October in Mallorca: My Favourite Spots
Sóller town, with an ice lolly from Fashion & Juice
In early Autumn last year, our family travelled to Mallorca, one of the Balearic islands in the Mediterranean sea. We joined our friends in a town house in Sóller, just a few kilometres from Port De Sóller. Port De Sóller is the port town that, together with the village of Fornalutx and the hamlets of Biniaraix and Binibassi, makes up the greater area or Sóller. Sóller is on the north-east side of the island and sits in a bowl shaped valley, keeping temperatures warm (great for citrus fruits, which the area is famous for, and for protecting the area from strong prevailing winds - perfect for summer)!
This was our first solo trip with our then 7-month-old daughter - our wedding the previous month was a bit different, as we had lots of friends and family to help, whereas for this trip we travelled to Mallorca as as group of three: my husband Peppe, our daughter Zara, and myself - although we did stay with a small group of friends. The aim for this trip was to not move around too much, so we weren’t expecting to travel around the island, or to any of the stunning beaches on the east coast. We made the decision that travelling with a baby would be quite different and, to ease into things, we decided to take it slow and get used to travelling with an infant.
Sóller
Sóller itself is a beautiful town with semi-pedestrianised areas, fronted by a public square with the church of Sant Bartomeu (Saint Bartholomew). Cobbled streets and a weekend market make it a lovely town to visit whether for a stroll a bite to eat or to get a deal at some of the stalls.
We visited @angelagudo.es, aka Fashion & Juice, way too many times. They sell pure coconut milk & fruit lollies, and little açai cups too, which were delicious (though small!). Restaurant food wasn’t great for vegan options - I mainly made meals out of side dishes, but we only ate out a couple of times. We self-catered the rest, and the fresh fruit and veg in Sóller is lovely!
Port De Sóller
Port De Sóller wasn’t too far from where we were staying, but we still had to take a car. There is a pay and display car park about 300m from the beach, which makes it ideal for travelling with a baby. The beach promenade is dotted with shops and restaurants, my favourite being Giovanni L. for their fruit-heavy sorbets. Another perk of coming so late in the season was that there were never any queues for food! The sand beach in Port De Sóller was beautiful and, whilst neither my husband or I were able to swim with each other (one of us always had to be with the baby), it was still a very relaxing environment. Going to the beach with a baby is a completely different experience to what I’ve known in the past, and it’ll definitely take getting used to!
Fornalutx
Fornalutx is a few kilometres from Sóller and even more beautiful! This sleepy Mediterranean town looks like all the residents are part of a house-plant club, except they keep them outdoors - it’s stunning! There aren’t many shops (there’s pretty much just a café) but it’s a quaint town to visit in the hills above Sóller, if nothing more than for a hilly morning walk accompanied by a fresh orange juice.
Banyalbufar
Thirty or forty minutes away from Sóller is Banyalbufar, another sleepy town - this time overlooking the rugged coast, showing a side that I didn’t expect to see in Mallorca. We were there very late in the season, so most places were shut as residents were back at school and work, but it meant we had the island free from (other) tourists!
We stumbled upon a restaurant called Restaurante San Tomas, which was surprisingly vegan-friendly! They made a delicious stir-fry that we were really happy with! There’s a cute little shop selling local crockery and pottery too.
