1 day in Mallorca, the largest of Spain’s Balearic Islands

Why did I choose Mallorca, an island in Spain?
I was on a business trip to Zurich and I had a 3-day weekend, so I had to take advantage of it and make a quick trip to somewhere else in Europe. My colleague, who was on the business trip as well, wanted to go somewhere warmer for the 3-day weekend. I had been to Spain before, but never the Balearic Islands. I had heard about the beautiful turquoise waters and it was always in the back of my mind – this was a great opportunity to finally visit.

Communication
Easy, since everyone I met spoke English

Currency
Euro – make sure to bring cash as they don’t take credit everywhere (most may know this already, but it’s always best to bring cash wherever you travel just in case!)
Click here to check the currency exchange

My Travel Time
February
Mallorca is a lot warmer than most places during the winter time; it was around 15-20 degrees Celsius – sweater weather. February is definitely not the ideal time to go, but because the weather is slightly colder, the hotels are cheaper and there are a lot less people at the popular spots. If you’re not afraid of slightly colder water, it would be a perfect time to hang out at the empty beaches. It’s also more likely to rain around this time. Although I went in February, I strongly suggest going to Mallorca during the summer as the weather is a lot better and is the best time to take advantage of everything Mallorca has to offer.
Click here to check the weather
Click here to check when the sun rises and sets

My Flight Details
Airline: Swiss Airlines, ZRH-PMI (2-hour flight)
Flight prices vary depending on the time of the year. My flight price to Palma de Mallorca from Zurich was around 250 USD and I booked a month in advance. The price range is around 100-300 USD depending on the airline and the time of year. I needed to fly back at a specific day and time to make my flight home to New York, so my flight price was definitely higher than it should have been.
Airport to/from city: I took a taxi to my hotel. There was a taxi line outside the airport and there were plenty of them; they have price range board for each area right next to the taxi stand. It was around 15 Euros from the airport to my hotel, which was not too far from the airport.

My Hotel Details
IBEROSTAR Playa de Palma
The hotel price for IBEROSTAR Playa de Palma, a 5-star hotel, was very low compared its popular season. I booked my hotel for around 80 USD a night, whereas it can get to 250+ USD a night during popular times. My hotel room was huge, there was a king-sized bed, a small living room, a bathtub, a shower, and two sinks. It was on the 3rd floor and there was a balcony in the room. I was able watch the sunset over the beach my first night there. It’s located close to the airport and right next to the beach. Pool is available and there’s a restaurant on the first floor – it was absolutely luxurious and I wish I had the chance to spend more time there!

My Mallorca Trip Itinerary 
Day 1
Important! It’s easier to experience Mallorca with a car! The streets of Palma de Mallorca are not too difficult to drive on. Parking is easy to find in the city; in the other areas, there aren’t areas for parking specifically, but we were always able to find a spot.
I arrived in Mallorca the night before around dinner time; I watched the sunset, had dinner, and went to bed ready to start the next day early. We chose a hotel near the airport so we could pick up our rental car in the morning. If you’re traveling to Mallorca for more than one day, I suggest picking up your rental when you arrive at the airport so you can save some cash from the taxi rides back and forth from the airport.
Calo des Moro: amazing clear turquoise seas on the Southeast of the island with unique rock formations that you can jump off and into the refreshing water
Parc de la Mar: we had a pleasant walk through this park with great views of the outside of the Palma Cathedral and Royal Palace of La Almudaina on our way there
Palma Cathedral: absolutely stunning Gothic Roman Catholic cathedral located in Palma
Royal Palace of La Almudaina: fortified palace of Palma
Enco Gastronomy: We were looking for a quick lunch spot as food wasn’t priority for this trip. They had sadly run out of Mallorca bread by the time we had lunch. I can’t fully remember what I had here (probably salmon) and not because it wasn’t delicious, but because all I remember is my colleague ordering shrimp, but had never had shrimp served to him with its shell on. Shrimp fact! Having the shrimp cooked in its shell adds more flavor to the meat and usually protects the shrimp from overcooking.
Bellver Castle: Gothic style circular castle built for King James II of Mallorca in the 14th century; on a hill with great views of Mallorca
Valldemossa: a village/town on this island of Mallorca; the Royal Charterhouse of Valldemossa is a landmark the town is known for
Magaluf: a resort town great for night life; we also stopped by the beach there
Vermuteria la Rosa: we had tapas for dinner (as recommended by a colleague from Spain); the portions were decent and the prices were fair

Things that I would have loved to do if we had more time there or the weather is warmer:

Cap de Formentor/Serra de Tramuntana Range: the island’s Northern tip
Cala Millor: beach with beautiful blue waters (pretty much all around Mallorca)
Mondrago Natural Park: coastal reserve with wetlands, beaches/turquoise seas
Plaza Mayor de Palma de Mallorca: a square filled with restaurants, cafes, and market stalls
Cuevas del Drach: caves located in the south of Mallorca

Hikes/walks
Boquer Valley
The Archduke Way – Valldemossa
Torrent de Pareis Gorge Walk
Puig de Massanella
Alaro Castle

To enjoy all Mallorca’s beaches and beauty, I suggest more than one full day there. With one full day, I’m still appreciative of everything we got to see! I would have loved more time to go on a couple hikes.