Puerto Pollensa is a seafront town on the north coast of Mallorca, about 55 minutes from Palma airport. We stayed at the Hotel Illa d’Or and ate along the front. Below is where we ate, what needs booking ahead, and how to get there with or without a hire car.

Puerto Pollensa (Port de Pollença in Catalan) sits on a wide, sheltered bay below the Formentor peninsula. It grew up as a fishing port rather than a purpose-built resort, and the buildings along the front are mostly three and four storeys. The beach shelves gently, and the bay is popular with families and dinghy sailors for that reason.

The seafront path north of the marina is the Pine Walk (Passeig Voramar), a pedestrian promenade shaded by pines that runs past hotel terraces and restaurants to the far corner of the bay. Most of the town’s restaurants are on the Pine Walk, at the marina, or within two or three streets of the water, so everything in this guide is walkable.

One thing to know before you plan: the town is seasonal. Most restaurants and several of the hotels open around Easter and close at the end of October. Between November and Easter much of the seafront is shut.

Getting there

Palma airport is about 55 minutes away by car. A taxi costs roughly €80 to €100 depending on the time of day, and pre-booked transfers come in at a similar price for a standard car.

By bus, the A32 (aerotib) runs from the airport towards Alcúdia in summer, connecting with the 322 for Puerto Pollensa. Year round, the 301 runs direct to Port de Pollença from Palma’s Estació Intermodal, stopping at Inca and Sa Pobla on the way. NB. Pay with a contactless bank card rather than cash on TIB buses: a single from the airport is €8.10 by card and €13.50 in cash. There is no train to Pollença; the nearest station is Sa Pobla, about 15km away.

Pay with a bank card on the TIB buses: a single from the airport is €8.10 by card and €13.50 in cash.

Where we stayed

We stayed at the Hotel Illa d’Or, at the north end of the Pine Walk. It opened in 1929 and has been run by the same family since. Agatha Christie stayed in the 1930s and set a story in the bay. There are sea-view rooms, two pools, a spa and a terrace restaurant, La Terrassa, which is open to non-guests. The hotel also keeps a restored Mallorcan llaüt, the Isabel María, and takes guests out on the bay in it in season.

Where to eat

The restaurants split three ways: terraces on the Pine Walk, the marina, and a handful of places in the streets behind the front.

On the Pine Walk, La Terrassa at the Illa d’Or serves lunch and dinner over the water. You do not need to be staying at the hotel to eat there, but book a day or two ahead for a front-row table in summer. A few doors down, Voramar 57 does wood-fired pizza and is the easier option when you have not booked anything.

At the marina, Stay is the fish restaurant, on its own jetty, with a menu that changes weekly. It is the hardest table in town to get from June to September, so reserve before you travel if you want it.

In the streets behind the front, Bodega Can Ferrà is the family-run choice for Mallorcan cooking: seafood, roast meat and paella. Terrae runs a short menu built on island produce and holds a Michelin listing; the dining room is small, so book well ahead. Bellaverde, in a walled garden just off the front, is plant-based and fills up in summer. There is a fuller list of the town’s restaurants here if you want more options.

Out of town

The road to the Cap de Formentor lighthouse climbs from the edge of town to the end of the peninsula, with viewpoints along the way. NB. From 15 May to 18 October the section beyond Formentor beach is closed to private cars and motorbikes between 10:00 and 22:00, and the fine is €100 to €200. Go before 10:00, or take the TIB 334 bus, which runs from Puerto Pollensa to the lighthouse and takes about 50 minutes. Taxis and cyclists are exempt from the restriction.

Inland, the old town of Pollença is about 6km away; the 322 bus connects it with the port. The Sunday morning market fills the main square, and the Calvari steps, 365 of them, climb from the town centre to a chapel above the rooftops. For one dinner away from the water, 365 at Son Brull, in an old estate on the Pollença road, cooks what the estate grows.

When to go

May, June and September are the best months: warm enough to swim, everything open, and tables available with a day or two of notice. July and August work if you book the restaurants before you travel. Evenings on the front are cooler than you expect, even in June, so pack a layer.