Spain
Bañalbufar, Mallorca
Unspoiled Mallorca
He stood with outstretched arms and said, "Welcome to unspoiled Mallorca!" Such was our greeting from the gracious, fourth generation Spanish owner of the "Mar Y Vent" hotel in Bañalbufar, a little fishing and farming village on the mountainous coast of Spain’s island of Mallorca in the Mediterranean Sea.
Mallorca has been attracting visitors for thousands of years – from Hannibal to Hercules (he found the ‘golden apples’ here) to Roman soldiers, Horatio Nelson, Chopin, Diana the Princess of Wales, and now 4 million tourists a year – yet Bañalbufar remains almost untouched by tourism and is truly "unspoiled."
It is a 25 km drive by car or taxi to Bañalbufar from Palma de Mallorca. For the last several kilometres the road is narrow and full of hairpin turns and breathtaking scenic views. When you reach Bañalbufar it looks very peaceful and beautiful sitting on the terraced hillsides overlooking the Mediterranean. On the terraces are planted potatoes, tomatoes, fruit trees and vegetables. The irrigation system dates from the occupation of the Moors (798 -1229 AD) and is still very much in use.
The "Mar Y Vent" is 3-star small hotel is one of the oldest on the island - 18th century. Although it has been renovated and modernized, it still retains a lot of charm and there is antique furniture in both public and private rooms. Our room had a matrimonial bed (it’s long been a Mallorcan custom for the bride to bring a bed as part of her trousseau) and a huge terraced balcony that had a panoramic view of the steep hillsides and Sea.
For breakfast you are served fabulous Spanish bread and a Mallorcan roll fresh from the ovens. You can eat in the dining room or on the terrace which overlooks the large modern swimming pool and of course the always present view of the Sea. Delicious home-cooked Mallorcan specialties are much enjoyed each evening served by our friendly hosts. For an extra couple of dollars, you can have Mallorcan wine. If you don’t finish the bottle they will save it for your next meal. There are not many restaurants in the town, but many tourists and townspeople head for one of the cafes for after dinner coffee.
About a 15-minute stroll down the winding pathways by the terraced tomato fields, there is a small cove with a rocky beach and great water for swimming. You are also free to use the hotel’s well-maintained tennis court.
The townspeople smile and say "buenos dias" when you walk about their town that is filled with narrow, winding, flowered walkways up and down the terraced hillside. The hotel will provide you with maps for hiking around the town and to nearby places. One walk takes you along the main road about 30 minutes to a Roman lookout tower.
There is plenty to see and do all over the island of Mallorca, but nothing is more pleasant than to be able to completely relax in Bañalbufar. Saying goodbye to our host, I said that I hoped to return. He replied, "People usually do!"
For wonderful photos go to www.hotelmarivent.com