When I go on an island vacation, I focus on the prospects for a favorite sport: sailing.
For me, Mallorca was no different. When I booked my timeshare, and got rid of just about all of the timeshare fees, with the help of the wonderfully helpful people at the Resort Management Association
, I also reserved a small sailboat for myself.
Technically, it was for myself and my girlfriend, but my sailing tends to terrify her. I don’t think it’s a reflection on my sailing ability – I’m actually quite good – it’s just that when you want to go fast in high winds, it tends to tip the boat far to one side. My lady partner prefers to just soak in the Mediterranean sun without being disturbed. But I just want to feel the speed, and the power of the wind striking the main sheet as I hold fiercely to the ropes as they burn my hands.
Perhaps I just have trouble understanding why most people head out to islands. Ordinary people are like my girlfriend. They want to take it slow.
Thankfully for the stability of our relationship, we found something that we could both enjoy during our stay in Mallorca – the restaurants. Mallorca restaurants offer a blend of Spanish and south French cuisine, with an emphasis on fresh seafood. I was fond of shellfish served Tapas-style. One evening, I made my girlfriend feel like an island goddess sipping on pomegranate-infused martinis while we shared small plates in a small bistro on the outskirts of Palma as we watched the sun come down. It helped make up for the harrowing I’d subjected to her earlier on my rented sailboat.
The variety of tourists that come to Mallorca have generated a greater diversity of cuisine. There’s even a healthy proliferation of Japanese sushi and noodle restaurants. Once at my Mallorca hotel I ordered myself a feast. I personally preferred to over-dose on shellfish, partaking of authentic Spanish paella on two separate nights. It was impossible for me to resist that saffron-spiced rice filled with lobster, shrimp, and spicy chorizo sausage. As many restaurants tend to serve up a fresh catch from earlier in the day, you can eat like an investment banker in Mallorca for a relative pittance. It kept my girlfriend content enough to keep her out of my hair about my sailing, at least