G
Gooner Jon
Member
HOLA!
Sadly just returned from our holidays so here’s my trip report:
No delays at Palma Airport arriving or departing.
Excellent communications with Jose for our booked Taxi to PP with Conde Taxis, 86E each way.
We stayed at a lovely Apartment off Avinguda Paris which was in a great location for beach and short walk to the marina.
To be highly critical the majority of Restaurants we ate in which were good but very few blew me away particularly considering the price with the odd exception. Here is a quick summary of where we ate:
Voramar 57 - bit chaotic due to being very popular including people waiting for take aways. Despite pre-booking weeks ahead for 9pm we like many others still had to wait 20 odd minutes a table to become availabe. Good Pizza (€16) on the Pine Walk beach. Both Mrs and Daughter enjoyed their pasta dishes.
Dos Kanallas by Totham was ok although the 60E for the Turbot for 2 people (served with mash potato..). for €60 I thought was very steep considering it wasn’t the biggest Turbot I’d ever seen.. Daughter enjoyed her Salt Baked Sea Bream (€30) which although still steep seemed far better value for the amount of fish she got off it. I guess the night was a little marred by the fact we couldn’t eat outside in their lovely spot by the Church overlooking the square due to the torrential rain that night.
Can Costa Alcúdia Old Town - very nice mixed tapas, good paella for 2 (€46) although most of the smaller shell fish such as clams and mussels were over cooked and barely edible as a result. Nice table outside in street, Alcudia Town is beautiful.
Q11 Pollenca Old Town - nice spot in square. We had mixed Mallorcan tapas for starters. Both Mrs & daughter had Sea bass (€29) I had the shoulder of lamb (€33) which was fine but really needed a sauce as on dry side.
Imperial tapas for lunch was ok. Went for the mixed tapas and also ordered the garlic prawns which were a staggering 22€ for a small dish containing 7 regular prawns. Had much better elsewhere for less.
Had a couple of much better tapas lunches at La Goleta Cafateria - their garlic prawns (€15) and Andalusian Calimari (€14) & Ham Croquettes (€9) I’d highly recommend. Nice spot too and good service. I believe their Tapas menu in the evening is more comprehensive so worth a try.
Laroc Pizza was good for reasonably priced pizzas (€13-15) just behind the Pine Walk.
Cellar La Parra - we shared 2 starters including Pica Pica squid (€9.75) and then had the Seafood Paella for 3 (€47.25). All good. Shared the traditional mallorcan dessert of Cardenal de Lloseta which I’d recommend.
La Font Del Gall in Pollenca was a bit of an experience to say the least - I pre booked weeks in advance with confirmation received but after arriving we were just left standing there like lemons and then when we eventually spoke to the manager he seemed very indifferent almost like he didn’t have a clue about our booking so we ended up getting shown to the only table that had not been made up for the evening. Then had to wait another 20 min for a drinks menu which I had to go and seek out, then another wait for a table cloth, glasses and cutlery to be laid. We probably would normally have walked off at this stage….However, I’m glad we didn’t as once our orders were finally taken the service did improve, was prompt and the food was excellent and actually in our Top 2 alongside Stay of evening meals. We shared two starters including a great fish ceviche (16.5E). I then had steak (39E) which was perfectly cooked. The Mrs had Seafood Paella (27.50) which she said was the best of the holiday. This was the night of the White Party (Marcha Fresca) which is on until 5am! but as we had the boat trip the next day we left before it really got going…
Our last night was spent at Stay which we had pre-booked asking for a waterside table. The only evening meal where the service was spot on. We were shown immediately to a very nice table. We shared 2 starters including Garlic Prawns (€16.5) followed by mains which we all enjoyed. My fillet of Turbot in white wine sauce (€32.5) was beautiful. Mrs had Calamari & fries (€24.80) & daughter had Sea Bass (28.50) which they really enjoyed. Rounded off with 2 excellent desserts - selection of sorbets (€9) and crème brûlée (€8.90) followed by complimentary drinks which I opted for the local Hierbas liqueur. Service was very attentive and spot on and the only place where I felt compelled to leave a tip. Total bill was €166.70 which I felt was reasonable for the service, location and a what was an excellent meal. This meal really did round off a great holiday despite a few iffy weather days.
We ate in a couple of times by buying fresh prawns and squid at the Eroski which had a great selection of fresh produce and reasonably cheap too.
Had a great Breakfast on market day at the Cultural Boutique on the square. Great location watching the world go by.
We weren’t overly impressed with the PP Night Market. Seemed far more choice when we went to Santa Eulalia a couple of years ago. Not sure the looky looky man stall selling fake designer handbags is really what a night market was meant to be for but seemed popular anyway. I think the Night Market should be for local artisans selling their handmade items. Nethertheless both the Mrs and Daughter bought some jewellery on the last night.
Boat trip to Cap Formentor was great - you can either book it with No Thrills excursions or direct, like we did, with the operator themselves at their office near Stay Restaurant. We stopped off for a quick 20min swim in a bay then onto the Lighthouse. Then on the return we took the option to disembark at Formentor Beach before getting the ferry back. Formentor Beach is indeed a beautiful beach with crystal clear waters however extremely packed & difficult to find any beach space with any shade although we managed to put our towels down in front of the €70-90 (!!) sunbeds much to the probably delight of their occupants. We felt like their poor relations all afternoon
. However, seeing a floating poo 
whilst swimming there did quite take it off the idyllic setting. I had a very similar experience in Santa Eulalaia Ibiza two years ago so it’s probably to do with the numerous Yachts rather than any nearby sewage pipes. Either that or it’s the same poo following me about…
For excellent cocktails in great locations I’d highly recommend Club Varadero (12E), Cappuccino Bar (15E!) & Illa D’or (10-12E). Although there are cheaper options but these were the best cocktails we had. I did enjoy the Bar directly on the Marina Roundabout which seemed popular with both tourists and locals. Great spot to enjoy a Beer or Cava.
Gripes - The Spanish do have an issue with dog poo. Pick it up! I even walked through the Gola nature reserve and even there it was noticeable.
I paid for virtually everything using my Revolut Card by pre loading Euros. Great Card.
ADIOS!
Sadly just returned from our holidays so here’s my trip report:
No delays at Palma Airport arriving or departing.
Excellent communications with Jose for our booked Taxi to PP with Conde Taxis, 86E each way.
We stayed at a lovely Apartment off Avinguda Paris which was in a great location for beach and short walk to the marina.
To be highly critical the majority of Restaurants we ate in which were good but very few blew me away particularly considering the price with the odd exception. Here is a quick summary of where we ate:
Voramar 57 - bit chaotic due to being very popular including people waiting for take aways. Despite pre-booking weeks ahead for 9pm we like many others still had to wait 20 odd minutes a table to become availabe. Good Pizza (€16) on the Pine Walk beach. Both Mrs and Daughter enjoyed their pasta dishes.
Dos Kanallas by Totham was ok although the 60E for the Turbot for 2 people (served with mash potato..). for €60 I thought was very steep considering it wasn’t the biggest Turbot I’d ever seen.. Daughter enjoyed her Salt Baked Sea Bream (€30) which although still steep seemed far better value for the amount of fish she got off it. I guess the night was a little marred by the fact we couldn’t eat outside in their lovely spot by the Church overlooking the square due to the torrential rain that night.
Can Costa Alcúdia Old Town - very nice mixed tapas, good paella for 2 (€46) although most of the smaller shell fish such as clams and mussels were over cooked and barely edible as a result. Nice table outside in street, Alcudia Town is beautiful.
Q11 Pollenca Old Town - nice spot in square. We had mixed Mallorcan tapas for starters. Both Mrs & daughter had Sea bass (€29) I had the shoulder of lamb (€33) which was fine but really needed a sauce as on dry side.
Imperial tapas for lunch was ok. Went for the mixed tapas and also ordered the garlic prawns which were a staggering 22€ for a small dish containing 7 regular prawns. Had much better elsewhere for less.
Had a couple of much better tapas lunches at La Goleta Cafateria - their garlic prawns (€15) and Andalusian Calimari (€14) & Ham Croquettes (€9) I’d highly recommend. Nice spot too and good service. I believe their Tapas menu in the evening is more comprehensive so worth a try.
Laroc Pizza was good for reasonably priced pizzas (€13-15) just behind the Pine Walk.
Cellar La Parra - we shared 2 starters including Pica Pica squid (€9.75) and then had the Seafood Paella for 3 (€47.25). All good. Shared the traditional mallorcan dessert of Cardenal de Lloseta which I’d recommend.
La Font Del Gall in Pollenca was a bit of an experience to say the least - I pre booked weeks in advance with confirmation received but after arriving we were just left standing there like lemons and then when we eventually spoke to the manager he seemed very indifferent almost like he didn’t have a clue about our booking so we ended up getting shown to the only table that had not been made up for the evening. Then had to wait another 20 min for a drinks menu which I had to go and seek out, then another wait for a table cloth, glasses and cutlery to be laid. We probably would normally have walked off at this stage….However, I’m glad we didn’t as once our orders were finally taken the service did improve, was prompt and the food was excellent and actually in our Top 2 alongside Stay of evening meals. We shared two starters including a great fish ceviche (16.5E). I then had steak (39E) which was perfectly cooked. The Mrs had Seafood Paella (27.50) which she said was the best of the holiday. This was the night of the White Party (Marcha Fresca) which is on until 5am! but as we had the boat trip the next day we left before it really got going…
Our last night was spent at Stay which we had pre-booked asking for a waterside table. The only evening meal where the service was spot on. We were shown immediately to a very nice table. We shared 2 starters including Garlic Prawns (€16.5) followed by mains which we all enjoyed. My fillet of Turbot in white wine sauce (€32.5) was beautiful. Mrs had Calamari & fries (€24.80) & daughter had Sea Bass (28.50) which they really enjoyed. Rounded off with 2 excellent desserts - selection of sorbets (€9) and crème brûlée (€8.90) followed by complimentary drinks which I opted for the local Hierbas liqueur. Service was very attentive and spot on and the only place where I felt compelled to leave a tip. Total bill was €166.70 which I felt was reasonable for the service, location and a what was an excellent meal. This meal really did round off a great holiday despite a few iffy weather days.
We ate in a couple of times by buying fresh prawns and squid at the Eroski which had a great selection of fresh produce and reasonably cheap too.
Had a great Breakfast on market day at the Cultural Boutique on the square. Great location watching the world go by.
We weren’t overly impressed with the PP Night Market. Seemed far more choice when we went to Santa Eulalia a couple of years ago. Not sure the looky looky man stall selling fake designer handbags is really what a night market was meant to be for but seemed popular anyway. I think the Night Market should be for local artisans selling their handmade items. Nethertheless both the Mrs and Daughter bought some jewellery on the last night.
Boat trip to Cap Formentor was great - you can either book it with No Thrills excursions or direct, like we did, with the operator themselves at their office near Stay Restaurant. We stopped off for a quick 20min swim in a bay then onto the Lighthouse. Then on the return we took the option to disembark at Formentor Beach before getting the ferry back. Formentor Beach is indeed a beautiful beach with crystal clear waters however extremely packed & difficult to find any beach space with any shade although we managed to put our towels down in front of the €70-90 (!!) sunbeds much to the probably delight of their occupants. We felt like their poor relations all afternoon
. However, seeing a floating poo whilst swimming there did quite take it off the idyllic setting. I had a very similar experience in Santa Eulalaia Ibiza two years ago so it’s probably to do with the numerous Yachts rather than any nearby sewage pipes. Either that or it’s the same poo following me about…For excellent cocktails in great locations I’d highly recommend Club Varadero (12E), Cappuccino Bar (15E!) & Illa D’or (10-12E). Although there are cheaper options but these were the best cocktails we had. I did enjoy the Bar directly on the Marina Roundabout which seemed popular with both tourists and locals. Great spot to enjoy a Beer or Cava.
Gripes - The Spanish do have an issue with dog poo. Pick it up! I even walked through the Gola nature reserve and even there it was noticeable.
I paid for virtually everything using my Revolut Card by pre loading Euros. Great Card.
ADIOS!
