I was fortunate enough to be told about this hidden beach and I'm really hesitant to share the location out of fear of people overcrowding and ruining it. At the same time it's an amazing place and people should have the opportunity to appreciate it. It's called Platja Coll Baix and is located on the northern side of Mallorca near Alcúdia. It's only accessible by hiking 2-3km or by boat. When I arrived there were only 3 other people on the beach and a single boat anchored in the cove, while I was the only person actually in the water. The visibilty was amazing and the water temp was perfect. I highly recommend bringing fins because even though the water may look calm, you never know what kind of currents are coming through these places. I actually lost a friend down in Mexico a few weeks ago after he was caught in a riptide. He was a strong swimmer, but didn't have fins on. Anyway, fins (I was using Churchills) and a quality mask (I was using a Riffe) will make the experience much more enjoyable. After hiking and climbing over some rocks to get to the beach, jumping in the water was a refreshing reward. Up to this point this beach is definitely one of my favorite spots I've been to.
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EATS | Spain > Manacor > Factoría Restaurant
Tonight I had one of the best meals of my life. I was sitting at my home in the countryside of Mallorca and was feeling bored and hungry when I decided to venture out to another town in search of something to eat. I drove about 30 minutes to Manacor, which is Mallorca's second largest city and the birthplace of tennis player Rafael Nadal. Once I arrived in Manacor I found a place called Factoria Restaurant. I was greeted by Juan the bartender and he set me up with a table. I was flying solo tonight and may have actually enjoyed the essence of my meal more because of it. I can't remember ever having a dining experience that had me savoring every bite from beginning to end. I was fully immersed in the flavors interacting with my tastebuds, and no joke, I was smiling after each bite because everything tasted so good.
I had the black yucca bread appetizer and highly recommend it because it's f--cking delicious. I followed that up with the grilled pork dish and there are no words to explain how tasty that was. I almost drowned in flavor ecstasy and was enjoying my meal so much that chef and owner Tomeu Bauzá, actually came out to thank me for my appreciation of the culinary art he was creating in the kitchen. We chatted for a bit and then it was time for dessert. He walked me through each option, but in the end I still couldn't decide so he brought me both, again more flavor ecstasy.
I thoroughly enjoyed my solo date with food tonight. Chef Tomeu is a super cool guy creating flavorful masterpieces and is grateful to have the opportunity to share his art with others.
Thank you chef Tomeu, Vanesa, and Juan for an amazing dining experience. I'll definitely be back!
FACTORIA RESTAURANT
Plaça Weyler, 1
07500 Manacor, Illes Balears
Spain
+34 654602 769
www.factoriagastrobar.com
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TRAVEL | Spain > Mallorca > Montuïri
View from my walk into Montuïri from my house in the countryside.
For the past 6 weeks I've been living on a finca (country estate) 2.5 miles outside a small town called Montuïri on the Spanish island of Mallorca (also called Majorca) in the Mediterranean Sea. Mallorca is part of the Balearic Islands located off the east coast of Spain which includes Menorca, Cabrera, Ibiza, and Formentera. Over the past 8,000 years the archipelago has changed hands and has been occupied by the Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Romans, Vandals, and Moors. You can see the historical influence from each of these civilizations as well as the religious influence from times of Christian and Muslim occupation.
Everywhere you go on the island you hear a mix of Spanish, German, Swedish, Russian, Swiss, Italian and English being spoken. Even though Mallorca is part of Spain, Catalan is the preferred language of choice by the real locals. Street signs tend to be in Catalan or Spanish, but not both.
So far my experience here has been pretty cool and I'll have more specific posts focusing on each experience. I was supposed to fly back to San Diego on May 18, but decided to stay longer so I'll probably be adding quite a bit of content over the next month. Here are some photos of the area I've been living in.
