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.
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.
The Cathedral
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