#igtravelthursday – exploring the east coast of mallorca (spain)

Little towns of mallorca

Happy #IGTravelThursday again. Come and join with me for another tour around the island of Mallorca. Last week I shared the tour to the west coast and the beautiful town of Valldemossa, and this week we are heading to the east coast, best known for the small golden beaches and caves – and of course the factory for the Majorica pearls in Manacor.

The weather was lovely, a sunny 19c (64F) and very little wind, which made all the beach stops very enjoyable. The journey to the coast is very enjoyable with beautiful nature and houses to admire and old pretty towns to drive through – and stop for a drink or a tapa if you feel like it. These are real towns where people live so stores and restaurants are open all year-round, whereas the coastal tourist towns are still more like ghost towns in February.

East Coast Mallorca

This is the route we took to explore the East coast all the way to the lighthouse in Cala Ratjada. From this high hilltop cove one can see the outline of the island of Menorca also. The whole coast is filled with little coves with soft white sandy beaches where turquoise water invites you to waddle in.

Spring in Mallorca
“The countryside is blooming – springtime at its best”

Whereas the west and north side of the island and very rugged and mountaneous, the east side is more flat and green, filled with orchards and olive trees surrounding pretty stone houses.

Cala d"or Mallorca
“The small, but oh so golden beach in Cala D’Or”

Cala D’or is a very popular tourist town filled with white-washer houses. The beach is rather small and narrow, but centrally located just steps away from restaurants.

Cala Sa Nau. Mallorca
“Beautiful and hidden beach area of Cala Sa Nau”

The cove of Cala Sa Nau was my personal favourite, hidden from the views, but once you got down to the beach through a little pine forest the views were breathtaking: surrounding by cliffs a long, narrow turquoise bay and white sand stretches in front of you. Who needs Caribbean with these kind of gems so close to home…

Cristo Caves in Mallorca
“The caves are an interesting experience with lights, colours, movies, entertainment in the dorm of a short movie and a musical spectacle”

Mallorca is also known for its caves, and there are several to visit. We chose to visit the Porto Cristo caves and they certainly were impressive with stalactites and stalagmites up to three metres (9ft) long. Large caves, water pool, colourful lights and ambient music make the visit magical. Mother Nature does amazing creations!

Capdepera

The little town of Capdepera has a beautiful walled castle on hilltop location. The views that stretch out over the surrounding valley are great, and it’s also worth walking up and down narrow cobbled streets and admiring architecture of all those lovely houses.

Cala Ratjada lighthouse Mallorca
“The end of the island, where Menorca can be seen in the horizon is the lighthouse at Cala Ratjada”

Windy and chilly, but great views. We made it to Cala Ratjada and the lighthouse, the easternmost point of the island where boats pass and large waves crash into the cliffs below. it’s time to start heading back to the hotel and catch a lovely sunset once again.

Sant Salvador Monastery, Mallorca
“Majestic Sanctuary of Sant Salvador lies on a hilltop near Arta”

I was surprised to see so many castles, monasteries and grand country houses around Mallorca – there really seems to be architectural eye candies around every corner. Some of them have been turned into rustic, yet luxurious four and five star hotels, which offer a peaceful experience away from the busy main tourist areas.

Sunset in Mallorca
“And we rode into a vibrant sunset, a burning sky. What a dramatic end to a very special day!”

Below you can see more scenery from Mallorca – and you can find all Mallorca photos from my Instagram account @Houseofanais:

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