Mallorca is an island located in Spain and belongs to the group of so-called Balearic Islands. This group also includes Menorca, Ibiza and Formentera.
When is the perfect time to visit Mallorca? Hmm … Good question! Well, no more rules. We used to fly to Mallorca in early september and some days it was raining, some days there were huge waves and cold water and sometimes it was beautiful to swim. While we have heard from other people that they were in the middle of the season, in july, and that they were also awaited by the changing weather. So there are no rules, but it might still be better to opt for a safer month, such as july or august. I have certainly heard people fly here from may to october. So whoever loves it, let it be!
One of the basic questions that comes up when mentioning Mallorca is where to find accommodation. Namely, everyone rushes to the capital, Palma, or to some places near it, such as Magaluf or El Arenal. You know how, these are the places that really are closest to the capital itself, but besides that they have nothing special to offer you. These are the places most represented by British and German tourists, but also by Serbian ones, since our travel agencies generally have only these two places on offer. If you want to stay in one of these places you have to know that the prices of accommodation are much higher than in the place we were in, while the beach is much worse. Their only advantage, therefore, is the proximity to the capital – Palma.
On the other hand, there are many nicer places to stay, for less or the same money. The distance from the capital does not have to worry because transportation in Mallorca works flawlessly! Buses go by the minute and almost all parts of the island are connected to each other. The website where you check the timetable can be found at this link https://www.tib.org/en/web/ctm. Also, buses run from the airport to almost every part of the island.
In terms of accommodation, we made the right move. We were located about 65 km from Palma, in S’illot. The distance from the airport to S’illot is also about 65 km. From the airport to S’illot you have a direct bus and the ticket costs 12 € one way, per person. You also have a bus from the airport to the capital, Palma, and the ticket costs 5 € for one way, per person. A taxi from the airport to the capital costs around € 18. This option is great if you are going for more because it is the price for the whole vehicle, not by man.
Note – We first went to the capital and took out a card with a 50% discount on all bus rides. Really great thing. The card is removed at the main bus station in Palma (Estació Intermodal) and is called La tarjeta intermodal (Intermodal card). To get this card, you need to give them a passport and fill out some paper that they will give you, and removing this card is free. This card is valid for people under 31 years old and only applies to buses that travel outside of Palma. It’s like some intercity transportation. But that’s what you need, because it’s the buses that take you to all the places on the island that you need.
There are also city buses that operate within the capital, but you do not have a discount, and tickets for this type of transportation are not expensive (from 1€ to 3-4€). Tickets for the intercity bus are more expensive. Let’s say a ticket from S’illot to Palma costs €10 one way, per person, and with an intermodal card, that price is half the price. You can also check the ticket prices on Tib’s website, which is really nicely arranged. It really pays to take out this card, it costs you nothing except to wait a while.
Now, the question everyone is asking. Is it possible to visit the whole island by bus, or is a ren-a-car necessary? My answer is that it is quite possible to visit the whole island by bus! As I said, buses go to almost all places, the beach, they go often, they go in the correct timetable, they have air conditioning, but they really have transportation for all the praise. Buses are a little more expensive because of that, but if you take out an intermodal card, it will really pay off.
We didn’t know that transportation works so well, so we rented a car from the Protur cars agency in Belgrade. More specifically, it is the entire hotel chain, which includes car rental as well as various excursions. The price of the car for 5 days was 175€, which is more than favorable for Mallorca. In all other agencies it was much more expensive, from €225 and up, plus insurance was paid everywhere. And we got a brand new car and full insurance for this money! They really honored us and I have all the praise for this agency as well as their hotels, which are magical.
So, there are two options for touring the island – by car and bus. Whichever option you choose you will not go wrong because each has it’s advantages and disadvantages. Some people also rent scooters, but there really is no need for that because the prices of scooters and cars are approximate, at least to the agencies where I inquired, and it is much more comfortable to visit the island by car.
Note – If you are renting a car take care of where you are parking! The parking space is very difficult to find. And it is exactly marked where parking is paid and where not. The penalties are rigorous. It happens to us that sometimes we search for parking for 20 minutes and eventually stop in a side street, from which we have plenty to walk to the beach. But this is a normal occurrence on this island, so arm yourself with patience in advance. This is e.g. one of the disadvantages of renting a car. Also keep an eye on speed, as penalties are high for this. Although their paths are impeccable and it is really beautiful everything is marked so there is no need to break the regulations.
Prices at restaurants and cafes are not inaccessible. It may be a little more expensive, but it can be expected, given that you are in Mallorca. For example, lunch for two will cost you around €25. Again, it depends where you sit, what you eat and the like. But this is the price of some classic lunch, like paella, pizza, cordon blue…
Market prices are also okay. We were being supplied to Carrefour who was in our place. A really great hypermarker with everything you need.
As for the price of accommodation, we went really well. 9 nights with breakfast made us about 200€ per person. We were located, as I said before, in S’illot, some 65 km from Palma. We were accommodated at the Bonna Vista Hotel, located within the Playa Blanca Hotel. We found the accommodation on our own, through booking. Breakfast was great and for a little money the dinner and a full board could be paid for. We didn’t need it because we were on different beaches all day, so we wouldn’t have arrived for lunch anyway.
This was some of the most basic information, and more about the beauty of Mallorca, it’s beaches, as well as the beautiful Palma, will be discussed in the next article! Write if you have any questions. 📩
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