As the largest of Spain’s Balearic Islands, Mallorca is not a place you can cover in one day and with its laid-back character and calm calas, that’s not exactly something most vacationing there aspire to do. But with Mallorca’s long, fascinating history, darling towns and scenic roads, you’d be missing out without at least one day trip around the island. It’s hard to pull yourself away from a view teal seas and white sands, but we promise, it’ll be worth it once you see these four island locations.

Inca Market

In operation since the 13th century, every Thursday from 8:00AM – 1:30PM, hundreds of local artisans, farmers and more open up shop in the streets of Inca. The town of Inca is the third-largest on Mallorca and is known for its leather. Handmade leather purses, coats and more dominate the market, but you can find everything from dried chili’s, to soaps to knock-off Rolexes here. Walking through the tiny, alley ways and streets, live music gives you a beat to keep you shopping. It’s a great place to work on your Spanish and your bargaining skills. It’s not exactly known for its made-to-order food stalls, so grab lunch or breakfast at a cafe before diving in.

Valldemossa

Driving along the hill of Mallorca’s Tramuntana range, it feels as though a veil of green shrubbery is lifted to reveal this town in the hills. Blond stone homes with green shutters layer the side of these hills as you make your way to the town center. The town’s most famous resident in history is Frederic Chopin who spent the winter of 1839 with his lover at the town’s The Royal Carthusian Monastery. On top of amazing architecture, museums and buildings, Valldemossa is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. There is a lot to see and do in this island town, but we recommend making your way to the Village Square to sit at one of its local cafes and take it this surreal place. Walking along the town’s cobblestone streets, it’s easy to drift away to a different time and place.

Deia

We know Deia is often referred to in addition to the nearby Valldemossa and that they two towns offer a similar atmosphere and style, but there is something special, something out of reach in Deia Mallorcan vacations cannot miss. Though we would not consider Valldemossa touristy, Deia is definitely off any tourist route you might come by in Spain and that may be why the likes of Richard Branson like to retreat here. The town is known for the many artists who have lived there from Robert Graves to Mick Jagger. Walking up its quiet, stony streets and stumbling upon a lemonade and tea stand where the fruits and spices have been served by the same family for centuries, you really start to feel like you are a part of something special.

Cala Mondrago

Pretty much every visitor to Mallorca finds a Cala to call their own during the duration of their stay on the island, but every one of those people set aside a special day to visit Cala Mondrago. The National Park curves around to offer two sandy beaches for its many visitors and its rocky borders allow people to go exploring long emerald seas. It’s easy to spend all day here and with a tapas restaurant as well as a kiosk bar located right on the beach here, there really is no reason to leave.

Stretching across the island on a tour like this is a full day experience, so set aside at least eight hours for it. Beyond land, we recommend renting a boat and discovering new coves on your own, some of which you might not be able to reach on land.

Have you been to Mallorca, share the places you recommend visiting below. We’d love to hear from you!

Cala Mondrago photo courtesy of Viagallica. 

Austin’s Bergstrom International Airport provides a convenient and hassle-free gateway to our awesome city. You can be kickin’ back on 6th Street, exploring SOCO, or taking in a live music show within a half hour of arriving at the gate. The airport is compact and has a sensible layout (unlike some we won’t mention!) so you’ll be out the door and having fun quicker than you’d expect. The number of direct flights continues to grow, and you can now hop straight to Austin from New York, Orlando, Seattle, Washington DC and cool international cities including Frankfurt, London and Toronto. Check out ABIA’s website for the latest news to help you plan your visit: http://www.austintexas.gov/airport

Traffic in Austin is unpredictable and gets busy on most main routes between 8 and 9 in the morning and 4 and 6 (and sometimes later) in the evening. I-35, Mopac and 183 can get really slow during these peaks so it’s best to stay clear if you can. Our road names and numbers can be a bit confusing for the visitor, so remember that Mopac is the same highway as Loop 1, and 183 is the same highway as Research Boulevard. Lamar Boulevard and Burnet Road are great north-south routes if you want to stay off the big freeways, and both are crammed full of stores, bars and places to eat and have fun. The Austin Police Department has a cool GIS traffic viewer that can help you avoid delays as you explore: http://www.austintexas.gov/GIS/TrafficViewer/

For those of you with good walking feet there’s plenty to discover around Austin on foot. We have parks, creeks, cool stores and funky hangout spots in abundance. This great blog from Hans, Lisa (and Rosie the cat) gives a bunch of ideas to get you thinking: http://metamorphosisroad.blogspot.com/2015/03/a-week-of-exploring-central-austin-on.html . Just remember to bring sun protection and drink plenty of water!

We’ve been providing lots of cool Austin experiences to colleges and schools in recent months. One of our favorite groups was those super-nice folks from the Quinlan School of Business at Loyola University Chicago. The management students were in Austin to visit local businesses as part of their studies, and we took them (and their flag) on a customized tour of Austin’s finest.

We started with visits to Austin landmarks including the State Capitol, 6th Street and the Hope Outdoor Gallery. We then took our college guests to indulge at two of Austin’s best-loved eateries – Torchy’s Tacos and Holy Cacao.

Torchy’s is one of those crazily popular places that almost needs no introduction. Since opening their first location on Bouldin Creek, Mike Rypka’s team have never looked back and today “The Taco Dream” operates all over town and is expanding around the state and beyond. Our current favorite is the Independent, and as we write this blog we can smell those fried portobello ‘shrooms and avocado…yummy! You can learn more about Torchy’s at: http://www.torchystacos.com

Holy Cacao’s roots are in New York City, where founders Ellen Kinsey and John Spillyard so enjoyed all things chocolatey that they had to bring them to Texas. Several awards, thousands of satisfied customers, and an ownership change later, Holy Cacao is going great guns under the leadership of the Doherty brothers Joe, JohnPaul and Matthew. We love the chocolatey-ness this awesome food truck offers and are currently in love with their Brass Balls…yes, this is borderline too much information.

We enjoy handcrafting Austin experiences for colleges and schools and getting to know the amazing young people who live in or visit our great city. You guys are the future!