Escape to the lure of Palma

Palma is a revelation. A glamorous, buzzy city with so much to offer. You’ll find myriad shopping opportunities, tempting cafes and restaurants and beautiful beaches nearby.

As you arrive in town the fabulous cathedral of Santa Maria (Le Seu) towers over the city to offer a grand welcome. Historically Palma was the seat of the island’s monarchy and aristocracy so its grandness isn’t surprising. And it is a stylish town. It’s also a sunny one, with about 300 days guaranteed to shine.

The Passeo del Borne is the perfect place to start your adventure in the sun. This elegantly tree-lined pedestrianised street feels like the road to everywhere in Palma. And you can explore it all on foot, in fact Palma is a must-walk city.

The cathedral is a short hop away. It’s a magnificent Gothic Roman Catholic structure that is surrounded by the maze-like streets of the Arab Quarter with their quirky shops and striking flower-dressed balconies. Not to be missed.

From here you can wander into the Old Town which has been brought back to life over the last few decades or so. Placa Mayor sits in its centre, surrounded by cobbled streets abounding with chic boutiques, cafes and art galleries. Designer shopping heaven, too with names like Louis Vuitton, Massimo Dutti, Loewe and Hugo Boss to frequent. The Old Town’s winding streets are the perfect place to amble for hours, taking everything in and stopping for much-needed refreshment.

I’d recommend you visit an interesting bar called Wineing (c/Apuntadores, 24 La Lonja) which has walls lined with wines to taste (48 of them). Choose your portion size, from a couple of sips to a whole glass, depending on your intentions. Their tapas is delicious, too.

And then there’s the amazing Olivar Market, it’s food heaven. We had to stop for a glass of cava and some oysters at one of the lovely seafood bars (and why not), before embarking into the packed world of amazing produce.

Fruit and vegetables in every colour and shape, amazing hams of all sorts hanging temptingly from the roof and local cheese and wine to savour. We stopped to taste the jamon, plates of it! The Spanish version of stopping to smell the roses, perhaps? Definitely life-enhancing anyway. The Spanish describe the market as de toda la vida which means it’s been there forever. Lucky them.

There are also plenty of marinas and beaches within very easy reach of Palma. Like Puerto Portals which is a magnet for the super-yacht owners and a great place for some partying and posing. Or try Portixol, a few miles along Palma Bay, with its chilled-out bars and restaurants and small beach where you can soak up the sun.

Heavenly.

A word I used often in my weekend in Palma. It’s that sort of city. After a weekend you’ll want to move there…well, I’d kind of like to!

I stayed at the luxury Can Alomar Hotel which overlooks the central Passeo del Borne and makes the perfect base from which to explore.