Alcúdia, Majorca

Last week, my best friend Meggie, my sister and I went on holiday together. We visited Majorca some years ago, where we stayed in Pollença, a pretty seaside town in the north of Majorca. This year we were back, staying in the historical town of Alcúdia.

Alcúdia is beautiful. The old town is surrounded by a castle-like stone wall which dates back to the 14th century. It shields and restrains the narrow sun-drenched streets and the stone houses with their pained shutters.

Alcúdia holds a market every Tuesday and Sunday so we popped down to see what we could find.
There were some interesting stalls holding everything from leather goods to Majorcan olive oil (often infused with a variety of different flavours such as lemon and mango!), dried fruits and delicious looking nuts. Lu and Meggie were a little grumpy from lack of sleep but cheered up remarkably when they spotted a heaving stall covered in sweets!

We also found a wonderful little shop tucked away down one of the narrow streets which was filled with large glass vats of vinegar and liqueur, flavoured with local Majorcan herbs and spices. The shop owner was really friendly and kept giving us tasty little morsels to try. Lulu ended up buying a deliciously sweet liqueur which was flavoured with herbs claimed to aid your digestion. Whether or not this liqueur would do the same we've yet to see, but it was nonetheless a tasty buy!

The weather in Alcúdia was beautiful and we spent much of our time either by the pool or lying on a beach by the sea. The beaches we visited were all rather dramatic, surrounded by ancient volcanic rock forms. The water was a stunning shade of blue and rather on the warm side which inspired a few bouts of paddling and a determined swim around a tiny island. When we were sick of the salt, we retired to the refreshing waters of our villa pool, where we basked on the lilo or played pool games together.

Alcúdia is a lovely little town to visit if you're looking for a short break somewhere where the sun is hot. The old town and port is pretty to look around and there are plenty of restaurants to keep you well fed. Personally we found the best nightlife is a short taxi ride away in Pollença, but that does mean that Alcúdia is a wonderfully quiet and family friendly town. We had a lovely little break and came back suitably tanned, much to our delight!