When I was planning our trip to Mallorca my plan was to not have a plan (AKA I wanted to basically bask in the sun with sangria in my hand 24/7). We spent the first day laying out at the pool, and jumping back and forth between the ocean and our hotel pool. It was perfect, and I never wanted it to end. The next day Joe was convinced we needed to go exploring, (we did rent a car after all), and I’m so glad Joe took to planning a visit to this little town, because it was my favorite place of the trip. If you’re looking for other Mallorca recommendations take a look at my Mallorca travel guide here.

Alcúdia is a medieval town in the Balearic Islands of Mallorca with houses dating back to the 13th century. There’s a church built into the towns medieval walls that surround the cute, colorful town. The streets are so narrow that it’s basically a pedestrian-only town full of pastel hued buildings. We walked around for hours, and I couldn’t get over the colors, the historic architecture, and the beauty of it all. I mean, I know it’s called Alcúdia, but I’d call this place freakin’ AlCUTEdia ’cause it’s a damn pastel dream.

We walked, then ate lunch at one of the cute historic restaurants. We went to a random one we found, and then when I looked it up it said it was actually the first restaurant in Alcúdia. Not sure if that’s actually true, but there was a huge concentration of restaurants in one area (tons of tapas, seafood, and sangria) and I’m sure you could find something good just by walking around.

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After lunch, we walked around, got gelato and walked around some more. It felt like we were discovered a new magical alleyway with each turn, and I didn’t want to leave.

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The post A Day In Alcúdia appeared first on Erika Carlock Blog.

When I planned my month-long Europe trip last summer my number one place I wanted to visit was Mallorca. I had been dreaming of visiting the island and I’m so glad we did. Oddly enough it’s apparently the main tourist attraction for Germans, and I visited Mallorca right after spending 1.5 weeks in Germany. Hah! Think of it as the Cabo or Hawaii equivalent for Americans. I heard as much German spoken in Mallorca as I did in Germany. All of the staff spoke German and Spanish, and they even brought us German menus a few times which was funny and unexpected. Anyway let’s get straight to the real deal–was Mallorca super cool, or was it another Instagram bust that looks cool in the photos? Well…it was amazing! I highly recommend it, and as for the areas we stayed in it was the perfect place to relax and unwind.

Where We Stayed

Booking a room was the hardest part of this trip! Usually I have a long list of places to stay in cities, and have to narrow them down. For Mallorca I had no idea. The area (near the airport) is very touristy and not my style, and the south end seemed really amazing and packed with gorgeous callas (those pretty coves of clear blue water!), but it was far removed from everything.

I was super nervous about staying on the east end because I had never been to the island and had no idea what it would be like. I had all sorts of questions… Do we need to rent a car? Will we find places to eat? Are we going to be able to see everything we want to? We ended up booking the ICON hotel because it looked too dreamy! I did A LOT of research when planning Mallorca, and still felt very unsure of what I was getting into. In the end it all worked out, and became my favorite place.

The hotel was magical with a dreamy view of the calla, a private path to get to the beach, the perfect breakfast spread each morning, and straw cabanas at the pool. We booked the ICON resort on the east end of the island. It was a DREAM. The property was pretty new, and everything felt like we

Getting Around

You basically have to rent a car when you’re in Mallorca. It’s a wide island, and if you want to see any of it you’ll need a way to get around. Trust me, as much as it sounds like you should just lounge around the beach all day you’ll want to explore too! We rented an automatic Mini Cooper and it was perfect for getting around. Be sure to book it in advance because the line at the airport pickup was intense, and they won’t have the car you want if you wait until the last minute. Driving through the island was gorgeous. Every building had so much charm and there were tons of livestock and cactus everywhere. Getting around via car was pretty easy. There were also a zillion roundabouts, so heads up if you do visit be prepared for narrow streets and roundabouts. It took us about an hour to get from the airport to the hotel, and we drove through the sunset and got there right when it had gotten dark.

Soaking Up The Sun On A Spanish Island

We spent the first day lounging by the pool. We went over to the calla right beneath us and floated. It was so dreamy. Crystal clear blue waters, gorgeous rocks everywhere, the sun beating down on us. I could relive this moment forever.

Where We Explored

After spending the previous weeks trekking through Germany and Paris I was ready to spend the entire time in Mallorca hopping between the pool and ocean, but Joe wouldn’t dare let that happen. One morning he planned an entire day trip to this magical town called Alcudia, Albercutx Watchtower lookout point, and a little beach to swim in at sunset called Platja de Formentor. I’ll admit I was so hesitant, and just wanted to lay out all day but I’m SO glad he forced me to explore. Alcudia was absolutely magical, and

I was so inspired by all of the details in Mallorca–white washed rock facades, rubber trees, cactus and ficus everywhere. I felt so inspired to redecorate our yard!

Places We Ate

For the most part the food and drinks in Mallorca are pretty repetitive–seafood, patatas bravas, sangria–rinse and repeat! Our hotel had some pretty good food options, and Joe had his fair share of paella. For the most part we had peppers padron peppers, patatas bravas with yummy aoili,

We had one night where we were craving Italian food SO bad so we ventured to the Cala Serena area not too far from our hotel. We ate at a Port Petit and then walked around and it was this cheesy tourist town with a strip of restaurants and bars that felt like Vegas of sorts. We found these kitchy tiki bars and had to stop by! It was hilarious the drinks were all on fire with huge straws that were as long as my arm. It was a fun time, and one of those cheesy moments you have to laugh about and enjoy.

SHOP MY MALLORCA PRINTS

Magical Mallorca was made for white linen dresses, woven bags, and sun hats.

Don’t forget to pack a beach towel becuase you’ll want to do some beach hopping!

On our last day it rained and we were so sad to not soak up a bit more sun! It was definitely a place where we were not ready to leave, and wanted to stay forever. Between the sunshine, sea, and historic towns I am already dreaming of visiting again.

Have you been to Mallorca? Where are you dreaming of visiting?

The post Mallorca Travel Diary appeared first on Erika Carlock Blog.