Useful holiday facts
Restaurants:
We have a brilliant range of restaurants 10 to 15 minutes from either house in villages and surrounding countryside. Also, we have a great selection in the harbour village of Porto Petro, or within the resort of Cala d'Or, the nearby marina, or the resort. Guests can walk very easily from C'an Bassa Coll, to the nearby Campo Restaurant where children are very welcome and you can dine outside on the terrace. From Es Pins, another easy walk reaches Alqueria Blanca where the Italian 'Bacco' Restaurante provides great food in shaded courtyard dining.Before or afterwards, the nearby 'Bar Nou' offers a large selection of drinks in the village square.
All restaurants welcome children. All are reasonable by British standards. Say around £15.00 per head including wine.The most expensive would be El Colon, in Porto Colom, but the food here is worth a little more, and the ambience on the terrace or interior is casually elegant.
Our House Book lists them all. The culinary choice is huge and so is the choice of ambience and setting. It is wise to book in high season and we give their telephone numbers. Almost all local restaurants now accept credit cards. Again we try and give this information in our house book.
Dishes we recommend include Trampo Salad, Fresh Fish, Tumbet, Pimientos Padron. Barbecued Meats. Chicken. Salads. There are many more of course... enjoy.
Beaches:
If you can tear yourselves away from our pool, Cala Mondrago is the closest beach, 10 minutes by car from either house, with two large sandy bays, two beach bars and great sea swimming around the rocky cliffs. Now designated an area of outstanding beauty and protected within a surrounding park, these two beautiful beaches are always popular, but never unpleasant e.g. crowded in our experience.
Cala Mondrago is utterly beautiful and totally tranquil for early morning swims around 8 to 10, or late evening, when the Mallorquins tend to visit, around 7 to watch the sun set.
- Cala Sanau is signposted from the village of S'Horta. High cliffs, blue sea, small beach bar, cliff walks. Deep sandy beach. 20 minutes.
- Es Trenc - through Lombards. Long sandy beach, around 8 miles long. Clear translucent water. Bird Sanctuary. Beach bars. 30 minutes.
- Cala Llombards - through Santanyi. Large beach. Aquamarine sea. High cliffs. Great walks. 20 mins
- Cala S'almonia nearby. Rocks only, tiny fisherman's houses in the cove. Great sea. Great cliff walks. Magic for a picnic beside the Med. 20 mins
- Cala Santanyi. Good beach. Beach bars. Umbrellas. Showers. Loungers. 20 mins.
All of these beaches are..... just beaches. No high rise hotels or apartment blocks.
Shopping:
Good local shops in Alqueria Blanca include, two bakers, butcher, newspaper shop/general store. Small supermarket.
Three banks. Ceramic shop. Present/kitchen shop
Large supermarket, ' Caprabo', in Cala d'Or.
More supermarkets in Santanyi.
Local market on Tuesday in Alqueria Blanca features fruit and vegetables. Olives, clothes, shoes.
Large local markets on Wednesday and Saturday in Santanyi, feature fruit and veg, plus flowers and clothes.
Good dress and shoe shops in Cala d'Or.
Palma, 45 minutes drive, has a huge selection of shops of course.
Car Hire:
We can arrange car hire through the local company which also rents bicycles. They will meet our guests at the airport and drive them to the house. Then collect and return after the holiday. All the international hire car companies are represented at Palma Airport.
