My best friend from college and I decided to plan a trip over the summer, our first international trip together. We looked at so many places to go, and finally - after many Reels and TikToks we decided on Spain - specifically Mallorca, with a quick drop by in Madrid. I was super excited since I love the beach, as does she, and this trip was going to be a trip with beach, ocean, drinks, reading, and relaxing.
It's take-off - we flew a direct flight from LAX -> Madrid with Iberia (the only airline that does this). While this was convenient, we would probably think twice about using this airline again. It was not very comfortable, the service was subpar, and mind you this is a 12HR flight - I suggest a layover.
Barley 48 Hours in Madrid
....and I wanted to see it all. This is how you can. Most importantly, stay in the city center, everything is walkable. We stayed at Hotel Cortezo - it's a budget place, so if you want something nicer (I recommend that) yet the location is ideal.
We arrived, quickly got settled, and then got ready to sightsee. As tired as we were - there was no time to waste sleeping! We took a quick walk (~6-8 mins) to see Plaza Mayor and Mercado de San Miguel. It was really beautiful, with live music as we sat on the steps watching, then at the market smells of all the food were so yummy - we got some olives and cheese - and then we knew it was time to get ready for dinner. After some vino in the room, we took a walk (about 15 minutes) to our first dinner at Ten Con Ten - now this was amazing, highly recommend, food, drinks, vibe, everything. You will need a reservation!
We then grabbed drinks at Loa - a Hawaiian bar - the vibe was cool, drinks were just okay.
The One and Only Full Day
It's go time. We get up and we are ready for the day. Mind you, it's August, and almost 90 degrees by 9AM. I will only say this once now, but we were consistently dripping sweat throughout the entire trip. We start exploring the beautiful city with a coffee at Cappuccino!
Just a few minutes walk away we started the rest of our sightseeing starting with the Parque de El Ritro, Palacio de Cristal, and Museo de Prado (we did not go in). These are all must-sees and are very walkable near each other so no need to Uber or take a break!
After the sightseeing, it was time for a drink at the Axel Hotel Rooftop Bar - great vibe, and a beautiful view of the city, then some shopping - you definitely have to check out the Zara, Pull & Bear, Bershka to name a few - and yes, this is all in the area.
We ended the night with some sangria and tapas at Matadar (a must go - so good, and inexpensive!) and a Flamenco show at 1911 which was really fun and cool to experience - those dancers have some strong legs. And that's a wrap for Madrid - in the morning we are off to Palma! (~1-1.5 hour flight from Madrid).
MALLORCA
PALMA -> Cala D' OR
We landed in Palma, picked up our rental car (we used RecordGo and everything worked out great), and headed to Cala D' Or. You need a car in Mallorca to get around, everything is quite far unless you want to just stay in the city center, Palma.
Cala D'Or is known for its beautiful beaches. We stayed at BarcelĆ³ Aguamarina, and while it was nice and super close to some of the best beaches, the hotel itself was packed with families traveling during August, and the A/C did not work....it was 95 degrees out. That aside, we popped open some drinks and then headed down to our first beach which the hotel is next to: Cala Ferrera.
FYI on the way, we picked up beach towels, an umbrella, and a raft. None of this was provided by the hotel. The beach was pretty - not our favorite. Kind of a small beach area, and just too many damn families with kids. We had dinner at the hotel (included in our stay) and called it a night.
Cala D'Or Day 2
Now this is what we are talking about! Cala Esmeralda, which was about a 10-minute walk from the hotel.
Beautiful blue ocean, gorgeous views, and some pretty people. We loved this beach. August does seem to be a very busy time so I don't think anywhere we went we would have been beating the crowds, or the heat. This beach is a must-go - and bring your raft to lay out in the beauty! We especially liked how on the coasts of the water you can jump in with railings to climb up to get back onto land.
After a full day in the sun, we needed an escape from the restaurant hotel and decided to check out the marina. It was gorgeous, just a 5-minute drive and so many different places to eat right near the water and the yachts are incredible. We lucked out eating at an amazing local spot, Proas, without a reservation.
Cala D'Or Day 3 -> Soller
We checked out one more beach in Cala D' Or, Cala Mondrago. This beach was about 30 minutes away. It was bigger, with more actual beach, but not many areas on the outer edges to tan/jump in and easily climb out like at Cala Esmeralda and we felt the water was not as clear. There is a restaurant right on the beach which was nice.
Then we drove up to Soller, about an hour and twenty minutes on the other side of the island.
Soller
We arrive at Hotel Eden - The location is great, right on the port, across from the beach, and central to everything. The actual hotel was decent. We ran into an issue again (also happened in Cala D' Or) where they didn't have any parking available, and the A/C was not working great - we luckily found street parking but this was annoying. Next time, call ahead and reserve parking, even if the website notes that they have parking for guests.
We got some drinks by the pool, explored the Port, and had dinner across from the ocean at Villa Luisa Soller - recommend!
Soller kind of reminded me of SoCal in a way with the hills, beach, and palm trees. The next day we had a boat tour that visited Sa Coster, Sa Calobra, & Cala Tuent. The pick-up was a few minutes' walk away at the port and this was one of the highlights of the trip. Being out on the crystal blue water, seeing the amazing caves and cliffs, and then being able to snorkel a couple of times was beautiful. It was only 2 hours and about $50 - well worth it, and book ahead.
While in Soller check out the Cathedral and then head to Valldemossa and DeiĆ” (about 30-40 mins from Soller). Super cute little towns, to shop, eat, and explore. DeiĆ” also has a beach (rocky) which is quite popular - parking is difficult and the road is windy but once you make it down it is quite pretty.
PALMA
Our last stop was back in the city center, Palma. This is the hub of the island, where most of the shopping, nightlife, and things to do are. We got caught in a bit of a tropical storm on our way to Palma, which was interesting, but we made it! And we learned our lesson to call the hotel ahead and reserve parking, and THANK GOD we got a spot. Our hotel was Hotel Saratoga, which was by far the nicest hotel we stayed at and in a great location, with a rooftop pool and bar. We were not able to stop by the Gran Folies Beach Club as planned due to the rain - so I would suggest trying to make that stop as well, after our research this looked like the best beach club!
It was still raining and wet when we got to Palma so we decided to get some sangria and tapas. We checked out Bar Dia which was close to the hotel and worth the hype. After Bar Dia, we explored Palma. Palma has a lot going on, there's a ton of shopping, restaurants, and cafes with many more people than in the other towns. We did some shopping, found a local spot for a massage, and then had one of our best dinners at Cafe Toni. The food and sangria here were so good, I don't think you can go wrong with any dish - make a res! And was literally around the block from our hotel.
