Palma & the Badia de Palma - Mallorca - page 150

Palma folk love escaping up here for a hearty feed in one of the crowded restaurants.
One of the best is Mesón Ca'n Pedro ( 971 70 21 62; Carrer del Rector Vives 4; mains
€12-25, 4-course lunch €26; 12.30pm-12.30am) , famous for its pa amb oli (rye bread
rubbed with olive oil and topped with chopped tomatoes), snails and sizzling steaks that
you cook on a hot slate at your table.
Ses Illetes & Portals Nous
POP 2650
Ses Illetes and Portals Nous lie just off pine-backed beaches. This is a classy holiday-
residential zone and the most appealing stretch of the Badia de Palma. The coast is high
and drops quite abruptly to the turquoise coves, principally Platja de Ses Illetes and, a
little less crowded, Platja de Sa Comtesa. Parking is a minor hassle.
Virtually a part of Ses Illetes is Bendinat , named after the private castle of the same
name (a neo-Gothic reworking of the 13th-century original that can only be seen from
the Ma1 motorway). The area is jammed with high-class hotels and villas that are not for
the financially faint-hearted. Next up is Portals Nous , with its supermarina for the super-
yachts of the superrich at restaurant -lined Puerto Portals . The beach that stretches north
of the marina is longer and broader than those in Ses Illetes.
On a scenic perch overlooking Ses Illetes and Portals Nous, clifftop Restaurante
Port'Alt ( 971 67 61 79; www.restauranteportalt.com ; Carrer Oratori 1; mains €16-25, 3-/
4-course menus €26/33) has dreamy sea views and a pretty garden where the palms are lit
by fairy lights after dusk. The mood is relaxed and the food a model of Mediterranean
simplicity - from crispy calamari to just-right rack of lamb rubbed with lemon, garlic
and mint.
Afterwards, head to Virtual Club ( www.virtualclub.es ; Passeig d'Illetes 60; 10am-1am
Apr-Oct) . This hipper-than-thou waterside chill-out space has a long list of cocktails,
wicker sofas, hammocks, cabana chairs and wicked DJ sounds. Poncy or perfect? You
decide. There's also a cave-like bar that fills with strange strobe lighting at night. We
suggest skipping the overpriced food and going for a drink.
Local Palma bus 3 reaches Ses Illetes from central Palma (€1.50); you can pick it up
on Passeig de la Rambla or Avinguda de Jaume III. Buses 103, 104, 106 and 111 from
Palma's bus station call in at Portals Nous (€1.45; 30 to 50 minutes).
Palmanova & Magaluf
POP PALMANOVA 7020; MAGALUF 4410