TRAVEL GUIDE: Spain Edition

Our detailed recap & curation of hotels, restaurants, & more in Barcelona and throughout Mallorca.

BARCELONA

Lodging: I still haven't fully figured out the hotel scene in Barcelona yet. It seems like the most luxurious spots are all in v touristy areas. We prefer a more neighborhoody spot that's walking distance to the sights. Rather than naming hotels, I'd suggest staying in Eixample. We stayed at the Claris!

Coffee: You're in Spain, get cortados! I swear by them - equal parts espresso and frothy milk. Less caffeine and much smaller so you can enjoy a couple (or a few) a day.

1.) Syra Coffee is my top pick. They have three locations across the city and they do a great job.

2.) Nomad is Blake's top pick. They are super methodical with (weighing, timing, etc.) each shot which makes Blake excited. A little science experiment-ish to me? Great coffee though! While your mans is there, go shop at Rouri. They are close to each other in a cutie alley way (the whole alley is closed on weekends, BTW).

3.) La Papa has great coffee as well, but we'll get to that in a sec.

Breakfast and Lunch

I'm just going to say it: in Europe, I love a hotel breakfast. Obviously, scope it out first and if it looks horrendous steer clear, but at least give it a chance. A lot of the hotels we stayed at had amazing breakfast spreads with great coffee, fresh fruit, freshly baked breads & pastries, and fabulous savory options (eggs made your way, avo, a selection of Spanish hams, etc). Some other options:

1.) If you're a fruit girl, go to La Boqueria (after you go to Canete) and stock up on the goods. PLEASE don't miss the figs. They are the best I've ever had. I love having fruit first, so anytime we take a Europe trip, I love hitting an open market to get fresh fruit. This + hotel brekkie = perfect.

2.) Baluard Bakery has multiple locations throughout the city but has easy and great grab and go options. Get the almond croissant.

3.) La Papa is my fav! Such a nice atmosphere and great food. Get a cortado and the avocado (Blake's pick) or (my pick) mushroom toast! All day cafe so great for breakfast or lunch.

4.) Bohl is a plant based cafe in an adorable neighborhood. Great lunch spot so you can shop around after! I am obsessed with their green goddess salad.

Dinner

1.) We went to (and loved) Cañete twice when we were there. I highly recommend you go (make a reservation before your trip so you don't have to stress). Menu picks: lamb, green beans, squid sandwich, octopus, tomato toast, croquetts. For dessert, the torrijas sweet wine or chocolate coulant are both phenomenal (get both, we did). Ask to sit at the bar.

2.) We also had a great experience at Babula. Menu picks: papas bravas, oxtail, octopus, tuna. Make a reservation here a couple of days in advance.

Activities: 

Barcelona has a lot to offer on the "tourism" front, so I'm going to keep it simple and name three things we researched the f*ck out of, did ourselves, and would recommend to friends. Bonus item is find a rooftop, grab a drink, and enjoy the views of the city. Sky Bar at the Grand Hotel Central comes highly recommended from my (very trusty) mother. 

To preface: Blake loves sightseeing, but in my opinion, I do it with more of a "been there, done that" mentality. I definitely enjoy it, but I more so like the idea of having the experience and memories in my back pocket.

1.) Sagrada Famiglia: Get tickets to go inside ahead of time; buy them at least a week before so you don't stress about selling out. If you want guidance, do the self-guided tour that comes with the tickets (download the app for this). It's beautiful and it always astounds me how divine and grounded churches like this stay despite the (semi-chaotic) constant flow of tourists all day every day. Reserve 1-2 hours for this.

*Note: Syra Coffee has a location near Sagrada, so perhaps grab a cortado on the way?

2.) Park Guell: Again, buy tickets ahead of time so you don't have to waste time standing in line there. In all honesty, I enjoyed this and I’m happy I checked it off the list, but I was by no means astounded. If you're short on time, so Sagrada over Park Guell. Reserve an hour for this.

3.) Arc De Triomf: I highly recommend taking an early walk here, as it gets super chaotic during the day. Walk by the arc and past the fountain- it's really nice! IMO, I'd grab a coffee (go to Syra, they open at 8, most places open at 9) and walk the park before 9.

Shopping

All in all, I didn't experience an abundance of sourcing opportunities in Spain. However, sometimes that's not a bad thing, as I still found a few key pieces (and stores) that I would recommend in a heartbeat.

1.) Shon Mott: Their clothing is not only gorgeous, but extremely reasonably priced for what you get. Two tips: get a tee shirt - they are the best in the world and treat yourself to some Cashmere (they use Loro Piana fabrics). 

2.) Rouri: This store is so sweet and everything is made in the back! I love a sustainable, artisan piece so getting to know the clothing makers was so great. Amazing linens and crochets. Great beachwear.

3.) Working in the Redwoods: I didn't buy anything here (I opted for La Papa's ceramics) but they had the most beautiful pieces. It's a studio and store, so it's all made there. The sea shell ring holders were my personal favorite.

Workouts

I did not get the chance to attend any classes while we were in Barcelona, but Frizzant yoga comes highly recommended from a very trusted friend. Next time we are back, I am prioritizing going here! 

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MALLORCA

There is a lot to go through, so I'm going to keep it short, sweet, and to the point. Reach out to me with any and all questions - I love talking travel! Note: I highly recommend you rent a car for this trip. I truly think it's a make it or break it with Mallorca (along with where on the island you go). I recommend the west and north of the island. The north is particularly beautiful as it's surrounded by both mountains and the sea.

You fly into Palma - I don't think it's worth staying here. Perhaps you grab a coffee & croissant at Fika Farina (Kate recommends). We left right away and drove to Valldemossa. We stopped for lunch at Es Taller (very cute and good food) and explored the town (we stayed for two hours max and that's what I'd recommend).

Deia

Lodging

We stayed at Hotel Hoposta Costa D'Or and loved it. It's right outside of Deia and you can hike to Cala Deia. If you want to splurge, stay at the Belmond. I don't know of any other great spots, but if you do, let me know and I'll add them here!

We did breakfast at the hotel and were not in this area for lunch!

Dinner

Deia is pretty and I'm glad we saw it, but the options for food and drink are overpriced and a bit lacking in my opinion. We went to and enjoyed Sa Vinya! Make a reservation ahead of time. The shrimp was great as was the eggplant. We skipped the paella and regretted it - it looked phenomenal, as did the lamb. I have heard amazing things about Il Olivo, the Belmond restaurant, but it looked a little too food-artish for me.

Activities

Our biggest recommendation is hiking to Cala Deia early in the morning to jump in the sea. Our hotel had a path straight there - about 45 minutes. Bring good sneakers and go early - this cove gets packed. We were there by 9:30 and left by 11 and we just missed the crowds!

Soller

From Deia, we drove to Soller. There is Soller and the Port de Soller. I recommend staying in Soller (way cuter, much less touristy) and going to the port for lunch to see it but not staying long (chaotic).

Lodging

We stayed at Meem Townhouses. I cannot recommend it more. It was chic yet cozy and they had the most wonderful staff. 

Meals

1.) We enjoyed coffee and breakfast at Meem (it's great) and did lunch at KingFisher. Weird name, great seafood. Menu picks: salad (so abundant and fresh, get it with olive oil instead of the dressing), octopus (I'm sensing a theme), shrimp, and tuna. 

2-3.) We did dinners at Luna 36 and La Romaguera. These spots were really good but not outstanding! Make a reservation and sit outside at both!

Activities

1.) Wake up early (by early I mean 8, the town is sleepy until then) and walk towards Fornalutx. If you go all the way, great, but we really enjoyed just walking that direction and seeing the sun over the mountains. 

2.) We went to Eco Vinyassa organic farm and did a tour of their property, which was cute and fun. Definitely not necessary, but we really enjoyed it (I love stuff like that so I really liked seeing the growing process).

Okay, here's where the car is really necessary. Following this, we drove from Sollier to Pollenca, but we stopped along the way. This stop was more of a detour, as we drove to Sa Calobra beach. It adds about an hour to the drive and it's not an easy drive - I've never experienced more windy, steep roads. I think it's worth it - absolutely stunning. You must go early or it will be swamped with the bus peeps. Try to be out by 12. (get there around 10). From there, we stopped in Cala Sant Vicenc for lunch at Restaurant U Mayol and cliff jumping and headed to Pollenca. U Mayol was great - it's in a hotel which would usually sus me out but it truly exceeded all of our expectations. Menu picks: octopus (this was the best we had all trip)!

Pollenca

Lodging

We actually stayed outside of both the port and the town of Pollenca and I could not recommend it more. We stayed at Hotel Llainare and had a fabulous experience. The property is nestled between farmland, mountains, and the sea and is so gorgeous. I recommend upgrading your room here!

Meals

The standard of restaurants is high in these towns, so you really can't go (too) wrong. We did coffee and breakfast at the property we stayed on! 

1.) Our top rec for port de pollenca is Dos Kanallas by Tothom. The food and service were impeccable - we ended up going two nights in a row! Menu picks: burrata salad, tuna tataki, Spanish steak. We preferred getting the first two to share and then doing a larger steak to share plus doubling the sides that come with (papas and mixed veg). I'm not usually a cheesecake person, but theirs was great for dessert.

*Note - there are two restaurants with the same name. Go to this one, not street food! Both are great, but street food looks a little food art-ish (hot dogs on the menu, wtf)!

2.) I haven't been, but Na Ruxia is supposed to be fab. We could not get a reservation before, so reserve ahead of time! Hence why we went to Dos dos nights in a row.

Activities

Since it was the finale of our trip, we chilled. And it felt great. We walked from the property to the sea both mornings, swam in the pool, and walked around both the port and the town. We enjoyed being. I slept in. Blake got up (very) early and did Cap de Formetor and it looked absolutely stunning. I don't have fomo but I will definitely be back and do it at some point. Here's what he did (and what we will do again):

-Get up at 6 - out the door by 6:15 so you can be there for sunrise and beat the traffic. It's about a 40 minute drive in the early morning. This place gets crazy with tourists, plus, they do not allow outside vehicles (other than busses) after 10 am. Trust us, the way to do it is to go early. Drive to the lighthouse to watch the sunrise there! On your way back, stop at the beach and you'll see it at its prettiest and be back before 9:30. FYI - the drive isn't easy. Roads are narrow and windy, but well paved at least!

*If you're me, while Blake did all of this, you slept in until 9:40 and woke up to have coffee and brekkie at the hotel. Vacay is all about doing what fills your cup!

From Pollenca, we headed back to Palma (45 min drive) and flew out straight away for an evening in Barcelona before heading home the next morning.¹

1. Packing Necessities You Wouldn't Consider:

   1. Good sneakers for all of the hiking! I only brought reeboks and really regretted it.

   2. A microfiber towel for random ocean jump-ins! We used this at least 5 times.

1.