle de Saint Miquel, Calle de Sant Bartomeu and Calle de Jaume II, all of which can be found from Plaza Cort, a delightful square with its ancient olive tree and lovely cafes. Just remember, nothing brisker than a stroll is required. And for siesta? Why not spend a couple of hours on the beach? Ca’n Pere Antoni is known as the city beach and it’s just a short walk from the Cathedral and the Old Town. It’s on the bay front promenade and cycle route and it has its own chill out beach club.

For art I’ll recommend just two places, but there’s much more. The Joan Miró Foundation is dedicated to the life and work of this legendary Spanish artist. Early morning is a good time to visit to bask in the morning sun in the foundation's garden where his sculptures co-exist with many native plants. Then walk up to The Sert Studio, one of his workshops, to appreciate its brilliant modernist design.

One of Spain’s most important contemporary and modern art museums is Es Baluard, featuring a permanent collection of more than 600 works all linked to the Balearic Islands. The permanent collection includes paintings, sculptures and drawings by artists like Paul Cézanne, Picasso and Sean Scully. One of the best features of this museum is its terrace, with stunning views of Palma, the Mediterranean and La Seu, Catedral de Mallorca, which itself is a must-see for its Gaudi-designed altar.

By now you might be thinking you need longer than 24 hours. We packed in quite a lot but there’s so much to see and do in Palma, yet doing nothing in this city is also something that should be on your list. Leave time for chilling out. My advice would be to come for a weekend at least or, if you stay half an hour away it’s easy to pop in for a day or an evening.

Wherever I lay my hat

The 4* Brondo Architect Hotel is right in the heart of Palma. Its 33 rooms are individually decorated and have a fridge and flat screen TV as standard. Whether it’s breakfast, dinner or a casual drink during the day, the restaurant space is relaxed, comfortable and filled with natural light. We found it from a newspaper review of Palma and we’d happily stay there again. We used the underground parking at Plaza Major, about a ten minute walk.

FOOTNOTE

This break was taken in summer 2018 whilst staying for two weeks in Camp de Mar (see Mallorca: Exploring its South West). It’s likely that prices will have risen. After Covid-19 it’s also a possibility that some businesses are no longer trading. My sincere hope is that they’re able to continue and we can look forward to support them and enjoying them in the future.