I have recently spent a lovely 5 days in Palma, Mallorca which was a welcome respite from the freezing temperatures and prolonged winter we've been having in London. That was almost two weeks ago now and it's finally getting milder and brighter meaning I'm more inclined to sit myself down and finally write this blog post.Flights for this time of year were coming in really cheap so my friend and I decided to book a return flight with easyJet which we got for under £50 per head! You can't get to Wales or Scotland for that.
Once our dates were fixed we then searched the Airbnb site and found a fabulous two bed self contained apartment right in the centre of Palma. A perfect location for everything that we had in mind to do.
We set off early in the morning for Gatwick, fortunately slightly ahead of the forecast snowfall. We checked in, had a fab breakfast at Jamie's Italian and boarded our plane. We then had a two hour delay because we had to wait for the aircraft to be de-iced and you can imagine the queue resulting from this procedure. That's the best thing about booking an early flight. We still managed to arrive with most of the day left at our leisure.
We have some friends who live in Palma so they kindly collected us from the airport and drove the 15 minute journey from the airport to our apartment where we dropped our gear and met our lovely host. After settling in we headed about 20 minutes north to the Port Andratx for afternoon drinks at the Club de Vela. It was a beautiful day .. the sun shining, the view stunning and a perfect start to our stay in Mallorca. 
We spent our days meandering the streets of Palma, visiting a couple of museums, Museu Fundación Juan March and Museu de Mallorca, doing a little shopping and having coffee in outdoor cafes when the weather was nice. We did have a little rain on one of the days but we never let the weather stop us doing anything. 
It's an easy city to walk around although also easy to get lost initially. Being relatively small though you're never far away from a street which will send you back in the direction you came from. Thank goodness for Google maps! 
Once you get to grips with the bus system, there are endless places to go and at 1.5 Euros a trip a cheap alternative to cabs. If you fancy going even further afield, another way to get around the island is to hire a car. Manual cars are so affordable and much cheaper than an automatic and a tank of petrol will take you far.
We found some great restaurants for lunch (Aromata was a favourite) and had delicious tapas one evening in San Juan Gastronomic market. The food stalls offer fried fish, ham & charcuterie, Thai, Japanese, 'fideuas' (a sort of paella made with fine short noodles), oysters & shellfish, fresh pasta & pizza, Mallorcan food & rices, gourmet burgers, grilled meats, Basque pintxos, Spanish pickles & 'tortillas' and 'llonguets' (sandwiches made with traditional Palma bread).
On our penultimate day, we drove 35km north to the Liedtke Museum built into a cliff side near Port Andraxt. We had lunch overlooking the beautiful bay.. if it was warmer I'd want to swim in that sea. It's such a peaceful, quiet location and it is also possible to stay in the apartments in the complex. We spent our last day with our friends and took a walk over to Santa Catalina, a hip area where you will find a lovely mix of eclectic boutiques, cafes and restaurants. We opted for a late lunch at Santina which I loved as they did gorgeous almond milk lattes and offered a good selection of healthy foods, with vegan and gluten free options.
Afterwards we walked back past the harbour, the beautiful Cathedral, specialty shops and food markets. So much to see and do but sadly our trip was almost over and it was time to head to the airport in the early evening.
I have previously been to different parts of Mallorca a number of times but my last trip prior to this one was almost 10 years ago. I can't believe I've left it so long to come back.
Palma is perfect for a fab city break if you fancy a little cultural injection. I see myself returning more often as it's only a two hour flight away. I definitely won't leave it so long again.
There is some amazing architecture in Palma .. for more info click here Ultimate Tour of Palma de Mallorca's Landmarks
