mallorca
april 2023
5 amazing days of bike riding around Mallorca.
And several hours in Amsterdam as a bonus.
The decision to visit Mallorca was very spontaneous. What did I know about Mallorca six months ago? Associations with Nice and Cannes… In short, I imagined an expensive resort. But when they told me that Mallorca is a cycling Mecca, I decided to see what the all-knowing Google would say. And Google reported that this is true, especially during the European winter.
If to look even further into the days of my travelling virginity, I pictured (shame on me!) that the Balearic Islands were some where close to the Canary Islands, Azores, Madeira – in the Atlantic Ocean. But it turned out that they were rather close, almost right next door. As a result, having correlated proximity and cycling attractiveness, the coveted ticket was purchased immediately upon returning from the last trip to Tenerife.
The trip took place during the Easter holidays 2023. This year it was an early Easter – the very beginning of April. So, only 8 days, including the day of arrival and departure. In total, only 6 cycling days in early spring by Finnish standards, that is, absolutely no preparation. Six months before Mallorca, I had not pedaled a single kilometer. I read that the southern part of the island is boring, and the northern part is very picturesque. In turn, the south is flat, and the north is mountainous. I decided to try everything on the first trip! That’s why we’re going to ride around the island!!!
Here is a map with my cycling treks. Each day’s track is painted in a different color, and the description includes mileage and other technical characteristics. Black thin line is my planned track. I had to make a few deviations from it, but first things first, let’s start!
April 2, 2023
In the morning in Lahti it was -10, here on arrival it was +18. In the open sun it felt like it was +25 if not more. Luggage was thrown into the hotel room, and I went to bike rental. This time bike rental turned out to be a headache for me. Last fall bike rental in Croatia was perfect, both in terms of service and quality of equipment. This time I had sent 12 requests but received only one answer! And that one is from a bot. Well, at least some confirmation I had on hand. Therefore, there was no time to explore the town of Can Pastila, where I am based. We go straight to the rental office!
The owner of the business, Pavel by name and, apparently, a Pole by nationality, immediately began to fuss… Of course, no bikes had been ready in the evening, and he didn’t remember about the side bags either. I hoped that my kick inspired him and in I will get at least some kind of bike the morning. In any case, tomorrow I must pedal almost 115 km to a booked and paid overnight stay, and if Pavel turns out to be an asshole, then I will have to unscrew some of his organs or torcher him with a hot iron, but I need to get to the next point somehow.
April 3, 2023
The morning started with one of the most luxurious breakfasts I have experienced in a hotel in many years. On my travels I stay in the most budget-friendly places, but when looking for accommodation in Mallorca, I didn’t come across any guesthouses or budget apartments. The prices are kind of unacceptable for my wallet. But the season has not yet begun, and more than half of the hotels are simply closed. Perhaps something appears in the summer, but I’m still not sure about prices, they probably grow even more.
The thermometer outside the window showed only +8 at 8 a.m., but the sun was so hot that on the way to the bike rental we had to strip down to shorts and a T-shirt. Pavel gave me my vehicle and ordered to wash the chain from rust myself, while he himself ran somewhere in search of bags. What he brought looked more like cosmetic bags than panniers. Considering the overnight stays in cities where I have to go out in decent form in the evenings, the cold nights and possible rains, I’ve accumulated quite a lot of stuff. My helpful Pavel suggested that he can install a basket… Well, like the local grandmothers who go shopping on bicycles. I didn’t have a choice!
Caring Pavel asked to be careful, because one of his clients crashed so badly last week that he is now in a coma. His care was especially useful to me when, on the 73rd km of the journey, my brake pads stuck to the disc because they were worn almost to zero. In the end, I had to remove them and drive without a front brake. So, it’s not surprising that Pavel’s clients crash almost to death with such service.
The beginning of the journey was hot and sunny. There were flowers all around, fields, lambs grazing, turtles crawling under the wheels, it smells like honey! Along the way we came across a plantation of flowering paulownias – a huge fluffy lilac-violet color cloud.
Around one o’clock in the afternoon it suddenly starts dripping from a lonely cloud. In 15 minutes, this cloud stretches across the entire sky into a huge thundercloud. Thunder rumbles, lightning flashes, and it pours like a waterfall and no shelter along the way. Only forests and fields all around… after 10 km, suddenly there is some kind of fenced parking lot with a booth. Of course, we head inside! A group of German cyclists is already hiding there. Good for them, they are dry, and I am completely wet. I was so cold that my fingers turned white and refused to move. I started somehow pulling things off and squeezing them out. We dragged our dry things, prudently packed into plastic bags, from our soaking wet panniers. Within half an hour, I somehow managed to change into dry clothes with numb limbs. I still have more than 60 km of road ahead; I should be able to pedal them! We decided to wait until the rain stopped completely so as not to get wet for rest of the way. Trying to stay warm we spent 2 hours in a booth at some stadium, cursing this damn Mallorca!
Well, then again, the sun, butterflies, flowers, and even stronger aromas of meadows! But it took a lot of energy to warm up, and you could feel it. We arrived at the hotel almost at 8 pm, although we planned to be there at about 5. At the beginning of April, almost all hotels were still closed, there was not much choice. I had booked a luxury hotel on the first line with a balcony and sea view at a super price (only 50 euros). The hotel is like something out of a fairy tale. But the fact that they had 50% off-season discount, and if you pay in advance, it’s another -20%. In short, I simply wouldn’t accomplish to stay in such a place at a normal price.
All I dreamed of at that moment was to get into a hot bath and spread my things out to dry! I didn’t even feel hungry. The woman at the reception spent a long time scanning passports, going somewhere with them, calling. Half an hour later she reports that there was some mistake, and they don’t have a room for us! What??? I had it prepaid for 2 months. There were rooms for all these bodies in the bar lounging on armchairs and drinking wine, but not for me, on my last legs, cold and hungry?
But there was good news!!! We are moving to another hotel of a higher category! This way we ended up in a hotel where people pay 200 euros per night. There is an outdoor pool, and a second indoor one, a spa, a sauna, even some kind of infrared lamp in the room. It was very useful for drying clothes! Sea view from the balcony! But do I need all this? I remember spending the night in Madeira for 15-20 euros in a village house, and it was much more convenient for my needs. At least there were plenty of radiators! And in my case, I don’t have the strength to go to the pool.
April 4, 2023
This morning I realized what saying “cycling Mecca” means! This is when you ride a bicycle straight from the lobby of a luxury hotel! With that, we said goodbye to the resort town of Cala Milor and hit the road! Everything started out great! Warm sunny morning! Blooming thickets of lilac jacarandas and bright yellow mimosas! Turquoise sea and luxury expensive hotels along the coast! Everything is fine until the time approaches noon…
I learn from my mistakes. I really didn’t want to freeze wet in a shelter like yesterday. So today, at the first sign of clouds, I Googled the nearest town, and in it I found an abandoned store with a canopy. I will enjoy thunderstorms and hurricanes with a five-star view to the ocean.
The forecast promised me a 2.5-hour show. Then it’s sunny and warm again. The show was a success, but changed my plans… the shortest route to the next overnight stay is about 25 km. But my original plans included an additional loop along the picturesque Cape Formentor to watch the sunset there. It never happened.
The main conclusion from this trip is to be more careful when choosing a rental bike. It would be a good idea to arrive a day earlier and start searching on the spot. Because the most important thing is that if you allow a new stranger equipment between your legs, then it must be worthy. It seems that my mother told me something similar when I was young 😉 Next day I had a tough climb in my plans and I needed to get the bike into shape at least a little, at least put brake pads on the front wheel. Because this is the second day I’m just riding without it. However, it turned out that during this time I had worn the tire down to holes. Proof photos are attached!
As soon as the rain passed, we had to go in search of a store and get it repaired. And it took another hour and a half.
The second unpleasant moment of the day was the storm. The rain has passed, but the wind remained 10-12 m/s, and it got warmer only up to +15, and I was hungry. Having added up all these factors, I decided to leave the “view loop” to Cape Formentor for the next visit and go to sleep early.
My hotel for this night is in the very center of the town of Port de Pollenca. Here all life is a bicycle. There are more cyclists than pedestrians, and almost no cars. People usually enter the reception unlocking cycling shoes. All hotels have bicycle garages. They recommended to fasten my bike for the night – I laughed that I would also have to pay extra so that someone would even touch it. The room was the most expensive of the entire trip, as much as 80 euros, but very simple and with the view to the sea! The last photos show the view of our room and the hotel’s bicycle garage… My “Pavlik” felt uncomfortable here.
April 5, 2023
The day when everything went wrong!
The plan was to enter the Tramuntana National Park, which bears the same name as the mountain range stretching along the north of the island, then to move through the pass to the sea and several spectacular lakes. Afterwards, to descend along the steepest serpentine road to the inaccessible bay of Sa Calobra, which can only be reached by bicycle or boat. And from there, on a pre-paid boat, my bike and I were supposed to arrive in the ancient city of Soller. The plan was to cycle just 50 km with a climb of about 850 m. But something went wrong!
In the morning it was about +7. However, the sun was so angry that almost immediately I had to undress to my T-shirt. First, we inspected the Roman bridge along the way and then was a hard climb. Hard does not necessarily mean very steep, it is enough for the climb to last 7-10 km, even if it is 5-7 degrees. Almost at the top of the pass there was also a bonus – monastery with all sorts of antiquities. It’s only about 12, but I’m almost there. There was still a descent and plenty of time for walks in the “lost world”.
At the intersection, about 35 km there was a police line, and the road was blocked. Restoration works on the road for the whole day! After two-day storms, in some places part of the road collapsed due to rocks, mudflows, etc.. That is, it’s not for nothing that these rain showers seemed to me more than just regular rain…
The problem is that there is no other way to Sa Calobra. The other path is about 100 km, and it goes right through my next overnight stay, it’s a circle almost through the half of an island! I realized that I won’t see the “lost bay” of Sa Calobra… That I didn’t know how get to the next hotel. That 40 euros had already been paid for the boat which I would never take. But I still tried not to lose heart.
New route was through the center of the island. This means I have to descend all prevoius meters that I had climed- and then pedal up again to another pass. I start descending along the serpentine road and then… on the descent along the serpentine road my rear brake goes out. It just physically falls out!!! Who knows what it’s like to be left with only one in front on a descent? Yes, it’s better not to slow down at all!!! Oh, these rental bikes are great! Oh, this Pavel! Is a miracle that I didn’t kill myself there? Would Pavel come to visit me in the hospital?
Every second cyclist stopped to offer help. I cried. Not because of the closed road, and not because of the dead brake, but simply from resentment, from the fact that everything was WRONG. In the end everything was resolved in the best possible way, as usually. And the day turned out to be great, even though I couldn’t imagine it at the time…
Somehow, with the help of improvised means, we put my bike in some kind of moving condition and continued the descent. There is an unpleasant psychological moment. Because of my lack of trust in the bike, I stopped getting any pleasure from the descents. On the serpentines, for fear of repeating the brake failure, I simply stopped before each turn. Yet in half an hour all the accumulated 500m were rolled down.
So, plans changed, and my planned 50 km eventually turned into 85 and a second pass was added to it. This, I tell you, is quite tough. And it’s good that the heat is not forty degrees at this time of year, but the optimal 18.
Here the next problem arose. The original plan was a half-day bike and boat picnic. That’s why we didn’t have any sandwiches with us. But we are in Spain! The biggest Spanish shame is their siesta! During the day, neither shops nor cafes are open. Especially in such a non-tourist area where I found myself. So, I approached the last pass with zero energy and a complete lack of drink. All I had was left from the previous evening half-empty bottle of wine. Really, it was a salvation! What did we learn from the experience of that day? Always leave some wine at the bottom because you never know how tomorrow will turn out.
In the town of Soller we stay for 2 nights. That night walking through it, I fell in love with it. Ancient houses, streets so narrow that modern transport cannot pass, an old tram that has not changed its appearance since 1913. A city in a valley surrounded by mountains and filled with the aroma of blooming citrus trees.
April 6, 2023
The day turned out to be relaxing. In the morning we went on a 13 km trail with an ascent of 600m. My body really liked it after the bike riding. The legs ran on their own. Still, the landscapes here are not like inMadeira, so I liked the part along the lowlands through ancient villages more, but the views from the mountains were not impressive.
In the afternoon, we decided to take a ride on an oldt ram to the neighboring city of Port de Soller. Impressive, of course. The coastal Port de Soller itself, the tram, and the cost of the ride – 8 euros for 20 minutes. After our village there is such a huge difference: the bay is dotted with expensive hotels, the water area is crowded with yachts, the beaches are full, people are splashing in the sea and no free space in the restaurants. In the beginning it was exciting! This rush captured me! I rushed back and forth looking for viewpoints. However, it started to feel boring quickly. After tasting the local traditional dish paella, which is rice in broth with all sorts of sea creatures and shellfish, I hurried back to the small Soller,to my quiet terrace.
In the evening I got a new neighbor, from Scotland, she is a big fan of Mallorca, even speaking Catalan (by the way, they don’t speak Spanish here, but Catalan is a completely different language) and she told met hat soon I would see something special. It is difficult for a modern person to imagine it happening in modern Europe. Such processions are not fortourists. Only in small old towns. For example, tomorrow I’m staying overnight in a coastal resort town. Most likely there will be nothing like that there.
Holy Thursday in Spain… What is this strange procession? What are these strange hoods? Like the Ku Klux Klan! What is the meaning of all the bare foot men with chains on their feet holding statues of holy Mary? What does all this have todo with the last meal? This procession of strange people in hoods walking to the music. They left the church and walked around the town. People gathered behind them. For me it’s kind of a strange promenade. More like something pagan, than Christian. I tried to go to bed around 22, but it didn’t work. The drums thundered until midnight. This is what Easter is like in Mallorca!
April 7, 2023
Look at the first photo in the carousel below – this is what a person looks like after climbing the last pass of the entire journey. Today, without any problem, I gained almost 1500 m for 70 km. Along the most picturesque road! The adrenaline from the descents, flavored with endorphins from the beauty around, seems to dull the pain and fatigue.
I planned 8 hours for this most difficult section, but it took me only 5 and a half, taking into account stops to “admire the miradors”, and even with an unplanned visit to the house of Frederic Chopin, where he lived with George Sand. It was an interesting couple. He is frail, nervous, spiritual and she, a strong lady with a cigarette in her mouth and in a man’s suit. The village of Valdemossa itself would be very charming if not the crowds of tourists brought by bus from Palma.
Today the trail climbed up to the pass, opening views of the southern coast, then again dived down to the northern coast. Now the sun and yellow-white chamomile fields, in 5 minutes – fragrant pines; sometimes gentle slopes, sometimes sharp drops into the ocean and the coast of continental Spain visible on the very horizon.
I even felt disappointed, when I found myself at the top of the last pass and all that was left was to roll down to the overnight stop. This day could have been extended.
Well, that evening we had no carnivals or mummers. Just stupid boring tourist village on the coast.
For the next day I had only about 40 km left on an almost flat road and perhaps Palma could give some emotions. Although I really doubt that the capital city, crowded with tourists, can compare with the quiet Soller, where I was last night. I’ll miss it!
April 8, 2023
There is almost nothing to tell about the last cycling day. Palma is a large, bustling tourist center. There is nothing to do here with a bicycle, and, in my opinion, without it, too. There are cool Gothic cathedrals, beautiful streets, but it’s so crowded even in the off-season!
The beaches stretch for tens of kilometers, hotels and restaurants are endless. Beach lovers will surely like it here. Along the coast there is a promenade and a bike path, bike rentals are behind every turn with prices from 6 euros per day for a city bike and up to …. for an electric or cool road bike. In a day, at a snail’s pace, you can travel around the entire resort coast in the vicinity of Palma, swimming in dozens of places.
Well, if I come back, I’ll go straight from the airport to the north and ride back and forth through the mountains and across them with views of the sea. Mallorca once again confirmed my island experience. Balearics, Canaries, Madeira – the northern coast is for active recreation and nature admiring, the south is for the beach activities and spending money.
We arrived at the rental at 16:30, there was a note on the door that today Pavel had a siesta until 17:00, but we could leave the bikes in front of the entrance. As for me, I wanted to wait for him and look into his impudent honest eyes. Even at 17:00 there was no one at the entrance, only a few customers nervously tugged at the door handles. Finally, Pavel arrived another 15 minutes later. With a baby under his arm, and for some reason I no longer wanted to swear. Moreover, he immediately began taking out money as soon as he saw my checks and receipts for repairs. We took only 50% of what was spent from him. This way we split maintenance costs. I think this is how Pavel maintains the condition of his equipment – clients repair it along the way.
But either way, don’t use Sunshine Bikes in Can Pastilla if you want to get home safe and sound.
I can say one thing about the food. Like all tourist places, it is expensive. But for the open-minded traveler, all European towns have Kurdish kebab shops. And, if you don’t have the opportunity or strength to cook yourself, such places on the outskirts offer huge portions for locals even in Mallorca for 5-7 euros. Well, you can eat delicacies of dubious quality at every step. And most importantly, bakeries with fresh hot pastries and coffee shops are open from 6-7 am. They are strange here, in southern Europe, they cannot install a coffee machine in a bakery or sell their neighbor’s rolls in a coffee shop. Be sure to go to 2 different places, but in both places by 8 am there are already lines.
And I have my flight in the morning, but this is not the end of the journey, because I bought the cheapest ticket, and it gave me a 9-hour transfer and the opportunity to breathe the air of another European capital.
April 9, 2023
Sometimes happens that I am on a different wavelength with the city. That day it happened to me in Amsterdam. For the first time I ran away from the city to the airport and spent 5 hours with great pleasure in the terminal, admiring the world’s largest world’s largest passenger airliner and the only full-length double-deck jet airliner, the Airbus A380.
Yes, even I am not always impressed by highly touted tourist attractions. This is what happened to me with Venice, for example. Only 10 years later I gave us a second chance, and the second time, only after a bottle of champagne, I somehow managed to relax there. With Amsterdam everything is much worse. I won’t even try anymore, it’s dead to me (he even smells like dead), and about the dead it’s either good or nothing.
In short, it’s dirty, expensive, crowded and strange, unkempt people around. And the sight of the shabby, rusty bikes, with the seats unscrewed and the wheels removed, was very sad.
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