(Just over) 24 Hours in Palma
Following the success of my trip to Prague in January, I’ve been really keen to do more short trips. I’ve also realised I work really well when I’m travelling so I’ve been on the lookout for a trip I can take where I can work whilst travelling.
And then, there was a post in one of my Extreme Day Trip groups about some cheap flights to Palma in Majorca. I actually went to Majorca for the first time last October, but that was a relaxed trip and an actual holiday rather than a working trip. This time I wanted a nice long(ish) plane journey and a place where I could stay near to the airport and not have to travel too far to get to the city.
Palma fit the bill perfectly.
It was actually cheaper to fly out on one day and back the next, and I managed to find a good value hotel too so I got two full days in Palma.
And I got so much work done! I had some work calls on both days and did those from various parks in Palma - the internet connection worked really well and the parks were nice and quiet too. I worked in my hotel room quite a bit too and had some stunning views from my balcony.
The weather was a lot warmer than I’d expected so I was totally unprepared (I definitely should have taken shorts!) but other than that I had everything I needed for a fab trip.
Although it was predominantly a working trip (I did around 10hrs of work the first day and about 7hrs the second day!) I also had chance to explore Palma so thought I’d share.
Impressions of Palma
Palma is the capital of Majorca and the airport is well connected to the city with a bus (it cost me $8 for a return ticket). There are lots of buses plus a train network across Majorca so it’s fairly easy to get around without hiring a car (though if you’re staying for longer I would 100% recommend getting a car as we loved exploring different parts of the island last year).
The city itself has a lot to offer - I enjoyed wandering the streets on my way to find places to work, and I enjoyed the architecture too. I also found a beach on my second day and although I didn’t go on myself it was very popular and therefore Palma is good for a beach trip as well as a city trip.
I stayed near to the cruise port (a. cheaper, b. CRUISE SHIPS!) which I walked to - it was a bit of a wander but it’s along the marina and I really enjoyed the walk. There were buses or of course taxis if you prefer.
One thing to note if you’re doing a day trip - lots of things were closed on Mondays so something to bear in mind if you want to do attractions is to avoid Mondays.
I had a mixed experience with food - I’m coeliac so have to follow a strict gluten free diet. This is surprisingly easy in some places (I had gluten free burger in buns in both McDonalds and Burger King, whereas I can’t at either of those in the UK!) but not so much in others (I really fancied a pizza on my evening in Palma but all the places that did “gluten free” used the same pizza oven and so had to let me know they weren’t safe for me to eat). All the places I checked out were really clued up though and their English is impeccable so that helped. It was reassuring that they understood about cross-contamination too, so I knew everything I ate was safe.
What did I manage to do in just over 24 hours in Palma?
I hadn’t planned anything in advance so I was delighted to be able to fit all this in (on top of over 17hrs of work!):
An impromptu guided tour of the cockpit from the pilot (and delayed my fellow passengers as I didn’t realise the bus was waiting for me!)
Visiting Catedral-Basilica de Santa Maria (didn’t go in)
Visiting Royal Palace of La Almudaina (didn’t go in)
Visiting Llotja de Palma (didn’t go in)
Walking the streets of Palma (full of interesting architecture and lots of great shops)
Buying the obligatory souvenir magnet and getting my coach, Lucy Rennie, a postcard!
Walking along the marina to the cruise port
Checking in to my hotel, Amic Horizonte, and working on my balcony with a great view over the cruise port and Palma cathedral
Walking down to Portopí to a shopping centre and restaurants
Stuffing myself with a flatbread (closest I could find to a pizza) and a cheesecake (which was warm?!) at Foster’s Hollywood (interestingly this place has terrible reviews but I didn’t have any issues when I went)
Walking to, and exploring (I paid €4 to go inside) Bellver Castle
Finding myself on an accidental hike back into Palma (this was genuinely lovely and really gave me a great opportunity to have time and space to think)
Walking through the town to get to a 100% gluten free takeaway I found before, Al Plat
Sitting in a park enjoying my food and the sunshine
Getting myself a gluten free ice cream from Claudio (in a gluten free cone, and I could even have the cookie ice cream!)
Checking out C'an Pere Antoni beach (small but very convenient sandy beach with bars)
Checking out the lounge at Palma for longer than planned due to a flight delay (three of four lounges were closed for refurbishment, but the one that was open did actually have gluten free options!)
I had a really great time but packed a hell of a lot into two working days. I’ll be honest, the one hour delay to an already late night flight wasn’t so welcome and the fact the motorway was closed when I got back which meant a 90 minute drive from the airport rather than a 60 minute drive was also a bit of a pain so I didn’t get to bed until after 3am!
How much did the trip cost?
I mainly did this because it was so cheap so I did things on a budget, though I did choose to do some nice activities and treat myself to some nice food.
The flight out cost me £45.70 including an extra £11 for my gluten free breakfast (so much cheaper than anything at the airport and good job as I wouldn’t have had time!). The flight back cost me £13.72.
My hotel was £60.83 for a standard room with sea view (although I had a single bed and just realised I paid for a double room!). A single bed was fine though and the view from the balcony was incredible and worth every penny. My room also had a kettle and a fridge, both of which were really useful (I took a porridge pot with me for an easy breakfast).
Parking cost me £12.29 on a local drive I found on YourParkingSpace which was about 5-10 minutes walk to the terminal. This was brilliant and I will definitely be doing this again as it’s so much cheaper than any of the airport parking!
I paid $4 to get in to the castle and $8 for the bus between the airport and the city centre. I walked a lot!
So in total it comes in at just under £150 (with a bit extra for fuel to and from the airport and some food whilst I was there). For two full days in Palma (I was in the city by 10am and didn’t leave until 6pm the next day) I think that’s brilliant!
Would I go again?
100% yes, I would. I feel like I’ve seen enough for now, but it was a nice environment and was such a cheap trip that I’d be open to doing it again and would definitely recommend it to others. And the mobile internet was fantastic so definitely a good place for a working trip.
There were lots of people on both my flights doing short trips - some were just heading to the beach, some were wanting the food and drink, and some just wanting to go somewhere different.
It was a great test for a working trip for me and it absolutely helped in terms of giving me time and space to focus on work as well as recharging my batteries from exploring. So many people commented on how alive I looked in my photos and it’s true - travel really does work wonders for me!
I will definitely be doing more trips like this, and will do my best to let you know if I have any tips.