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----- Mallorca, Spain --------------- Scroll down for pics I have for many years wanted to visit the Balearic Islands off the coast of Spain. I had seen many photos of how beautiful it was there. I will say that I wasn't disappointed! The island of Mallorca is so diverse in landscape from beautiful little beaches called calas to towering cliffs rising out of cobalt blue waters. The people were very friendly and the local cuisine amazing. The trip started off on a negative note. We had reserved a hotel online with hotels.com, and when we arrived there the hotel was closed for the winter. Yes, it was chained at the door. We called hotels.com and after 3 hours they finally found us a place. They could only find one hotel for us. I was afraid that we would be staying in a 1 star hotel, but we were pleasantly surprised to learn that we were upgraded to a 5 star for no additional charge! We stayed at the Nixe Palace. Hotels.com even included our breakfast and dinner at no charge! We had buffet breakfasts every morning with very tasty food and champagne to drink. Dinners were excellent as well, and it was here that we sampled local mallorcan dishes. Everyday after our adventure we would return to the hotel, go to the spa and enjoy the spa pool with fountains and jets to massage a tired body after a long day of hiking. The sauna was intensely hot with eucalyptus/menthol air to breathe which was quite nice. Then I would take a shower with tropical scents and relax on heated beds until closing time at 8 pm. After the sauna I would shower, go to dinner and then go listen to the piano man play classics while sipping a cappuccino. It was a great 5 nights and I give thumbs up to Hotels.com and they way they took care of us! The 2nd day after the hassles was rainy so we went to the Drach and Hams caves. Although both caves were very nice, the Drach caves were outstanding. We walked down deep into the cave past stalactites and stalagmites until we reached a lake at the bottom. At this point the lights went out and we enjoyed a classical concert on the water as subtly lighted boats came out and performed for us. At the Hams caves they too had a concert but smaller, but they projected images of classical performers on the cave walls which was interesting. The next day due to mixed weather Steve and I decided to tour the old town of La Palma. We visited the cathedral and walked past many narrow streets and courtyards. This area of La Palma is so beautiful and well taken care of. The streets are very clean, buildings are very artistic and beautiful plants are everywhere accenting the beauty of this area. Our 4th day was my favorite. We drove to the northeast corner of Mallorca to the Formentor area. The landscape is strikingly beautiful! We stopped in Cala de Sant Vicenç, and hiked on a small trail a couple miles to a point were we could overlook the Mediterranean to the north and the cliffs of Mallorca to the south. We just relaxed there for 2 hours taking it all in and wishing I could retire here. After this we drove further NE along the coast to see move vantage points of the rugged beauty of the corner of Mallorca. We finally made it to the lighthouse at the tip of the island, and from here we could see Menorca in the distance. Our final full day we spend driving along the west coast through Andratx and along the coast to Deia and Valldemossa. Unfortunately, Deià the beautiful small rustic town was viritually shut down due to it being wintertime, but Valldemossa was more active. We drank xocolata in a little bar and walked the streets. We strolled past the Chopan winter home before taking off and driving inland to see some wineries which were closed as well for the winter. An exciting part of the day was driving our rental like a rally car down the mountain road. I had my hand on the ebrake and was hammering it down the mountain drifting around the corners in our compact rental. Living in Florida, I don't get much mountain driving in, but it was a blast. Anyway enough said! Enjoy my pics.
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