Mallorca: Sun, Sand, and the Pleasures of the Slow Life

The Cap de Formentor lighthouse at sunset. Fabian Schneidereit/Unsplash

A cool, spring rain was falling outside, adding a sheen to the cobblestone passageways deep within the labyrinth of this ancient city, but everything is warm inside a former bakery, in a building dating back to medieval times. Welcoming our small group, Deborah and Nina smiled and offered each of us an apron. Soon, everyone was chopping and rolling and kneading, while sipping a nice, local rosé.

This historic tram connects the small town of Sóller with the Port de Sóller district. proslgn/Shutterstock

On the menu tonight: two Mallorcan classics, “coca de verduras” (flatbread with greens) and “arros de carxofes i sobrasada” (rice with artichokes and a traditional Mallorcan sausage).

“We cook with simple, humble ingredients, but a lot of flavor,” said Deborah, who owns this small cooking school, called Deborah’s Culinary Island. She explained that their priority is to preserve, and present, the unique cuisine of this Mediterranean island. “This isn’t Madrid, this isn’t Barcelona, it’s not Seville. People come here, they want a taste of Mallorca,” she explained, noting that the meals they make are not gourmet, by design. “You will never see this in a restaurant—it’s peasant food.”

The Alfabia gardens are located in the Tramuntana mountain range. Olga Gorchichko/Shutterstock

I told her I’m a terrible chef. So she assigned me one of the easiest tasks and took her time, carefully showing me how to make the dough for coca, a traditional flatbread. Just olive oil, a pinch of salt, and flour—the latter made from an ancient grain that almost went extinct, and procured from a local farmer. We mixed it all together, expanding the dough to fit the dimensions of a small rectangular pan.

A patio in Palma. Tom Podmore/Unsplash

It’s just one element in what will soon be a feast, the others in the group pulling together other parts of the recipe, all of us snacking on local cheese and sausage laid out in the middle of the table. Like everything here, this meal was many centuries in the making. “We were a center of commerce and trade,” said Deborah. “There are so many layers—the Romans, the Phoenicians the Arabs, they all left their mark.”

Traditionally made for Easter, "panades," small meat-filled pies, can be found year-round. Alejandra Cifre González/Unsplash

Set in the middle of the Mediterranean, Mallorca is the largest of the Balearic Islands, an archipelago with three other major inhabited islands—Minorca, Ibiza, and Formentera. The collective name comes from Greek and Roman origins highlighting the fact that soldiers here were always lightly armored and relied on slinging stones for defense, a very effective strategy in many cases. Home to more than 1.2 million people on Mallorca, Palma is the hub and capital, with a population of about 400,000 people in its metro area.

A sailboat in the waters off Mallorca. Evan Bollag/Unsplash

While many travel here from northern Europe for the simple pleasures of sun and sand, soon after my arrival a brief drive inland from Palma revealed the diversity of this place. The jagged mountains of the Tramuntana Range rose sharply on both sides of the road, their summits covered in a carpet of cloud, giving a mysterious feel to the whole place. (The physical and cultural significance of the mountains are recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.)

An alley in the small village Fornalutx, in the Tramuntana Mountains. id23/Unsplash

First, a stop to walk through the Jardines de Alfabia, a complex of gardens and buildings that date back to the Arab era. The structures range from Moorish to Baroque. Christine, one of the family owners, walked us through the home and stables and past an olive press once powered by donkeys. Today, this is their retreat. Most families in Palma maintain a second summer home, some grand, some simple, like a cabin or a flat, most of them just 20 minutes away from their permanent home in the capital. In the warmer months, they commute from their vacation retreat, just changing up the scenery for a little while.

Sheer cliffs surround Cala des Moro. Reiseuhu/Unsplash

‘Island Within the Island’

Back on the road, we climbed up over a mountain pass and descended into a deep, green valley, dropping into Soller, a town tucked there like a hidden kingdom.

“This is like an island within the island,” our guide, Inma, explained. Surrounded by the highest peaks on Mallorca, and home to both a microclimate and a very calm harbor, this town grew oranges, made olive oil, and produced fabrics. Getting their products back to Palma was arduous, although alleviated by a special railway they built, running over narrow gauge for 28 miles.

Still, they preferred to trade by sea with the south of France, and became rich in the process.

The Cathedral of Santa Maria of Palma, known as "Le Seu." Tom Podmore/Unsplash

“To this day, people still speak with a French accent, and the older folks use a smattering of French words in their Spanish,” Inma explained, as she walked us to the Plaza de la Constitucion, the grand central square in town. Sitting down at a sidewalk café for an afternoon cortado, I watched an old tram toot through the square, on its way to the port. Inma points out the town hall and the bank (“they were so wealthy, they had their own bank!”).

There was plenty more to explore in the following days, driving along the plunging cliffs of the northern coast, and walking the winding, vertiginous path to the Cap de Formentor. Jutting out into the Mediterranean, the tip of this long point is surrounded on three sides by water, the blue sea rolling and crashing, impossibly far below. On the agenda: village walks and cathedral visits—and a morning experience of excellence touring the museum at the Rafa Nadal Academy. It showcases high achievement in various sports from Formula One racing to basketball (and aims to inspire guests to reach for the same in their own lives); the tennis star is from this island, and still spends most of his time off-tour here.

Downtown Palma. Rostislav Glinsky/Shutterstock

But the memory that will endure is sitting down to dinner after a couple hours of cooking, back in Palma at Deborah’s place. The coca bread was baked, the stew complete and steaming, another round of wine opened and ready to go, the stories flowing faster than the vino. We ate and drank like Mallorcans and, maybe, for just that moment, we became Mallorcan, enjoying each other and some of the greatest island traditions, in from the rain, warm and wishing the night would go on, forever.

Almond trees in bloom in Mallorca's countryside. Sebas Adrover/Shutterstock

If You Go

Fly: The international airport in Palma is one of the busiest in Spain, handling about 30 million passengers every year. You can fly direct from many European capitals, and a new route on United Airlines will connect Mallorca directly with Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR).

Getting Around: Especially in Palma, Mallorca offers a solid system of public transportation, and the Ferrocarril de Sóller, the narrow-gauge railway that connects Palma to Soller, still runs regular departures. But if you’re looking to explore beyond—say, on the rugged northern coast—a rental car is recommended.

Stay: Located right in the heart of Palma’s old town, Hotel Sant Jaume sits between a Gothic church and a 14th-century Baroque convent. Guest rooms and public spaces are modern and stylish, and the lower-level spa, complete with sauna and thermal tub, is the perfect place to decompress after a long day of touring.

Cala Figuera. pixelliebe/Shutterstock

A luxury hotel strung along one of Mallorca’s most spectacular stretches of coastline, the St. Regis Mardavall offers spectacular opportunities to soak up the Mediterranean sun. All guest rooms include airy balconies, and the massive pool cascades down multiple levels, toward the sea. Spend your day in the fresh air, then tuck into a gourmet meal at Es Fum, the hotel’s Michelin-starred restaurant.

Take Note: While English is common and Spanish is near-universal, most locals speak Mallorqui, a dialect of Catalan.