Mallorca in Winter: The Island Nobody Talks About
Empty coves, quiet villages and the version of the island the summer crowds never see.
Everyone knows Mallorca in August. Almond blossom in February is a different island entirely.
The coves are empty. The mountain roads through Deià and Sóller are almost yours. The old fishermen still take a coffee at ten in the little bars along the port, and the newspaper is still folded on the counter for anyone to read.
I spend a fortnight there most winters, usually in a small stone house above a bay I will not name here, because part of what makes Mallorca in winter what it is remains the fact that not enough people know.
You write differently on a quiet island. The days are shorter. The sea is louder. There is a kind of concentration that only arrives when the terrace next door is not full of holidaymakers and the tourist boats have not started for the season.
If you have only ever been to Mallorca in summer, you have only met half the island. Go in February. Take a warm jacket, a good book, and a notebook. The other half is waiting.
