A quiet corner of Mallorca
Away from the strip, a villa above a cove, where the only schedule was the tide and a two-year-old’s nap.
4 minute read
The short version
- Mallorca is much more than its reputation: pine-backed coves, calm villages, and a flight short enough for small children.
- A villa above the water, with a pool for the in-between hours.
- Proof that the easy, beautiful family trip is often closer than you think.
Say Mallorca and people picture the strip. They should picture this instead: a pine-scented hillside, a cove you reach down a handful of steps, and a villa with shutters thrown open to the sea. The island has a quiet side, and it is one of the loveliest, easiest places we have taken the children.
Close enough
The flight is the headline, really. Two hours and a bit, short enough that even the two-year-old barely registered it, which makes Mallorca one of the gentlest ways to take small children abroad. We landed mid-morning, were in the water by the afternoon, and felt no further from home than a good long nap.
The in-between hours
A villa with a pool solves the awkward stretch of the day, the bit between the beach and supper when a toddler has had quite enough of sand and a six-year-old wants one more swim. Ours had a shaded terrace and a shallow step in the pool that became the centre of the holiday. The cove below was calm enough for paddling, the kind of clear, sheltered water that makes you relax a little about small people near the sea.
You do not have to go far, or try very hard, for a trip like this. That is rather the point.
We cooked simply, ate late, and watched the light go pink over the water most evenings.
A small tip
A short hop like this is ideal for the youngest years. Book a morning flight, keep the first day gentle, and let everyone find their feet before you do anything at all.
An illustrative diary of the kind of trip we love to arrange, rather than a specific recommendation.