It was quite a strange start to our day today. Our hotel entrance leads directly into a comfortable lounge area and beside that there are four or five small round tables and chairs. This area would be quite suitable for a light breakfast and we did anticipate that a breakfast was included with our stay. But when we went to this area in the morning, only a pod type coffee machine, some containers of water, a kettle and tea packages where available. We still had not seen any hotel staff. Scott made himself a couple of coffees and we packed up and left for the bakery that was just a few doors down. We picked up some baked goods and some fruit at a nearby store. Breakfast today was basically on the fly. Although, we were not in any hurry as today`s ride was less than 30 km long and a good portion would be downhill back to the Mediterranean. There would be ample opportunity to stop later.
We began by adding a second layer of clothing as the ocean influence made the morning feel slightly chilly. With a short climb as we left Valldemossa, we were soon warmed up and at the top the hill the Mediterranean came into view. We were riding high on the hillside looking down at the coast with very few cars on the road at this time! It was a beautiful ride into Deià. Deià is a very old settlement but in more recent times, according to web information, attracts some of the rich and famous. There are some very exclusive hotels and restaurants catering to this set. With only one main road going through the town, we seemed to pass by quite quickly. Certainly spending 1500 euros a night for accommodation at the 5 star La Residencia was beyond our budget!
A larger view of the coast. You can never tire of scenery like this.
An enjoyable twisty turny smooth surface downhill. We love to just coast down these stretches and are frequently passed by road bikers turning their cranks hard to get even more speed!
The terracing of the land began hundreds of years ago and land allowed the steep hillsides to be cultivated for farming. Olive trees flourished up to an altitude of 600 metres, and today cover much of the hillsides.
Just down the road and hill was the town of Sóller, our next stop and a perfect place for coffee. Sóller is a bit bigger center on the north side of Mallorca and draws tourists from Palma as it is only 30 minutes by car or you can take a historic rail line. We stopped at the centre of the town, the Plaça Constitució, which is surrounded by cafés. The church of Sant Bartomeu that shares one side of the plaza is quite a magnificent sight. The area was a busy with tourists, but not overwhelming.
After our coffees, we looked around a bit by going into the train station and walking the length of the main shopping street. Reaching the end we began to head toward our final destination on some small side roads. We were not convinced that the road network would continue through so we began to backtrack. An english speaking gentleman overheard our conversation and assured us the road network would indeed connect and it would provide a nice look at the town of Sóller. We took him up on his suggestion and had an enjoyable wander through the backroads that eventually lead us to the highway down to the Port De Sóller
Plaça Constitució and the church of Sant Bartomeu in the town of Sollar.
Arriving near the Port of Sóller the road splits - one side has a tunnel and the other a roadway. Not sure as to the routing, we started along the path to the tunnel but car leaving the tunnel signed to us with the sounding of his horn that it would not be best (actually forbidden) for cyclists to go that way. We quickly switched to the roadway! The beaches, marina and promenade along the port of Sóller make it a very picturesque location. We first rode to the far end of the bay to the ferry terminal to make sure that we had a reservation for the 10 am sailing tomorrow to Sa Calobra. With that complete, we slowly made our way back to the street that we arrived on and found our hotel that we had booked for the night.
Arriving in Port de Sóller. Definitely has wow factor!
The Port of Sóller had a number of restaurants and hotels along the water front to support the tourists but seemed to shun the party crowd that are attracted to other areas on Mallorca. It had a laid back vibe that we enjoyed as we wandered about. Drinks and dinner were at a restaurant by the marina. Scott had a swim in the ocean before we headed back to our hotel for the night.
Today's ride: 29 km (18 miles) Total: 1,073 km (666 miles)
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David MathersWe loved riding the road to Valledemossa…in fact we enjoyed it so much we rode to Deia twice. Can’t wait to hear about Sa Calobra! Reply to this comment 1 year ago
