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A beach weekend in Mallorca doesn't need to be lager-fuelled clubs by night and hangovers by day. There's an elegant little resort which is quiet, sophisticated and relaxing: Soller.

Plus it's ridiculously easy and fun to get to.

 

If there's one thing Mallorca isn't known for it's trains. But there are two, and one of them connects the capital Palma with Soller on the North West Coast. Up to 7 times a day a dinky little loco chugs along the track transporting tourists and islanders 27 kilometers through tunnels and over mountains.  It takes an hour and at Soller, it's met by a tram which takes you down to the seafront at Puerto de Soller, a proper seaside resort where the keyword is QUIET. It's like being in an episode of Thomas the Tank Engine.

 

Soller is set in a valley which is best known for oranges, their scent perfumes the air, the trees colour the landscape. It's surrounded by mountains and the town centre is as cute as they come. The tram goes straight through the middle, scattering pedestrians, then whizzes onward to the port, where it sweeps around a large, relaxed bay of small hotels catering for families and walkers, couples and singles who want something slightly more refined than that other Mallorca.

 

How to get here

For Brits, Mallorca is one of the easiest places on the planet to get to. 2 million of us go there every year so there are flights aplenty, both charter and scheduled all year round. Monarch straddles both markets and have put effort into their scheduled "no frills" services to outshine the competition.

They've got low prices (from £50) and a clear, no-nonsense website that explains what extras you might have to pay for, should you want to.

Extra legroom is payable, as is seating together in a group, and so on. Nothing is hidden from view and of course, the earlier you book, the cheaper it is.

They fly every day year round from Manchester and Gatwick, then in summer from Birmingham and Luton too.

 

How to get around.

Arriving at Palma, most people are either being hauled off on a bus to their beachfront hotel or choosing from carhire aplenty, with a number of local companies like Atesa who cover all of Spain and offer good deals if you book early.

 

You can get to Soller entirely by public transport. The airport bus goes to Plaza Espana in Palma, from where there is a fast bus (half an hour) or the slower but more picturesque train to Soller. The train should be your first choice, depending on these timetables: buses here and train here.

 

From Soller itself, it's a short hop by tram down to Puerto de Soller on the sea. 

 

 

OK. WE'RE HERE.

 

Soller is on the north western coastline of Mallorca where you'll find trees and mountains and clean fresh air. It's difficult to remember sometimes that you're on the same island as the package tour resorts, but you are. The tourism has meant that  menus are invariably in Spanish,English and German (with some Mallorcan or Catalan thrown in), as per the rest of island. But you'll also find French; they colonized this part of the island as part of the orange growing business. A direct ferry to Marseilles originally took the valley's citrus fruits to market, saving an overland  journey to Palma and encouraging the French to settle. Their influence, and the  Art Nouveau buildings, add to the air of sophistication here, but then again you are already far from the madding crowds of Magaluf.

 

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Soller itself is an attractive little town, popular in summer like the rest of Mallorca, as is it's jaunty seaside neighbor Puerto de Soller which occupies a small bay, enclosing the beach and shops for a proper seaside holiday.

 

The surrounding countryside is really worth exploring. On foot, hiking is a major pastime in these parts, but further afield, by car, is equally rewarding - the road through the Tramuntana Mountains to Puerto Pollenca being particularly attractive, and you're only an hour or so away from the wine producing area around Binissalem.

 

Recharging the batteries by staying in Puerto de Soller is rewarding. Don't expect architectural marvels or nightclubs. Small is beautiful round here. Less is more.

 

For fuller information try the website of Balearic Discovery, local experts in tailor made independent travel to the hinterland of Mallorca.

 

STAY WHERE?

In Puerto de Soller the shore is a perfect arc, lined with small seafront hotels and a beach for part of the way. A huge amount of money has been spent diverting cars away from the seafront so the hotels, on the waterfront and a few steps away, are quiet.

 

The Aimia is in the latter category. Rooms overlook the pool and sea, with the walk to the water's edge less than two minutes. Since there's now no traffic to negotiate, it's a casual saunter past a few shops and café/bars.

 

It's run by the third generation of a local family so they know what they're doing, the siblings who run the business are very much in evidence to assist families, and individuals who come here, mostly for the week.

 

It's reasonably priced, with clean, large rooms, English TV and spacious well equipped bathrooms.

 

Facilities are modern and clean, a large pool and spa, ample car parking and a large, spacious restaurant.

 

Walkers are especially well catered for. There's a series of organized walks  every day for all abilities, you simply look at the hotel list and join whichever one you choose. It couldn't be simpler. 

 

REASONS TO BE CHEERFUL, 1,2,3....

(1) Local produce

In Soller the oranges and lemons perfume the air and can be seen everywhere - smallholders galore with just a few trees who cultivate then sell at the local market hall in the centre of town. And it's not just citrus fruits, olive oil is made here too, at C'an Det, a family run business which can be traced back several hundred years. The press, one of only two in the area and three on the whole island, is sited slightly out of town on the western edge and should be contacted in advance if you feel like popping by. It's a working operation with up to 500 smallholders bringing their olives to be pressed at harvest time. The distinctive bottles can be bought just about anywhere locally, but the building and mechanics of oil production are fascinating.

 

(2) A drive through the mountains

The twisting and turning of the Ma-10 towards Pollensa is a route to "motor" rather than drive. It's a constant series of bends and hairpins, tunnels and sudden, breathtaking views one minute looking out to sea, the next into deep valleys stepped with olive groves. This is not a road to hurry, but meander for a couple of hours, stopping at all the viewpoints along the way. On a crisp summer morning it is a stunning, headily perfumed journey around rural Mallorca, illustrating, in a sense, what it all used to be like.

 

(3) Wine

Instead of continuing to Pollensa, turn right at Lluc, again at Inca, then head towards Binissalem, one of the centres of the Mallorcan wine business. Here you'll find several caves such as Bodegas Jose Luis Ferrer and Celler Tianna Negre where you can try and buy and learn a little about the unique properties of Mallorcan wine. Essentially they have three native grape varieties which are now blended with Cabernet, Merlot etc to make very palatable wines. The weekender recommends a visit to Vins Nadal which is run by father and daughter, and makes the excellent Albaflor.

 

 

LET'S DO LUNCH

 

Soller :

There's a wide variety of local bakery goods in Soller, not just the ubiquitous ensaimad,  which you won't find anywhere else. The shop beside the station serves them all, after which you can wander around the small station itself, the only one in the world, it's safe to say, with a permanent exhibition of works by Miro and Picasso who once came here together.

 

Of the local restaurants the one being most talked about is currently Ca'n Boqueta at Gran Via 43, formerly a pizza joint it now serves local produce in a no-choice menu at €22 for five courses.

 

Puerto de Soller

The shore is lined with small casual, restaurants and cafes: take your pick. If you stay in the Hotel Aimia there's a daily changing three course set lunch / dinner of local dishes, in portions to satisfy hungry walkers and beach bums alike, for about €22 and on a Sunday lunch invariably includes a weekly paella. Charming service and reasonable prices on the wine list, starting at €15.

 

Binissalem

If you're here for the wineries then try Singlo for lunch in the main square. This is where you'll find all the local bustle which, for most of the year, spills out onto Plaza Iglesias outside beneath the trees. Food's good and at lunchtime there's a three course changing menu for €22. Unusually varied wine list with many local wines by the glass 

 

WHAT'S YOURS?

It's going to be a Mallorcan wine from Binissalem and the weekender's choice while there was one of Vins Nadal's deeply satisfying reds, the Alba Flor Reserva (2005) whose powerful nose was quite unexpected. Tasted good too.

Failing that, a beer down in one of the many bars in Puerto Soller's harbour.

A good place to be in the evening.

 

DINNER IS SERVED

There are many fabled restaurants around the world, where Michelin stars occasionally guide the weary traveller, but Puerto de Soller needs no such frippery.

 

Es Faro is the restaurant you want to find on holiday.

 

Virtually a glass box with jaunty blue wooden furniture, it sits with the most commanding view imaginable, up by the lighthouse overlooking the bay of Puerto de Soller , so it's either a very long and exhausting walk for the energetic, or a ten minute (€10) cab ride up hairpin bends to the top.

 

The view from inside the restaurant, as well as the adjoining terrace, is reward itself for the climb, being utterly spectacular. While lunching, you can watch the tiny fishing boats coming into the distant port below, (they have your food on board after all), but beyond the village itself is an uninterrupted vista of  the majestic Tramuntana Mountains.

 

Go in daylight, for a late lunch, early supper, whatever, and let mine host bring you the catches of the day - literally, your fish will be brought  to you and discussed before it's cooked.

 

Everything is local, everything is cooked simply and well. There's no resting on laurels here, as is evident in other clifftop establishments where customers only come for the view.

 

The headline dish is the Prawns of Soller, served throughout the island as a mark of quality, here they're brought straight from the boats beneath you, grilled and served. They're not from Thailand. They're not pre-frozen. They are fresh-out-the-water-delicious, and you could sit all day simply picking at these grilled prawns. But you won't.

 

On a slightly chilly day, mine host brought us a plate of soup, a potato cream, dressed with truffled local olive oil, pesto, and mushroom ravioli. It was as unexpected as it was delicious. We had a Fusio de Blancs  from Bodegas Son Vives, nearby, a chewy, fulsome blend of  Malvasia and Chardonnay bursting with citrus and spice that went well with the soup, some scallops, then the grilled prawns followed by some equally fresh gilthead bream.

 

A perfectly grilled, small steak fillet was accompanied by an Alba Flore Reserve 2005, climaxing the kind of repast which makes you wonder if it's possible to stay the night, and just not go back down the hill so that the following morning you could start again on the prawns. Sadly, that scenario isn't possible.

 

This is where Heston Blumenthal has been spotted feeding his kids what Mine Host calls "the best prawns in the world". And while you're sat there eating, he's not far wrong. A really enjoyable experience, great food, in a great location. What more do you want?

 

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