This is my third visit to Majorca, one of the Spanish Balearic islands in the Mediterranean Sea, and hopefully it will not be the last either as it seems to have just about everything needed for a fabulous holiday including great weather for our week away. Temperatures of low to mid 30s by day, dipping to around 20°c at night was the regular pattern of weather experienced.

My first holiday in Majorca was in 1974 and is only really a memory from photographs as I was about three years old at the time. We had four weeks at the Magaluf Park Hotel with my mum's parents (my grandparents), my mum and my 'babe in arms' brother. My dad flew out two weeks into the holiday and joined us for the latter part of the trip. Would I do four weeks in Magaluf today? Probably not, but in the intervening forty plus years the island's resorts have probably changed quite a bit too.

The next visit to Majorca was in April 2005, and myself and Heather stayed at Lloseta in the centre of the island well away from the main tourist resorts. That trip coincided with my Uncle and Aunt also staying on the island at Palma Nova. As we had a car it was nice to take Roger and Val out for the day and we visited the monastery at Lluc and Cap Forementor with them.

Our 2017 trip to Majorca should have been with friends Tim, Georgie and their son Tom, but unforeseen circumstances meant they had to cancel at the last minute. It was a real shame that they couldn't be with us as I think they would have enjoyed it a great deal. Maybe a re-run in 2018 is required?

Our large four bedroom villa, or town house, was located in Sóller - a 45 minute drive from the hustle and bustle of Palma airport - and hidden behind a solid door on a very narrow street. There was obviously plenty of space for just the two of us and certain rooms were left completely unused. Sitting on the rooftop terrace, overlooking Sóller and the Tramuntana mountain range that fills the northwest part of the island, turned out to be a great way to start and end the day.

SATURDAY

Having unpacked and watched the Austrian Grand Prix qualifying (in German on RTL) we wandered into Sóller itself. A fifteen minute stroll, passing a couple of bars en-route, had us in the main square of the town that had many busy bars and restaurants to sit in and watch the world go by. The historic tram that links Sóller railway station and Port de Sóller also runs through the square and adds to the pleasant atmosphere.

Having had an early start from the UK we didn't fancy doing too much so a couple of drinks, a bit of a wander around the town and some tapas was all that was needed.

SUNDAY

Our morning visit to the Jardines de Alfabia, was well worth the €7.00 entry fee. The drive to get there over the mountains, rather than taking the direct route via the Sóller tunnel, added about 20 minutes to the journey but the views were much nicer as we zig-zagged up and then down the Tramuntana mountain range. It also saved the €5.10 toll fee for using the tunnel!

The gardens were really pleasant and well laid out with plenty of shady walks and a nice little bar/café to enjoy a cooling drink and relaxing piano music. The freshly squeezed lemon fruit juice needed a bit of sugar, but went well with the bag of fabulous foreign crisps - these really are my holiday downfall!

Back at the villa for a late lunch of local ham, cheese and bread (with foreign crisps of course) we managed to watch the Austrian Grand Prix itself (still in German on RTL as there was no Sky Sports F1 channel available on the satellite TV) with Valteri Bottas winning the race.

After watching the Grand Prix we walked into Sóller and caught the tram to Port de Sóller. A twenty minute trip for €7.00 each way seemed a little expensive but it was a nice way to get to/ from the much busier seaside resort area a few kilometres from the town itself.

Dinner was at the La Casona restaurant situated on the main square in Sóller, although sat in the much quieter rear garden area was very pleasant. The meal, which was a post birthday treat from my mum (thank you!), included baby squid and patatas bravas for starters and chicken breast and garlic prawns for the main course dishes. The bottle of Cava at €10.00 to accompany the meal was most pleasant too!

MONDAY

A bit of a reprise of a trip we did in 2005, with us driving across the mountain road from Sóller to Pollença and onto Cap Formentor. Most of the journey was in second or third gear as the roads had more twists and turns than you could shake a stick at! A slight difference to our previous trip was the queue of cars wanting to reach the end of the road to allow the occupants to visit Cap Formentor - it was one in, one out - which added about twenty minutes to the trip. The views not only at Cap Formentor itself, but also at the various miradors en-route were fabulous. Majorca really is a stunning island.

Our journey back to Sóller had us calling in at Port de Pollença - a bit of a holiday hot spot, but without the high rise hotels - and the town of Pollença itself. Enjoying a drink at the coast was lovely, if a little touristy with many bars/restaurants only displaying English menus and Pollença itself was also a nice place to wander around. Heather even succumbed to a small(ish) slice of cake!

After a blast along the motorway, avoiding the mountain roads, we were soon back in Sóller and had the evening at the villa. Bread and garlic mayonnaise, local cheese and ham all washed down with a chilled Cava was the order of the day rather than going out to dinner.

TUESDAY

The alarm was set for 06.30 to let us have a full day out and even then we failed to do what we planned to do! Majorca has much to see and sadly we will not do it all so really will need a return visit.

Our first stop was Port d'Andratx, about an hours drive from Sóller, on the south west coast of Majorca. It was nice to have a Spanish breakfast pastry (an ensamaida) alongside the busy waterfront area.

After a wander around Port d'Andratx we headed inland (a bit) and toward the north coast of the island. Our journey took us via some great scenery before stopping for lunch at Bellavista in Banyalbufar. Great views and great food so it ticked all the boxes.

The next port of call was La Granja, an old estate house built at the site of a naturally occurring spring. The place is now a museum highlighting the rich farming and industrial heritage of the island. We could make out what most of the rooms were about but only found the interpretive leaflet as we left. The house and the gardens were a lovely place to visit.

Our final stop of the day was Valldemossa, a rather pleasant and touristy little town. Just a few steps from the main streets and square you are able to wander down deserted streets and alleyways. The place really was delightful and worthy of an hour or two to wander and have a drink or ice cream. There are also a couple of museums to visit including one to Chopin who stayed in the town when visiting Majorca in 1838/39. Before heading back to Sóller we drove to Port de Valldemossa, a hard going road barely wide enough for one car at time and.when we got there no space to turn around in either! An interesting road to navigate for sure.

Once back in Sóller we ate out at Bar Molina, just a few hundred metres from our accommodation. The food was a bit more basic but was very filling and for two courses, drinks and a bottle of wine came in at just over €50.00.

WEDNESDAY

After breakfast we headed towards Llosetta and the hotel Cas Comte in the centre of the town. We last stayed at the hotel in 2005 and it was good to see the changes that have been made. We also managed to get a coffee/cake via the hotel manager as previous guests. Nice!

After Llosetta we made our way to Ses Salines and Botanicactus! There were very 450 different cactus on display and if honest the collection was worth the €10.50 entrance fee. There were some pretty impressive cacti on display although as we visited shortly after midday it was a very hot walk around the gardens.

After a quick lunch we made our way to Portocristo and the Caves of Drach. With over a kilometre of caves to observe and a ten minute classical music concert played on the underground lake it was a pleasant (and cool) hour spent underground.

Once back in Sóller we had a look at an few restaurant menus and finally plumped for dinner at Red Fort, an Indian establishment, for a tasty curry. Not a bad attempt and it was pretty good value too albeit portion size was less than in the UK.

THURSDAY

After breakfast in the main square in Sóller we headed to the railway station for the 10.50 train to Palma. The Palma to Sóller railway is a popular day trip with trains hauled by vintage engines and having lovingly restored wooden coaches to travel in. The tourist crowds were heading north, with a full train load disgorging at Sóller and making their way to the tram for a day at the coast. We shared our coach with just two other people for the majority of the journey to Palma. The first part of the journey had the train climbing out of Sóller, providing views of the town below before heading into a long tunnel that appeared into the open air at the Alfabia gardens we visited on Sunday. The remainder of the journey was not as picturesque as the train made its way into Palma with the final part of the trip running through the city streets. For €25.00 and a journey time of about an hour each way this was a nice way to travel into and out of Palma.

Palma is a big and busy city with a population of over 300,000 people plus an influx of tourists. Having wandered from Plaza Espana to Plaza Major and onto the Le Seu Cathedral there was the opportunity to go inside this rather impressive building. The €7.00 entry fee also allowed us to visit the Diocesean Museum next door to the cathedral - this was a little bizarre but very well air conditioned!

After walking around the pleasant streets of Palma we were heading to the Bellver Castle, perched on the top of a hill about a mile or so (as the crow flies) from the cathedral. We stopped in at the Hard Rock Cafe for a cooling drink and a couple of monstrous salads before continuing toward Bellver Castle. The climb up to the castle was a continuous slog and in the 35°c heat was hard going however the views were worth the walk.

After the visit to the castle we ambled back to the station to catch the 19.40 train back to Sóller. Again we shared our coach with just two people four the hours journey from Palma. We had definitely bucked the trend.

Sóller was pleasantly busy when we walked through the main square, so we dropped in to Sa Granja for a couple of tapas dishes before making our way back to our accommodation. As we had done 27,000+ steps, or 12 miles of walking during the day - it was time for a cool shower before bed!

FRIDAY

After breakfast in Sóller we headed to Sa Calobra, an hour long drive including the twelve kilometre zig-zag drop down to sea level. The attraction at the end of the road is the Torrent de Pareis a narrow exit from a mountain gorge to the sea. It is a popular tourist spot, with buses squeezing along the road and boats bringing people from the coastal areas.

Walk away from the sea and the number of people drops tenfold (or more) as you walk up the gorge!

Our Friday evening was spent at Salvia, the number 1 restaurant in Sóller and number 4 on Majorca overall (according to TripAdvisor) and the reviews were correct. It was a lovely meal, served in a really nice garden setting and a complete contrast to dining in the main square. It certainly wasn't cheap but was worth every €!

SATURDAY

Having completed the final packing were were out of our rented accommodation by 10.00 and had a final exploration of Sóller on what turned out to be market day. Plenty of interesting stalls were on view filling up the streets of the town and there were clearly locals and tourists making purchases.

It was a shame to be leaving Sóller but we still had one more night on the island before heading back to the UK.

After checking in at Cal Secretari Vell in Sa Cabeneta, just 12km from the airport, we went for a drive along the coast through some the popular resorts on the Bay of Palma. It made us realise just how busy some of the resorts were and that avoiding them was much more our 'cup of tea'. They certainly appeal to a demographic of the population, but it also made us realise just how much more pleasant the northern part of Majorca was. Each to their own.

Sa Cabeneta was not the most happening of places, but opposite our hotel was an Italian restaurant that was a popular place. Apart from one American (you could tell just by the way she used her knife and fork to hack away at her food) there wasn't another English speaker heard all night. The pizza that was served up was rather large and we probably should have shared!

SUNDAY

After an early breakfast it was off to the airport to drop the hire car off by around 09.00 for our flight back to East Midlands Airport with Ryanair at 11.05. Flight FR6032 had us back into EMA around 15 minutes earlier than scheduled and we were soon in the car and on the way home.

Overall it has been a very good week on Majorca and Tim, Georgie and Tom would have really enjoyed it. It was a shame that they couldn't join us, but we would happily make a return visit to Sóller in 2018 if they are!

To see photographs from this trip click on either the Photos area of this page (above/below depending on which version you are viewing), or within the thumbnail of images shown toward the top of the text. I am sure you will find them!