Travel Guide: Mallorca

We ended up in Mallorca because the flight from Barcelona was $19. So, why not? And, what a delight! This little island has something for everyone. The adorable well-preserved city of Palma, the tiny winding roads through country towns, the sweeping ocean views from the cliffs. We hiked (in sandals - whoops!), we beached, we explored mountains and farms, we indulged in an hours-long, sangria-filled lunch. We’ll hopefully be back!

General Notes: 

• Rent a car. All the coolest stuff requires driving. Make sure you rent a car that is on airport. We accidentally booked one that required taking a shuttle and it was a pain. 

• However... it’s tough driving! The country roads are very narrow, there are many very sharp turns, and there are only stick shift cars. If you’re not a comfortable driver, try to stick to highways! 

To Do:

• Stroll around Palma - For a city I hadn’t heard much about in advance, Palma was an adorable old city! Cute food stores, swanky designer shops, tiny streets and alleyways. There were gelato stores everywhere and plenty of places to eat. Definitely worth exploring for a few hours! There are lots of parking lots underground in the city if you have a rental car (which you should). 

• Palma Cathedral - A grand cathedral in the center of Palma. You can’t miss it - it’s right downtown next to a palace (and looks like one itself). Walk around the canal so you can see it from all angles - it’s really stunning. We got there after it closed so didn’t go in but the outside was worth it!

• Serra de Tramuntana - The middle of Mallorca is a national park full of mountains, and there is a road that goes straight through it. Although it’s not easy, it’s an amazing drive! Views everywhere and you are right in the mountains. Serious cyclists train in Mallorca and we saw more bikes than cars on the roads! There are lots of hikes in the park as well - we would have stopped if we had more time. 

• Cap de Formentor - The northern point of the island has incredible, sweeping views of the sea after a steep drive with hairpin turns up the mountain. There is a viewpoint called Mirador es Colomer to put in your Google maps. Totally worth the drive! We looked up and a saw a watchtower that we drove up to (and then climbed). It was less crowded, more of a sense of adventure, and from the top the absolute best views. If you’re comfortable with the drive and the climb, do this instead. 

• Playa de Formentor - A lovely, sandy beach. Rent a beach chair at the Formentor hotel for about $20 a day. 

• Old Town Alcudia - If you happen to be nearby (it’s not far from Formentor), stop at the Alcudia old town. It’s a walled city with tiny streets and well-kept old buildings. There are no cars allowed in the old city so it feels like you’ve been transported in time! Not much to do or see, but it’s a nice quick stop if you want to break up a drive. 

• Port de Soller - My absolute favorite place in Mallorca! A picture perfect harbor with clear blue water, full of yachts and sailboats and surrounded by hills dotted with beautiful and colorful buildings. The whole port is circled by a boardwalk that has a trolley running through it, and a little beach with lifeguards. There are lovely restaurants and boutique shops all along the boardwalk, with dozens of great places to stop and have a drink or lunch outside. We stopped at a hotel called Esplendida because we liked the look of the menu and it was delicious! This is the place I would come back to. 

• Caimairi - or another country town. It’s totally worth it to go out of your way to stop in a country town. This one was our favorite one because it looked like time stopped. They have teeny tiny streets, old buildings, and locals walking around that look straight out of a storybook: old women carrying fresh bread from the bakery, groups of men playing dice and smoking cigars, sheep roaming free. 

To Skip:

• Port of Alcudia - This was kind of Jersey Shore and Fisherman’s Wharf combined: arcades, pizza restaurants, fast food. So touristy. The beach was nice, but there are houses right on the beach which takes away from it. I’d skip. 

To Do Next Time: 

• Rent a boat at Port Soller

• Go for a hike in Serra de Tramuntana 

• Go to the caves (Cuevas del Drach)

Parque Nacional Los Glaciares

The Perito Moreno Glacier was absolutely stunning. With every passing cloud, the color of the ice seemed to change: from bright cerulean blue to ominous dark grey and back. It’s imposing and majestic. And watching—and hearing!—the glacier calving (when a piece breaks off and falls into the water) is wild.

Travel Guide: Panama City

Panama City was a delight: a very-modern downtown, dozens of great restaurant choices, friendly people, plenty of museums, a colorful colonial old town, lots of green park space. Not to mention the bucket list experience of going to see the canal! And we didn’t even get out of the city into the rainforest or at the beach, which are all a short ways away. We ended up here because it was a convenient stop, but I definitely would recommend it for a visit. There’s a little something for everyone.

Pro tip: the US Dollar is used as currency in Panama. Don’t make the same mistake we did and take out money at the ATM before discovering this!

To Stay: 

• If I could stay anywhere, I’d stay in Casco Viejo which is the Panama City old town. There was a beautiful hotel there called the American Trade Hotel that was right in the middle of old town in front of a beautiful plaza. 

• Alternately, stay right on the water! There are several hotels right along Cinta Costera, which is this lovely walking street right along the coast. 

To Eat: 

• Saril - Okay, so it’s a hotel restaurant (it’s located in the lobby of Le Meridien). But it was our favorite dinner in Panama City, and has amazing reviews on Google. The restaurant was really lovely, great service, and the seafood was fresh and well-cooked. I’d definitely recommend!

• Market - An American restaurant, which was exactly what we were craving after being away for so long. A casual, industrial vibe with butcher paper menus and steel tables. Really liked it here!

• Azahar - A trendy restaurant located inside a flower shop that’s inside of a condo building (confusing, I know). It has a great balcony that looks out over the water! 

• CasaCasco - This is one of the “it” restaurants in Panama City right now. There are 4 levels with different restaurants on each, including a rooftop cocktail bar with great views. The restaurants get more expensive as you go up, FYI ;) 

• Ochoymedia - This tapas restaurant came highly recommended by 3 different people, although we didn’t have time to go. I heard that the caramelized pineapple dessert with coconut ice cream is divine (and dairy free!). 

To Do: 

• Biomuseo - Frank Gehry gifted the plans for this building to the City of Panama (because his wife is from here!), and then the city spent $80 Million to build it. The building is really creative and the setting is even better, with a view of the canal from the cafe and right at the beginning of the Amador Causeway. Plus, the exhibit is great! There’s something for everyone and it’s a very well done museum (unlike many museums I’ve been to in small cities). 

• Amador Causeway - The absolute loveliest causeway lined with palm trees with a view of downtown Panama City on one side, and a view of boats in the canal on the other. Definitely make time to go for a stroll or a run or a bike ride here - it’s delightful! 

• Miraflores Locks - Since they are a 15 minute drive from downtown, these are the most visited locks on the Panama Canal. I really enjoyed the museum and visitor center because I was interested, but it’s not very well-organized. (I’ve heard there are better museums in PTY about the canal and at the other visitor centers). If you don’t care much about the museum, you can skip the entry fee and instead go to Atlantic Pacific, a restaurant at the Locks that has a view of the canal and pretty good reviews of food! Whichever way you visit, have your hotel concierge call ahead and ask what time boats are coming through so that you can make sure to be there at the right time - it’s usually a dead zone in the middle of the day (11 am - 2 pm). One other note: you can totally skip the intro movie: it is hilarious how irrelevant it is (you can just see the creative team around the table pitching "what if we told the history of Panama through the eyes of kids! No one really cares about the details of the canal, do they?")

• Transit the canal - I tried to convince Mike to do this, but we just didn’t have time. You can book a partial transit or a full transit where you get on a boat and go through the canal and the locks. A couple we met at our hotel went and LOVED it, and thought it was really neat to see up close the mechanics of how the boats are towed and all the pieces that go into getting boats through. Tours are abut $150 and do take a big chunk of the day if you have the time! 

Other Notes: 

• PTY Life is a great blog with lots of tips on restaurants and activities. I referenced it several times!

• This blogger, Sher She Goes, had a great itinerary of what to do in Panama City and I loved her tips! 

• The Blonde Abroad also has a Panama Guide that I referenced and you might find helpful. 

Travel Guide: Lisbon

Bump Lisbon up to the top of your “must visit” list. This up-and-coming destination has it all, but still feels undiscovered. Great seafood, gorgeous architecture, beautiful vistas, friendly people, while still surprisingly affordable and not too touristy. The steep hills of Lisbon make for a great workout, to boot!

To Stay:

• We stayed at a beautifully-decorated Airbnb in Bairro Alto. It was perfect for us, because it was smack in the middle of the city with dozens of highly-rated restaurants within a few blocks and nearly every attraction within walking distance. That also meant that it was loud and crowded, and since it’s a historic neighborhood, the buildings are older and the cobblestone streets are quite steep. We loved it and I highly recommend staying there!

• If you want to be central, but prefer a quieter or more modern stay, try Avenida da Liberdade.

To Do:

• Tuk tuk tour - it’s totally touristy but Lisbon is SO hilly. It’s a great way to get oriented to where you are in the city and to see some of the best views.

• Se - the old cathedral in Lisbon. It’s amazing to think of how long ago this was built! Not the prettiest cathedral, but worth a visit.

• Portas do Sol lookout - door of the sun. This fantastic view over the city.

• National Pantheon - a gorgeous building where all the famous Portuguese people are entombed. Super weird, but beautiful architecture!

• Alfama - the cutest and oldest neighborhood just to walk around.

• Sailing tour - A lovely way to spend the afternoon and to get oriented to the whole town. Super cool to see the Torre de Belém (which looks like a ship) from the water! We booked a sailing tour on Airbnb, it was not super expensive and really nice staff.  

• Tram 28 stop - go during day, because a ton of spring break style kids hang out at night (yes, I’m old!). It’s on a super super steep hill, be prepared!

• Praca do Comércio - beautiful government buildings, big square. On weekends, artists set up shop all the way around with actually cute stuff you’ll want to buy. Lots of events here, so check the calendar to see what’s going on! There was World Cup soccer viewing parties when we were there.

• Time Out Market cooking class - we booked a class to make Pasteis de Nata. It was short (an hour and a half?), not expensive, but and super fun. Make sure to book a few days in advance - they sell out. Also have classes to make cod cakes and other Portuguese food.

• Jeronimos Monastery - this church and monastery is gorgeous (and the history is fascinating - sailors would stay here and pray for safe harbor the night before leaving on ships to cross the ocean). If you can go when there is a service going on, the organ is extraordinary.

• Botanical Garden - full of jacaranda trees, the beautiful purple flowering trees (if in season)! Great views of the city. Also a bit removed which is either inconvenient or a lovely break from the hustle and bustle.

• Walk the waterfront - Torre de Belém, the explorers monument was my favorite part of the waterfront. We stopped for a drink and there’s a nice breeze and view. There are also a few great museums here depending on your interests - we went to the Escher exhibit at the Pop Art Museum and it was well done!

• Harbor - where we got the boat. Tons of cute restaurants. Do dinner there! Kind of like the Seaport District in Boston.

To Skip:

• Presidential Palace - skip. You can’t see anything from the street.

• National Palace - removed from everything - a long steep walk or cab ride away and super crabby staff. Only go if you have time.

To Eat:

• Comoba - very Brooklyn and super chic design with healthy food (like my favorite: oat milk lattes).

• Sea Me - buzzy sushi and fish place. A huge display of fish on ice that you walk over to and select for them to cook for you.

• A Cevicheria - hot spot ceviche restaurant. Beef tartare taco was delicious. Always a line so you can order appetizers and a drink and eat at the bar outside if you don’t want to wait!

• Time Out Market - pick anything! Tons of good restaurants to sample. It’s SUPER busy (people fight for tables) so would recommend going at a slightly off rush hour time.

• Restaurant 100 Maneiras - very beautifully presented fine dining restaurant. The Miss Piggy course was amazing! 60€ a person.

• The Mill - great healthy breakfast on a cute block. A wait at popular times, but they far overestimated the time (said 25-30, it was more like 10).

• Bairro de Avillez - a bunch of restaurants in one. Ate at the tapas part (called petiscos in Portuguese). Delicious and not expensive. The dessert was amazing!

• Os Bons Malandros - Tapas right near our Airbnb. Super delicious and wildly affordable. The ceviche was great and the mushrooms were so good!

To Do Next Time:

• Tile Museum - it was closed on Monday ;( but gets rave reviews!

• Dear Breakfast - super cute breakfast place, also closed on Monday.

• Park - rooftop bar on top of a parking garage.

• Taberna da Rua Flores - amazing reviews little restaurant.

• Sintra - we went to Cascais for a night and just didn’t make the time to go to Sintra. The palace looks gorgeous on a nice day!