Sea & Beach Reviews from Port de Soller — 4 of Our Favourites

Then there is Benito, the main man, who also has the franchise for the pedalos. He has been sitting on that same bit of sand looking after the beds and visitors for many years as did his father before him. He combs the sand before you are up and then spends the day from 9 to 7pm keeping a watchful eye on the beach and the sea. Sometimes he is to be seen in his boat with outboard motor at full throttle while he goes out to rescue a pedalo in trouble. To sit in his space, hiring two loungers and an umbrella will cost 10€ per day. This is the going rate for all sun beds on the beach this year and the reason that many visitors buy chairs and an umbrella of their own. There is plenty of space on the beach to use your own as long as you don’t put them in the obviously marked spaces of  Benito and his chums. Incidentally the whole beach becomes public property again at 7 p.m. The franchises that the ‘beach men’ are given by the local authority only give them the right to use the space commercially from 9 – 7p.m

The sea- shore itself is never private so you can put your beds and umbrellas down in the soft sand at the waters edge without fear of being moved on.

Many of our summer visitors spend their days on the beach and their nights in one of the local eateries and bars that run alongside.  We have great restaurants in the Port of Soller and the famous Agapanto celebrates its sixth anniversary on Saturday 10th July 2010.  Agapanto is situated on the Repic beach as the road rises toward the lighthouse (Camino del Faro). This restaurant is a favourite with visitors and locals alike for its romantic location. To sit on the edge of the beach with the sea and the mountains in front of you surrounded by flowers and flickering candles is a very special experience. Wedding proposals are often made on that lovely terrace and Maria, the owner has been known to supply the rose petals to make it a magical moment.

Agapanto have been weaving their magic for the last six years and have become a fine restaurant and live music venue. This month there is either Flamenco, Blues, Jazz, Cuban, Soul and Rhythm and Blues on July 6, 10, 13, 16, 20 & 27th. The party on Saturday 10th promises surprises, excellent live music, wonderful food and a celebration of life. Dancing by the waters edge as the hot day blends into a cool evening is the only place to be.  There might even be fireworks, you never know what Maria and her team are planning for this birthday party.

We had read of the master plan for the harbour and seafront which was published 15 years ago. At the time it seemed highly unlikely that the seafront would be pedestrianised, new parks planted and a new beach created.

The Port of Soller was and still is a fishing village, the boats leave every day and return with the birds circling them waiting for the unwanted fish to be thrown back in the sea. A walk to see the boats return and watch the fish go on their way in refrigerated lorries for Palma and beyond is a pleasure. The tastiest morsels are to be found and sold at the water’s edge. The prawns are said to be the pinkest in the whole of the Mediterranean and 'Soller Prawns' are to be seen all the best menus in our restaurants and beyond. Heston Blumenthal, the celebrated chef, said in an interview last year in the Independent Newspaper that his best meal abroad was 'sucking Soller prawn heads after lightly grilling them on the barbecue for a few minutes, accompanied with a nice cold glass of sherry'. His favourite run is in Majorca between Deia and Port Soller and he has been seen negotiating with the fishermen in his running gear! What an endorsement for our prawns.

There is a huge dredging boat in the bay this week that has been used to transport part of the 8,000 tonnes of sand needed for the new beach. This is spectator sport at its best and the locals are sitting there watching the action. A line of black tubes run from the boat to the shore and a pump moves the sand on its way. That is until the pump gave up and the boat parked itself up for repair. There is an expensive deadline to all this and I am sure that the engineers have been working overnight to fix that pump.

We have two beaches at present. One is Es Traves beach, situated near the harbour and the end of line for the tram. The other is the Repic beach which is to the left of the resort with wall to wall fine restaurants. The new beach is being created in the middle of the bay, pretty much in front of the Esplendido Hotel. A restaurant was demolished and major sea defence walls were built here during the winter in readiness for the new playground. We will all be watching this weekend as the beach takes shape. It is not often that a real piece of engineering happens and everyone wants to see the finished result. This work will be going on throughout the weekend (pump permitting) so do come and see a little history in the making; vindication for all that planning years ago that no one thought would actually happen. Well done Soller.

For more info on Mallorca's beaches visit our guide to the Best Beaches in Mallorca.

As it happened, Mark had already departed, so we boarded Chris' 50 foot Bavaria as quickly as we could and cast off. We were three adults and one child but the boat is capable of taking up to 10 clients on a half or full day tour. For those seeking something more adventurous, trips can be tailor made to include overnight stays around the island, or longer trips venturing off to Ibiza or Menorca.

It was an absolutely glorious day as we left Port Soller and in the distance the dusting of snow on the west face of the Puig Mayor was still evident. However, at sea level it was 16 degrees and pleasant, and the recent winter weather seemed a distant memory. Unfortunately there was no wind, which meant there was no sailing to be had on this occasion. Consequently it was under motor that we made our way south west along the coast.

As we sat aboard relaxing and admiring the views back across the mountains, Michelle suddenly spotted a dolphin. Chris steered the boat in the direction of the sighting and within a few minutes we were surrounded by these magical creatures as they played near the yacht's bow. There were 2 pods, approximately 6 in each. It had been a while since anyone had seen this many, especially in February, when sightings aren't as common as in summer. Our 6 year old daughter simply shrieked with delight every time they surfaced.

After spending 15 minutes captivated by the dolphins, we continued our journey, passing the quaint cove of Bens d'Avall and the stone steps that lead up to a small cave high up in the cliff face. It was here, a century ago that smugglers hid their cargo (mainly tobacco) to avoid detection. One of the smugglers made so much money through his illegal enterprise that he eventually formed his own bank, which is still thriving today.

We continued in the direction of Puerto Valldemossa and soon passed Cala Deia, a popular little beach in summer, especially for snorkelling and diving. But as the sea temperature is currently 14 degrees, no-one had thought about bringing their swimming trunks along for this trip.

It is 7 miles from Puerto Soller to Sa Foradada, a famous landmark on Majorca. From land, it's an impressive rocky peninsula with a 12 metre diameter fissure at its far end. Forat means hole in Catalan, hence its name. Sa Foradada is no less spectacular from sea and provides a perfect, sheltered spot for boats. It also boasts an authentic Mallorcan restaurant, renowned for paella.

We arrived a little over an hour after departing Puerto Soller and were greeted by another yacht. It was Mark and his friends. The 2 boats were rafted together and we spent the next couple of hours soaking up the sun and a few cold beers.

At 5.30pm it was time to head for home. The sun would be setting in about an hour's time and the plan was to watch it from the sea. As we set off and left the sun trap behind, we were reminded that it was still winter and put our fleeces and jackets back on. As Nick strummed a few tunes on his guitar, the 2 yachts cruised along as close possible. Before long, the sun was turning the mountains a spectacular pink hue. Chris cut the engines and in this peaceful setting, we watched the sun slowly sink over the horizon. It was the perfect end to a fabulous day.

Andy Mitter & Michelle Holland operate Tramuntana Tours, an adventure company offering a range of outdoor activities

What am I talking about? Well, let me explain - the torrents that run down from the mountains empty their crystal clear water into the sea when the water courses are full. At vast expense the rain and snow water ends in newly built tanks under the sea and is then piped to Palma de Mallorca. It is true that Palma drinks Soller water but sometimes the volume is too great for the system to cope. At those times we get the rushing water disgorging itself, and everything in its wake, into the bay. Bamboo is particularly vulnerable and ends up being washed back onto the beach in huge mounds. The bar owners need the beach to be pristine so they are out there every day burning the bamboo. At first sight it is bizarre but like most things once you understand, it all makes perfect sense!

The Port of Soller is the base for wonderful sailing opportunities which I have never availed myself of - until now. I love the beach for its social life and a gentle swim in the sea when it's hot enough but getting on a yacht and sailing out to sea has not been a priority. My brother wanted to celebrate his birthday with friends on a yacht sailing out of the Port of Soller. And so, this is exactly what we did.

The day was beautiful and the sea ever so slightly bumpy when we set sail for our paella lunch in the Mirador de na Foradada. Turning left out of the bay and heading towards Deia we had the sea all to ourselves and felt very small and insignificant alongside the towering, rugged cliffs. An hour or so later we were approaching the bay where we were to drop anchor and head for shore by dinghy. A helicopter was hovering overhead as we came near land and it was lowering a line. We assumed that the rescue service was on a training mission and watched with interest as the first paramedic was lowered on to the ridge followed by another.

We started the climb up the rocks to the restaurant at Foradada and found our way to a table overlooking the sea but the place was like the Marie Celeste – no one was there. We had booked our lunch and the restaurant was clearly open but no staff. Then we could see what was happening. The rescue mission with the hovering helicopter was for real and all the staff from the restaurant had gone to help. We watched as the stretcher was lowered and an injured climber was securely fastened on to the bed and winched up into the helicopter and off to Son Espases Hospital. We marvelled at the skill and bravery of those pilots and doctors and were grateful for them.

The food was great and the setting was magical overlooking our own secluded bay and, all too soon, it was time to set sail back to the Port of Soller as the sun was thinking of setting. It was a great experience and one that I will definitely do again. A sunset dolphin watching trip appeals to me now!

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