The summation of the day is that a smaller car and the 'smaller' caves win the day.
Today the main attraction was a trip to Coves de Campanet, but we did so much more and here are some of the highlights.
Before the holiday we had done our research into the various caves or 'coves' of Mallorca of which there are several but still hadn't decided which option to go for. So we had used the unexpected drive to the airport and back yesterday to narrow down the choices based on our experience on the island so far and personal preferences, and as such we had decided that staying north in the Tramuntana Mountains and visiting the less commercial Campanet would be the best option for us. This was especially so as with the smaller car it opened up the opportunity to take the more scenic route and potentially the very windy road to Cala Tuent later in the day.
The drive to Campanet would have taken just over an hour non-stop, but there were a number of view points that we stopped off at including just before the Mirador des Tunel and at the Mirador de Gorg Blau, one of two large reservoirs that are a vibrant shade of blue due to the minerals sediment in the water and reflection off the limestone bedrock.
We arrived at the caves just after midday so the coolness underground was a pleasant change from the stifling temperature that greeted us getting out of the air conditioned car. The caves at Campanet were discovered back in 1945 and were opened to the public just 3 years later in 1948. Today there is a self-guided tour of around 500m that takes you around the 3200m sq complex that is split into 11 rooms and galleries. We've been to a few different caves around Europe and these were right up there with some of the best based on what you could see and the vast size of it. We also enjoyed the tour being self-guided as we could take as long as we wanted to look and take photos without being herded on to the next room like is often the case elsewhere.
Between the four of us we must have taken hundreds of photos in the caves and we'll add a link to some of the best once home, but here are a few phone pics from today with the kids.
Once the cave decision had been made, we had also spent some of yesterday's drive researching somewhere to eat. This as those of you with kids will know can be a difficult task to find a place that serves good food to suit all. Sa Tafona de Caimari is a restaurant run by the owners of an olive mill of the same name and whilst the online menu link wasn't working the photos from customer reviews looked great and it seemed to serve a nice range of traditional Mallorcan dishes, so as it was perfectly located on our route we decided to give it a go and it was definitely a success.
We started with a pa amb oli, which is an authentic Mallorcan dish of bread, olive oil and tomato with a selection of different toppings.
Next was the drive down the scenic Ma-2141 to Cala Tuent, but first we stopped off at the Mirador de Pedra en Sec viewpoint that we had passed heading to the caves, but was easier to stop at driving westbound. The view was rather dominated by the new looking power wire pylon, but you could still see for miles across the planes of central Mallorca.
We were soon at the start of the road to Cala Tuent, although we did initially miss the junction and had to make a u-turn a little further up the road, all whilst being followed by the local police! As you can see from the screenshot of a small section from Google Maps, the road includes many turn back loops and one complete loop at Nus de sa Corbata.
As we approached the coast we first had views over Sa Colobra before our first glimpse of Cale Tuent.
Parking can be difficult at both remote beaches but we timed it right to arrive when most of the day trippers were leaving and managed to get a space very close to the beach. The online guides had mentioned a free car park, but we couldn't find this and had to pay 3€ for a couple of hours to park on the side of the access road.
The low sun made photos difficult and whilst it was a secluded bay, it didn't have the wow factor that we expected it to have. The kids did however enjoy the crystal clear water and Forrest attempted to use his camera under water to get some photos of fish.
Eventually we managed to convince the kids that it was time to leave and we retraced our steps back to the 'main' road, stopping off to get another shot of the beach and also whilst driving through one of the gaps between the rocks (it's not as narrow as it looks)!
We had hoped to get out and explore Mirador Embassament de Cúber, the other large reservoir on the drive back but with time having slipped away from us, a quick pullover at a viewpoint would have to suffice to grab a photo, no longer quite so bright blue as the sun sat low over the surrounding mountains.
Blogged by Amber and Matt
