Alcudia Old Town
We have stayed here twice once for 5 days in 2008 and again for 5 days in 2009.
We first visited the Old Town in 1998 while we were staying near bye. It lies about halfway between the Port of Alcudia and the bay of Pollenca. When we first visited it was mainly a working town (and still is to some extent) and the heart of the town within the historic fortifying walls had a few restaurants and bars but they were mostly frequented by locals and just a few tourists. These days the Old Town is full of small shops and restaurants and it now attracts many visitors mainly during the day especially on market days. Although it has become much more tourist oriented over the years it still manages to retain the original charm of the historic town.
The fact we have stayed here twice indicates we really like it. If you get bored with the Old Town the Port and Resort of Alcudia as well as Puerto Pollenca are just a short bus/taxi ride away. There are a couple of small beaches within a mile or so of the town if you need a fix of lazing on the beach.
Both the hotels we stayed in were excellent. The first, Cas Ferrer Nou Hotelet was a beautifully renovated former blacksmiths workshop. It has only a handful of rooms all exquisitely decorated and finished of with high quality fittings. The atmosphere is very relaxed and informal with a very high level of service and attention to detail. The hotel is a two minute stroll from the main square and on a street corner but was extremely quiet.
There is no restaurant so was B&B, the breakfasts were great with a good selection of quality fruit cereals cheeses and meats to choose from, eggs, bacon and omelettes are cooked to order and served at your table by the waitress. The coffee is proper fresh ground coffee and there is a fantastic selection of fresh locally baked pastries to choose from. Out room was very spacious and finished off to a very high standard. There is a small roof terrace for sunbathing which we had to ourselves most of the times we used it. The staff were great as well managing to be attentive and helpful without being obtrusive.
The second hotel we stayed in last year was Ca’n Pere which has just four rooms.
Ca’n Pere is just off the main square down a quiet side street. We were there with my in-laws and we all thoroughly enjoyed our stay there. Can Pere is a converted town house which has been beautifully and sympathetically renovated into a very stylish yet comfortable hotel. The roms are very large and bright and very well finished off.
The bathrooms are a bit “open plan” ie they have no doors so you need to be on more than first name terms if you are sharing. The hotel has a restaurant and serves evening meals as well as breakfast. The owners are very proud of hotel and go out of their way to make you fell at home. When we arrived I noticed the rooms had no safes which I mentioned to the owner, by the time we had been out for lunch there were safes fitted in the wardrobes now that is what you call service. The breakfasts were very similar in type and quality to Cas Ferrer. We ate in the hotel a couple of times and the quality of the food was fantastic, the owners run another restaurant in the town which we also ate at but to be honest I preferred the food at our hotel. The courtyard out the back is extremely nice and dining there was a joy.
The Old Town has loads of bar/restaurants to choose from but as always some are better than others. The best tapas I have ever had was there in Sa Portassa a family owned tapas bar and restaurant. We also go and eat at a Ca’n Bairatxet a restaurant owned by a family we have become friendly with. The building has been owned by the family for six generations and used to be a bakery before being converted into a restaurant some 10 years ago. Unfortunately the centre of the Old Town is being invaded by Italians who have wealthy backers who are managing to bend all the local regulations and squeezing the local businesses out of existence. So if you do give all the Italian places a miss.
The old town is very relaxed and laid back apart from Sunday and Tuesday mornings when the market is in town and thousands of people arrive and crowd the streets. Other than that it is surprisingly quiet despite its close proximity to Alcudia and Puerto Pollenca . There are some day trippers during the day but come late afternoon most of them have all headed back to their hotels and the Old Town is seen at its best.
The streets are peaceful with lots of nice street cafes to stop off at and have a coffee or a beer. Just outside the walled town there are some nice tree lined streets where the locals go to ear and drink. There is a fantastic old bar in the square which was a real feel of history to it and if you head through the bar there is a large terrace/garden to the rear which is an oasis of calm and tranquillity with large comfortable sofas, it reminded me if the garden at Abaco in Palma but without the extortionate prices.
As we always have a car we tend to spend a couple of days in some of our favourite places in the North of Mallorca. We always spend a day in Puerto Pollenca, it is WirralScouse’s place of choice and it is easy to see why. I have always liked Puerto Pollenca since our first visit 12 years and it still has just as much appeal. It is one of the most welcoming small resorts you will find anywhere. Cala San Vicente is another place we usually visit when we are there. Another favourite of our is the drive down to Cala Ratjada stopping off at Arta for a stroll round and a coffee. Cala Ratjada ,I always think is similar to Puerto Pollenca in size and atmosphere, the main difference is it caters for the predominantly German market where Puerto Pollenca is aimed at the British.
To sum up, the Old Town of Alcudia offers a real taste of Mallorca without being as busy or as touristy as either Soller or Pollenca Old Town. It is a great base for exploring the North of the island. It is not really a place for beach lovers or party animals.
Cas Ferrer Nou Hotelet
Our Room
I managed to stop just outside the hotel to drop off our cases but had to move it to a car park which was just a couple of minutes walk away
Around the Old Town
The peace is shattered on market days
Ca’nPere
Our Room
The small local beach
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Mon Sep 13, 2010 3:36 pm
