Out & About
Village Life
Fornalutx is an ancient Moorish village that could be straight out of a movie set. Nestling in the upper Soller valley, it’s overlooked by charismatic fincas and terraced olive, orange and lemon groves. Its location, in the Sierra de Tramuntana, makes it a perfect location for cycling and walking, but for those looking for a more relaxing escape, peace and solitude are never far away. At its centre is the Placa d’ Espanya, the hub of the village, where locals and tourists naturally congregate to meet friends and soak up the ambience from early morning to the wee small hours.
The village has a really good choice of restaurants and cafes. Three café/bars and seven restaurants at the last count and I believe the King of Spain dines in one of them when in town. There’s a great bakery, the white chocolate croissants are too delicious! A mini supermarket, two banks, chemist, medical centre, a couple of tourist shops, estate agents, hairdresser and mini spa completes the self-sufficient picture.
To The Beach
It’s about a 10 minute drive to the beach at Port Soller. Another great beach is Cala Deia around a 25 minute drive away. There are many more dotted around the island, check out www.seemallorca.com for more suggestions.
Activities
Cycling/Hiking/Walking– The whole of the Sierra de Tramuntana is covered by a network of road, paths and ancient mule tracks, making the area around Fornalutx an ideal place for walkers, hikers and cyclists with fantastic sea and mountain scenery. Walking tours and bicycle hire can be arranged through www.traumantours.com
Tennis – with Rafael Nadal as one of Mallorca’s favourite sons this has got to be a great tennis destination. There is a court in Fornalutx but there are more down in Soller only a 5 minute drive away.
Golf – there are currently 17 golf courses on the island with a further 6/8 at the design and planning stage. Son Termens is the nearest to Fornalutx, approximately a 20 minute drive.
Soller
A wander around the town can be a fascinating experience with houses dating back to the 14th century and earlier and a large number of modernist buildings. The town square is full of cafes and restaurants and is a wonderful place to sit, people watch, eat and drink. Quaint wooden trams run through the town to Port Soller or there’s the beautiful vintage train ride to Palma – both are highly recommended.
Port Soller
This is likely Mallorca’s most beautiful harbour. It’s surrounded on three sides by the Tramuntana mountains and offers magnificent mountain scenery and gorgeous sea views. The beach is good, the restaurants and cafes plentiful serving both traditional and modern cuisine and some must do’s here are a boat trip to Sa Calobra, a walk up to the Lighthouse for fantastic views over the Mediterranean and a cool cocktail at Randemar restaurant to watch the sun set.
Deia
Although Fornalutx has its fair share of celebrities, Deia is the place they generally head for. So if you fancy mixing with A list rich and famous head there, its around a 25 minute drive. Deia is very pretty and has a bunch of special restaurants including a couple of Michelin starred. My favourites Deia things are afternoon tea in The Belmont Residencia, Café Deia for a drink from their amazing G&T menu – a lovely setting with some nice nibbles. Also on the to do list is a visit to the White Church, fantastic views and such a special place, Robert Graves house is also worth a visit, oh and remember the fab beach!
Palma
This vibrant cosmopolitan city has something for everyone, the beautiful architecture, many historic buildings, museums and art galleries, designer shops and boutiques, together with endless restaurants, cafes and bars in which to enjoy a coffee or leisurely lunch and watch the world go by. There’s so much to see and do here but the very short must do’s list would be to visit the amazing Cathedral “La Seu”, head to the Marina with its wonderful gently curving board sheltered bay to see some of the most exotic yachts, boats and ships and visit the Passeig del Born for great designer shopping, stopping for some refreshments in Rialto Living’s chic café.