It is always difficult traveling, arriving in a strange country, jet-lagged with no clue where to go and what to do. And when you arrive and find out that (once again) United/Lufthansa/Spanair managed to lose our bags, you just wonder why bother going anywhere. (The airlines manage to “misplace” 3,000,000 bags per year but this makes twice in a row for us!)
However, it was impossible to stay depressed on the 15-minute ride into Palma. The massive Gothic Cathedral stood out against a perfectly blue sky, palm trees, greenery, flowers waving in the wind, the beautiful Bay of Palma, a clear azure blue with resorts/beach hotels in the distance.
We stayed at Hotel Almundaina, in the center of town, on Jaime III Street, right in the middle of all the action. The resort areas are on the outskirts of Palma, but we prefer the old city – ancient buildings, narrow streets, restuarants and boutiques. Thanks to the Hotel Almundaina staff, Paola and Daniel, their phone calls to Spanair paid off and six hours later, there they were….OUR SUITCASES! Ole….clean clothes!
Hotel Almudaina serves a buffet breakfast, usually included in your rate. Eggs, bacon, ham, salami, meats, cheese, yoghurt, juice, doughnuts, a form of crullers, different kinds of breads and rolls including my favorite dark bread with lots of little grains and sunflowers seeds – more than enough to stoke up on.

typical street in Palma

Everyone who went to Mallorca raved about its beauty, and now I see why. Yes, there are many tourists, for good reason.

There are many restaurants (including good ol’ Burger King), sidewalk cafes, places to sit a have a cup of coffee (terrible coffee in our opinion!) or glass of wine (always good) and people watch.

You can walk along the Bay of Palma, rent bicycles or rollerblade on the wonderful bike path along the entire esplanade.
Multitudes of very chic boutiques selling gorgeous clothes up and down every little street…especially the shoe (zapatas) stores. Jimmy Choo, watch out. I’ve never seen such a fantastic array at some equally fantastic prices…high…higher…and highest! Especially since many shoe lines are made in Mallorca. Lovely old buildings – some art deco style, courtyards, trees on every street and immaculately clean. View image

Art Deco Building
Multiple Tourist Information Offices around with lots of maps, local bus information, etc. Everyone is extremely helpful, and English seems to be the second language of the country.
Time to crash and save the rest of the sightseeing for tomorrow….