Friday, May 11, 2012

Puerto de Soller, Mallorca


Puerto de Soller turned out to be a surprisingly nice anchorage. The only harbour of refuge on the entire exposed north-west coast of Mallorca, Puerto de Soller is sheltered on three sides by tall mountains, and the large, circular bay is ringed with sandy beaches. In the summer the anchorage will be jammed packed with boats, and even in this early season, there are already plenty of boats anchoring. A large part of the bay is ringed off by swimming buoys, and many mooring buoys further reduce anchoring space. We are glad that we are here in May, not July! The anchorage is very scenic, with beautiful turquoise-blue water, lush green mountains as backdrop, and the town dock is just a short dinghy ride away. The village of Puerto de Soller is a tourist resort town; the town of Soller is several miles in-land, situated to be at a relative safe distance from private attacks in ancient times.

Gone hiking...

Sunset views of the harbor




We loved this anchorage and stayed here for several days. There are many lovely hiking trails nearby, and the early-summer weather is perfect for hiking. The cloudy, stormy days are suddenly over, replaced by the Mediterranean summer weather with perpetual blue sky. Compared to islands further south, such as Sardinia and Greek islands, Mallorca is surprisingly lush, and trails shaded by tall pine trees make it a pleasure to hike in the otherwise piercing Mediterranean sun.

We also took a bus ride to visit Palma, the largest city on the island. The bus route goes through Mallorca from north to south, through a long tunnel that cut through the mountain, with hair-pin turns around cliffs overlooking the blue sea, and stops at several ancient-looking villages. Palma is nice, with a large old town and an impressive cathedral, great for a day visit. 

Palma waterfront


Palau de l'Almudaina

The Cathedral

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