Tips for the Trip
Best Routes
The picture above shows where the eclipse will and will not be visible from.
With so many people possible wanting to do different things I am trying a new format. Each day has a choice of things to do. Anything on one day can be swapped to another day with the exception of the eclipse on Wednesday August 12th. The things Debbie and I will do are highlighted in Red. People are free to join us or go your own way(Fleetwood Mac). If you decide to join us seeing a castle or cathedral let me know so I can get tickets for you also.
Morning suggestion: When you wake up, turn on Location Sharing in the Mallorca WhatsApp group. It auto‑turns off after 8 hours. This keeps the group connected without anyone having to text “Where are you?”
Our rhythm: Debbie and I are up early having coffee at 6:00. Join us only if you want to. We like early starts, but nobody else has to.
Group vibe: Share what you’re doing on WhatsApp — photos, updates, whatever. It keeps the energy fun and helps people link up naturally without planning.
Day 1: Saturday, August 8 — Arrival + Welcome
✅ Arrive in Palma in the afternoon. People will be arriving at 1:20, 2:20 and 3:30.
✅. As people arrive, go to El Peñón about 15 minutes from the airport at this location . ITS ON THE BEACH. Take a taxi or drive your rental car there. Whoever gets there first, Share your Location in the WhatsApp group so the rest of us can find you . We’ll hang at the beach until our 5:30 PM check-in. It has food, shade, water, bathrooms, and a place to relax. We’ll all leave from there and go to the Airbnb. Check in is at 5:30.
✅ supper at La Dolores Palma at 7:30 a 5 minute walk from the house
💤 Do Nothing: Lounge on the terrace and enjoy the evening
🗓️ Day 2: Sunday, August 9
✅ Ride: Bike along Palma’s seafront to Portixol (flat & scenic)
✅ Culture: GPSmycity walk and a museum. Es Baluard Museu d’Art Contemporary
We cannot visit the Royal Palace of La Almudaina its closed for renovations .
✅ Go to Carrefour market for food then Sunset stroll around the neighborhood or nearby beach. I STRONGLY RECOMMEND WE DO THIS SUNDAY MORNING AFTER THE BIKE RIDE.
Attention the Chopin festival is going on this weekend at a Monastery in Valldemossa. I will be purchasing tickets early May. (It’s a 30 minute drive) Festival starts at 9:30 pm. Sunday evening festival recitals usually range from 20€ to 30€ for the main seating.
JOIN DEBBIE AND ME ONLY IF YOU WANT TO.
We should consider dinner at 6:30
La Posada is my suggestion
Quita Penas Valldemossa
Can utean
Many Mallorcan restaurants will drop the “Group Menu” requirement if you promise to be punctual (6:30 PM reservation is perfect) and if you agree to do “Family Style” starters (they bring 4-5 big platters of tapas for the table to share first). This speeds up the kitchen and satisfies their “group” requirements without forcing us into a $100/head set meal.
. WE SHOULD LEAVE THE RESTAURANT ABOUT 8:30 TO GET GOOD SEATS IN THE GARDEN. We won’t be able to see the performance but we will have a cool spot to listen from. Mountain air at night and the girls will need a cover.
• The Venue: The Cloister of the Charterhouse (Cartoixa de Valldemossa).
• Daily “Mini-Concerts”: If we can’t make the late-night Sunday show, the monastery also hosts short 15-minute piano recitals throughout the day (usually on the hour from 10:30 AM to 2:30 PM).
•We should get there around 6:00 pm so Parking in Valldemossa is not a problem.
✅ Or go to a Beach: Cala Tuent for a dip or lounge or Top ten things to do in Palma
💤 Do Nothing: Read or chat on the terrace
🗓️ Day 3: Monday, August 10 — Palma Cathedral
✅ 1. Visit Mercat de l’Olivar or Mercat de Santa Catalina or local bakery
✅ 2. Visit a beach Cala de Trencor
🚲 Gentle ride along the marina at sunset
✅ 3. We have tickets for 10:00 am Visit Palma Cathedral
✅ GPSMYCITY app walk
💤 Do Nothing: Relax at a café
🗓️ Day 4: Tuesday, August 11 — The Sea
Today is a flexible sea day. We’ll attempt Cala Varques, but if parking is full, (3 minute check) we pivot instantly to Anguila or Romàntica. No stress, no circling.”
✅ 1. Breakfast at the house early. Pack a picnic lunch then head out early at 6:45. PARKING IS LIMITED AND NO FLIP-FLOPS, USE GOOD SHOES FOR THE 30 MINUTE HIKE !) to Cala Varques on the other side of the island. it’s about 1 1/2 hours away total by car and foot. Rated one of the best spots for snorkeling on the Island. There are no facilities there. Bring everything you might need including toliet paper. Plan on several hours here. Sometimes there is a small drink stand very unofficial cash only. . (PLAN B IF PARKING IS UNAVAILABLE Cala Anguila this has facilities)
✅ 2. Optional stroll through local neighborhood or market
✅ 3. Go to another beach (Cala Pi or Cala Lombard’s) there are 382 to choose from
💤 Do Nothing: Lazy afternoon at the house or pool
🗓️ Day 5: Wednesday, August 12 — Eclipse Night 🌒
The eclipse is at 8:30 PM just before sundown and will last about 4 minutes. Sundown is at 8:38 PM
The sun will be only 2 degrees above the horizon. That’s just 2 finger widths tall if held at arms length.
Mallorcan authorities are warning of traffic problems starting as early as noon in some areas. They are warning of a traffic collapse on coastal roads with some being closed at 4:00 pm eclipse day Parking will be a difficult in Palma this day..
I think we should have an early light supper (Restaurant Pesquero Or Can Eduardo )at 4:30 close to the harbour. Then it’s just a 10 minute walk to the catamaran which boards at 6:45.
Below in red is what Debbie and I plan to do. Join us or Fleetwood Mac. There is no right or wrong way.
There are several ways to get to the Harbor from our Airbnb
1. A 3 mile walk on a protected path along the ocean (45 minutes ) and we have to walk back. Maybe taxi on the way back?
2 Bicycle (15 minutes) quick to get there but riding at night to get back
3 Call for a taxi along with everyone else in the world (easy but risky)
4 Try to drive and park yourself (not recommended)
✅ 1 . Bike to bottom of hill then walk to Castell de Bellver (~2 miles one way) do it at 8:00 AM. to beat the heat of the day. Also the garden Palau de Marivent in the same area
✅ 2. The catamaran cruise leaves out of Palma 3 miles away. I know some people get motion sickness but the catamaran is very stable and the speed is less than 10mph. Boarding at 6:45
🌊 The Catamaran Creates a Once‑in‑a‑Lifetime Eclipse Experience
Our Catamaran cruise is Luxury Catamaran Sailing and the cost is $120 per person. We can cancel with no penalty.
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The Circle of Twilight
A normal sunset belongs to the west alone.
But during totality, sunset surrounds you.As the Moon completes its quiet theft of the Sun, you stand at the center of a vast, invisible circle—the umbra—cast not on land, but across the Earth itself. Above you, daylight collapses into an impossible twilight. And at the edge of the world, in every direction at once, the horizon ignites.
North, south, east, and west all glow with the same burnished amber, copper, and rose, as if the planet were holding its breath in a ring of fire. You are not watching one sunset—you are witnessing thousands at once, their distant light bending inward, arriving together, enclosing you in a perfect halo of dusk.
You are standing in night, while the day remains just beyond reach.
The Shadow on the Sea
This darkness does not drift.
It arrives.The Moon’s shadow is not a cloud, but a blade—an immense cone of night racing across the Earth faster than sound itself. From the open water, where the horizon lies unbroken and infinite, you can see it coming.
At first, the sea ahead loses its sparkle. The blue drains to iron. Then, far off, the surface of the Mediterranean dims as if swallowed whole. The shadow advances not slowly, but decisively, a living thing, consuming light as it runs.
In moments—seconds—the ocean before you vanishes into darkness, and then you are inside it. The world falls silent. The wind falters. The temperature slips. Day is extinguished as though someone has reached out and turned a cosmic dial.
And just as suddenly as it arrived, it will move on—leaving behind the stunned sea, the returning light, and the unshakable knowledge that you have watched the Earth itself be overtaken by the universe.
💤 Do Nothing: Stargaze with cava post-eclipse
🗓️ Day 6: Thursday, August 13 — PATH OF THE ARCHDUKE
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Drive to Valldemossa or Deià (30 minute drive) villages in the Tramuntana mountains. Hike the trail of the Archduke, this is strenuous. this is about views not miles. People can do as much or as little as they want. We are set with the permits. ALSO DOING A GARDEN. Many thanks to Judy for finding the Jardín de Alfabia a great place to stop on the way back from the hike
Early start (7:00) because of the heat. We should be done with the hike and garden by 2:00 pm
2. Explore town centers, art shops, or easy trails like Camí de s’Arxiduc (short sections) 3. Visit a beach (Cala Pi or Cala Lombard’s) or Cala de Trenc or Calo des Moro
Optional: Flat bike ride near Palma if mountains feel too steepl
Do Nothing: Sit in a café with a view and do absolutely nothing
🗓️ Day 7: Friday, August 14 — SOLLER TRAIN and farewell dinner
✅ 1. Visit Pere Garau market or local bakery for last-day treats
✅ 2. Hike along ocean path Puig de lauigla on Cap Formenter 3.6 miles gentle grade awesome views. Drive time to get there 1 hour. Then visit the town of Alcudia
✅ 3. Culture: Ride the historic Tren de Sóller + tram to Port de Sóller
✅ 4. Short beach walk or time to relax
Other options
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Explore town centers, art shops, easy viewpoints
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Beach option: Cala Pi / Cala Llombards / Es Trenc / Caló des Moro
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Flat bike ride near Palma if mountains feel too steep
✅ Farewell dinner for the whole group. We need to pick a place. This is my suggestion Ola del Mar and Plan on group photo.
💤 Do Nothing: Sit in a café with a view and do absolutely nothing
🗓️ Day 8: Saturday, August 15 — Departure Day
✅ 1. Light breakfast & final coffee at the house
✅ 2. Quick tidy-up and packing
✅ 3. Group transfer to Palma Airport (leave 4 hrs before flight)
THIS IS A MAJOR SPANISH HOLIDAY. EXPECT TRAFFIC AND CROWDS
🚲 No biking today
💤 Do Nothing: One last deep breath of Mediterranean air before you go
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