Day 4 - Mallorca: Talise Spa & Off to Palma

Our alarms went off at 8am since we had to pack up our bags and check out by 11am. Our time at the Jumeriah had sadly come to an end, but it was time for our next destination. We truly enjoyed every moment of staying here. What I will miss the most is waking up to our amazing view each morning, catching the sunset from our private balcony, and sleeping with the sliding door open to hear the sounds of the waves and catch the fresh ocean breeze. By 9:30am we were packed and went downstairs to CapRoig for one last breakfast. I ordered the poached eggs and smoked salmon, and Stelios ordered the savory crepes. Also I forgot to mention that every gourmet breakfast we’ve had at the Jumeriah was included in our stay, free of charge. It definitely beats any continental breakfast I’ve had back home.

Since we couldn’t check into our next hotel until 3pm, I booked us massages at Talise Spa at the Jumeriah for 11am. After the massage we were both so relaxed and zen.

Our shuttle picked us up (booked through Mallorca Private Transfer) & we checked into Hotel Saratoga. I was mentally preparing that this would be a different hotel experience – rooms in the city typically are smaller and I knew it wouldn’t be as grandiose as the Jumeriah. Still, we had booked a deluxe premium room so the room was a good size and we had a balcony with a view of the city and the bay. Hello Palma!

We walked 7 minutes to a tapas restaurant with outdoor seating called OMBU. We ordered the fish croquettes, eggplant appetizer, and a power green salad. The croquetas were my favorite but the salad was refreshing and I was craving something healthy after all of our heavy meals.

It was 4pm and we needed to pick up our Vespa before the shop closed so we would have it ready for us to use first thing tomorrow morning. We went to Vintage Motors right around the corner from our hotel and picked up our new ride. She was navy blue and had a backseat cushion which meant a comfier ride for me.

We parked the bike by our hotel and continued our walking tour of the city. We passed a cool art gallery and some gardens, then started walking towards La Seu, the largest cathedral in Palma from the year 1230. Stelios & I were both very impressed by the architecture. If this was impressive I’m really looking forward to touring the Sagrada Familia when we get to Barcelona.

At this point we were both hot from walking in the strong sun, but we didn’t feel like just laying at the hotel pool. We decided to hop on our bike and rode 15 minutes outside the city to go to the beach at Puerto Portals. However, all of the entrances to the beach were blocked by private gates. So I looked on the map and there was another cala (beach cove) 7 minutes back towards the hotel. So back we went and it ended up being the loveliest surprise. There was a cove with a bunch of steps that we walked down and at the very end practically in the middle of the ocean was a cute little beach bar called Nenai Beach. We would also get a great view of the sunset over the mountains. We ordered a glass of wine and a beer, along with Andalusian style squid. This was the largest calamari I’ve ever seen, it honestly looked like onion rings. The calamari was fresh and lightly fried, a perfect snack to hold us over until our 9:15pm dinner reservation.

Once the sun set around 7:40pm, we drove back to our hotel to shower and change. On our walk to dinner we passed 2 cute Placita squares full of people eating and drinking. This was the vibe I wanted to experience when we went to Soller but because it was a Monday the town was quiet. I decided to cancel our dinner reservation for tomorrow so we could wing it, sit at an outdoor cafe in one of the Placitas and people watch. On our way to dinner we also passed a really cool art exhibit in an old cathedral. It was two enormous 3D faces staring at each other. Upon walking up close to the structures the faces were made out of metal wire and you could actually walk through the bottom of the faces and hear the wires jingle. It was very unique and I’ve never seen anything like it.

Finally we reached our destination which was DINS Santa Taura. I had booked us the Chef’s Counter experience, an intimate 10 person seating that only happens twice a day – once for lunch and once for dinner. It was another 11 course tasting menu which I wasn’t mentally or physically ready for after eating so much the past few days, but we also couldn’t cancel the reservation or we would’ve gotten charged. Regardless in the end I was happy we did the experience and it was probably the best fancy dinner we had so far on the trip.

The chef, Santi Taura, came around to each couple at the table and introduced himself. He also told us his other hobby besides cooking is pottery, painting, and he has his own TV show. What an impressive resume and versatile human! He told us that all of the plates/bowls he created himself, and certain plates were designed/created for the specific dishes that he served at the restaurant. Each dish that we would taste tonight is based on a traditional Mallorcan recipe, but with a Chef Santi flair added. Below is a recap of the delicious tasting menu:

Manja Blanc – a buttery soup with almonds in it
Rock fish empanada
Mallorcan bread with 5% gluten because the wheat is 500 years old
yampuga (local Mallorcan fish) ratatouille – tasted like eggplant rollatini
Fish Mediterranean style
Crawfish stew
Harvest noodle – Steph’s fav
Escaldone de hen & pear
Mallorcan sausage with roasted carrots
Lime orange dessert
Ice cream with fresh Mallorcan almond
Surprise carob bean cookie

After dinner, our bellies full once again, we walked 20 minutes back to our hotel and went to bed. Tomorrow we have an action packed day and we’ll be waking up quite early compared to the other mornings we’ve spent in Mallorca so far.