Discovering Mallorca: Pollensa Revisted

Living on an island so ripe with beauty tends to make discovery of the new a prerequisite. But there is something to be said for rediscovery too. How many times have I returned to my beloved village of Deia for example, and found some new reason to love the place on each visit? And so, having avoided returning to the little Tramuntana town of Pollensa because I had subconsciously listed it as “done”, I was surprised to find that when we headed back there last weekend, more through necessity than anything else (i.e. the sun had disappeared rendering the planned beach day a non-starter), I fell in love with the town afresh.

Sometimes overlooked by its altogether more glitzy port, the town of Pollensa is a true diamond in amongst the mountainous rough of the Northerly tip of Mallorca. Built very consistently throughout in a warm ochre stone, and containing its fair share of quaint cobbled shopping streets and bustling leafy squares, Pollensa is a perfectly formed little Mallorca town, free from many of the modern pollutants which have marred many of the island’s coastal resorts. At its centre, the 18th century Nostra Senyora Del Angels church may look fairly plain from the outside but hides a startlingly ornate interior complete with multi-coloured ceiling frescoes and glittering ornamentation.

Behind it, the greatest attraction of all is undoubtedly the town’s Calvari steps, a staircase of some 365 steps rising up against the mountains which form the backdrop of the town and which lead those with sufficient energy to complete the climb to the Calvari Church and some of the best views of the town.

With an effortless swagger, we ascended the Calvari steps with far greater ease than on our first trip to the town some 4 years ago (thanks no doubt to increased gym efforts and lamentably fewer cupcakes) and there reflected on the success of this return trip to Pollensa, bemoaning why it had taken us so long to rediscover it. For as these photos show, all of which benefit from a pleasingly creamy antique-style filter, Pollensa is a town loaded with atmosphere, and which makes for the perfect visit, no matter how many times you choose to go.

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