After a wonderful week in Costa Brava, we drove back to Barcelona to take a seamless Vueling flight to Mallorca (all bags intact this time!). We were excited to visit our 2nd Balaeric island after Ibiza ten years ago. From the airport we drove to Valldemossa on the west of the island where we visited the monastery, palace and the gardens after a quick lunch. The kids were fascinated by the gigantic statues of the king and queen, similar to what they had seen in Barcelona. From there we drove to the little town of Cala pi where the kids found a playground and we ate some amazing Paella at Restaurant Sa Teressa. The highlight of the day was meeting Nani, Dhara masi, Kunal uncle and his family at a beautiful beachfront house in Colonia sant Jordi, on the south side of the island. The kids were delighted to meet family and to get to stay up way past their bed time!

The next day we joined the rest of the crew on a trip to the port and town of Soller, at the northwest of the island, about an hour away from us. 13 of us ranging from 5 to 75 took a San Francisco like tram from the port to the main town of Soller. As always, we visited the cathedral and hung out at a tapas restaurant in the square sipping Sangrias. The siesta after the tram ride back to the port was in the stunning beach and calm waters in the U-shaped cove. We played ball and the kids made a sand castle. It reminded me of the city beach at San Sebastián. The day ended once again at the beachfront home with the family.

On our third day in Mallorca we drove 1.5 hours to the northernmost tip of Formenter. We walked up the steps at Mirador es Colomer to a majestic landscape of cliffs and crystal blue water. 15 mins further north we parked our car and took a beautiful 30 min bus ride to the lighthouse Cap de Formentor. The viewpoint was underwhelming compared to the drive and Mirador, but luckily they had converted the lighthouse to a restaurant where we grabbed some pizza. We spent the rest of the afternoon hanging at the Caribbean like beach at Formentor where we rented a paddle boat with a slide! We capped off the day with an amazing meal with grilled octopus and artichoke with truffle and Parmesan.

For the last couple of days, Nani joined us as we bid farewell to the rest of the family. We started the day with a delicious egg bocadillo made to perfection. We then drove to Cal d’Or or Gold Coast on the south eastern side of the island. We found a prestine little beach called Cala Petita where we spent most of the day swimming, relaxing and jumping off cliffs. Living the Spanish lifestyle! For dinner, Anjali and I sneaked out for an amazing Michelin starred meal at DINS Sant Tauri in Palma that took us through a journey of 11 steps of the traditional foods of the Balaeric islands.

On our fifth and final day on the island, we ventured into the old town of Palma. Strolling through the streets the kids enjoyed walking in and out of churches and squares, and seeing street vendors. The highlight was the Cathedral of Santa Maria with its massive structure and ornate design. We had one of our best casual meals at a small restaurant called Sa Bodegueta with a refreshing gazpacho, fish and steak. To celebrate our final night in Spain and nana’s birthday, we drove to a place nana would have loved called Puerto Portals. Similar to Puerto Banos in Marbella, it was lined with open air restaurants overlooking the harbor filled with luxury yachts. Our meal at Suzy Wang culminated an amazing Spanish vacation! Anjali, the kids and Nani continue their adventure in Italy, while I return home to the Bay Area.