Enjoy Palma during the festive season! | Majorca Daily Bulletin reporter
What to buy
Practically there’s nothing you can not buy in Mallorca. More well the opposite, Mallorca is a magnet for artists and entrepreneurs not to be found in other places. Mallorca has everything. On the one hand, Mallorca is a natural paradise with space to rest but by the other side, Mallorca offers all the shopping and attractions of a quality city of the continent: safe, modern, clean, cosmopolitan. It is calm and the fiesta. It is the tradition and Modernity. And this is the field of contrasts that makes of a visit so complete.
Cosmopolitan fashion
The Mallorca design school is also present by the Pasarela Cibeles and Pasarela Gaudí with designers as Toni Miró and Carmen March. International fashion stores are open about Palma. Brands such as Loewe, Armani, Roberto Verino or Sea Sobrón Dotan give the glamour to the Balearic capital and attracts customers from all nationalities.
But Mallorca is not an island only for those with a high purchasing level. You can also find more affordable brands and popular in Europe like: Zara, Máximo Dutti, H & M, C & A.
Shopping in Palma
You will find shops throughout the city, but there are some excellent shopping streets, such as Sant Miquel, Union, Jaime III and El Born. The experience of entering their markets can also be very special for foreign visitors: l'Olivar Market or Market of Santa Catalina. The Passeig per l'artesania is a whole area inhabited by artisan shops and the Plaza Mayor, where every morning craft stalls are mounted. There are several large shopping centers in both the city center and nearby. There you will find everything from appliances, clothing, food, books, perfume...
Also at Christmas there are Christmas markets to visit and shop for those perfect little gifts. This year the Christmas Market in Plaça Mayor in Palma opens on Friday November 19 with 14 stalls heaving with traditional Christmas ornaments, artisanal products, clothes and some great ideas for presents for friends and family. The Christmas Markets in Plaça d’Espanya, Plaça de la Porta Pintada, La Rambla-Via Roma and Plaça del Mercat will open on November 26.
Christmas Lights
The Christmas lights will be switched on in Palma on November 24, two days before Black Friday which will be on November 26. Last year's budget for the Christmas lighting was 1.44 million euros and 225 streets in 65 neighbourhoods of Palma had their lights turned on, of which 33 streets had new decorations. Also one of the main novelties last year was a massive 27-metre Christmas tree, located in the Parc de la Mar. This Christmas decoration had a three-metre-long and three-metre wide passageway through which you could walk.
Christmas lights are ususally on until Sant Sebastian (January 20) for everyone to enjoy.
Nativity scenes in Palma
The above map are the locations of the Nativity scenes in Palma which are listed below.
1 CAN PUIG DES RELLOTGE
C&A department store (C/ de Sant Jaume, 2)
Traditional nativity scene
Mon-Sat 10am-14pm & 4pm-9pm
Open: 5 December-22 January; Closed: 25 December, 1 & 6 January
Free admission
2 CAPUTXINES
Monastery of Capuchin nuns (C/ de les Caputxines, 14)
18c Majorcan n. scene. Heritage of Cultural Interest
17th-19th centuries nativity scenes
Guided tour tel. 971 718 001
3 CENTRO DE HISTORIA Y CULTURA MILITAR DE BALEARES (Military Museum)
C/ de Sant Miquel, 69
Mallorcan, Hebrew and classic nativity scenes
Mon-Fri 10.30am-2pm & 5.30pm-8pm
Sat 10.30am-2pm, closed 23 & 30 December & holidays
Runs from 1 December-10 January
Free admission
4 CONSELL DE MALLORCA
C/ del Palau Reial, 1. Palau del Consell
Mon–Sat 10am-8pm
Sunday closed, holidays 5pm-8pm
Open 24 & 31 December 9am-2pm
Runs from 7 December-6 January
Free admission
5 SANTA MAGDALENA CONVENT
Plaça de Santa Magdalena, 4
Conventual church of Santa Magdalena
19th century nativity scene
Closed due to the health crisis
6 CORT (Town hall)
Plaça de Cort, 1. Town hall
Ancient handicrafts nativity scene
Mon–Sat 9am-9pm, Sunday & holiday 10am-8.30pm
Runs from 27 November-6 January. 6 January 9am-2pm
Free admission
7 FUNDACIÓN BARTOLOMÉ MARCH
C/ del Palau Reial, 18
18th century Neapolitan Crib
Heritage of Cultural Interest
Closed due to the health crisis
8 SANT FRANCESC CHURCH
Plaça de Sant Francesc, 7
18th-19th centuries nativity scene
Mon–Sat 10am-2pm
Open all year round
Admission €5 ‹12 free
9 SANTA CATALINA THOMÀS CHURCH
Plaça de Santa Pagesa, 5
Traditional nativity scene
Mon-Fri 11am & 8pm, Sat 11am, 6.30pm, 7.30pm
Sun & hol 9am, 10.30am, 12am, 6.30pm, 7.30pm
Runs from 24 December-20 January
Free admission
10 SANTA CATALINA MARKET
Plaça de la Navegació, s/n
Ancient handicrafts nativity scene
Mon-Sat 7am-4pm. Closed on holidays
Open: 22, 23, 29 & 30 December 7am-5pm
Runs from 26 November-6 January
Free admission
11 LA MISERICÒRDIA
Cultural Centre (Plaça de l’Hospital, 4)
Ancient handicrafts nativity scene
Closed due to the health crisis
12 SA NOSTRA
Cultural Centre (C/ de la Concepció, 12)
Traditional Majorcan nativity scene
Related news
Mon a Fri 10.30am-1.30pm & 5-8pm
Runs from 10 December-8 January
Free admission
13 SANT ANTONIET
Cloister of the former convent (C/ de Sant Miquel, 30)
Traditional nativity scene
Closed due to the health crisis
Nativity scenes across Mallorca
Above is a map where the following nativity scenes can be seen on the island.
1 ANTÒNIA TOMÀS
C/ del Grup Escolar, 18. Llucmajor
Runs from 20 December-30 January
Visits by appointment tel. 634784306
Free admission
2 CONSELL TOWN HALL
Plaça Major, 3. Consell
Traditional nativity scene
Sat, Sun & hol 11am-1pm & 5.30pm-8.00pm
Runs from 6 December-6 January
Free admission
3 DEYA TOWN HALL
C/ des Porxo, 4 in Deya
Traditional nativity scene
Mon-Sat 9am-6pm
Runs from 12 December-6 January
Free admission
4 FELANITX CULTURAL CENTRE
Plaça de sa Font de Santa Margalida in Felanitx
Traditional nativity scene
Tue-Sat 6pm-9pm; Sun 10am-1pm
Runs from 15 December-5 January
Free admission
5 COMARCA ES RAIGUER
Plaça Major, 1 in Consell
Mare de Déu de la Visitació church
Traditional nativity scene
Tue & Thu 8pm (mass)
Sun & hol 12am (mass)
Visits by appointment tel. 629032557
Runs from 8 December-6 January
Free admission
6 MARIA DE LA SALUT CHURCH
Plaça de Dalt, 5 in Maria de la Salut
Traditional nativity scene
Sat 6.30pm Sun & hol 10am (masses)
Runs from 24 December-2 February
Closed on Christmas Day
Free admission
7 SELVA CHURCH
Plaça Major in Selva
Sant Llorenç church
Traditional nativity scene
11am-1pm & 5.30pm-8pm
Runs from 12 December-10 January
Free admission
Mallorcan traditional Christmas treats
Dessert usually consists of home-made nougat, almonds from the island, polvorones and ensaimadas.
Ensaimada: The Mallorca Classic
The ensaimada is regarded as one of the island's wonders; it has geographic identification protection. For breakfast, with afternoon coffee, as a dessert, the ensaimada is highly versatile. As well as ice-cream, hot chocolate is often an accompaniment, especially in the winter, such as after Christmas Eve services.
Jai de Nadal
Is the name of a pre-Christmas event dedicated to the art of confectionery at convents in Mallorca. It is held at the Balearics Centre for Military History and Culture, which is at the Convent of Santa Margarita. Nuns from Calvia, Manacor, Valldemossa and Palma sell their products, among which is the marzipan cake "Pez Real de Mazapán". There is almond chocolate in grandmother's style, made with egg yolks and nuts in chocolate, and there are Advent cookies and biscuits made from typical Mallorcan lard dough.
A classic of the Christmas season across the whole of Spain and most certainly in Mallorca is "turrón". It is a variant of white nougat that is made from almonds, honey, sugar and egg whites. It can come with chocolate and candied fruits. Firm turrón features peeled almonds and white wafers. The softer version is a mixture of ground almonds, honey, sugar and egg white.
Turrón can be bought from any supermarket over the Christmas period, but it tastes better handmade by a traditional Mallorcan bakery or by the nuns.
Roscon de Reyes
The traditional sweet cakes of the Epiphany festival in Mallorca date back to ancient times and were once called greixoneres dels Reis, but in recent decades they’ve been re-established as Roscón de Reyes.
They’re freshly made and deliciously irresistible and you can buy them in almost any pastry shop in Palma.
Panellets
Panellets are highly popular in Catalonia, Aragon and in the Balearic Islands and according to ancient text, they were originally made from an Arabic recipe. The dough is made with sugar, ground almonds and lemon zest and some people also add water or an egg yolk to make the mixture creamier.
Neulas
Although it may be somewhat unknown to the rest of Spain, the neula or wafer is one of the oldest desserts in the Mediterranean, directly related to Christmas in Catalonia, Levante and the Balearic Islands. Cava advertisements in the 1960s and 1970s usually featured a picture of the bottle together with two glasses and a tray of wafers, which always accompanied the festive drink. Grandmothers dipped them in champagne, to cushion the effects of the alcohol, and the youngest children imitated veteran cigar or cigar smokers and blew endless puffs of imaginary smoke as they shook the pretended ash off their wafers.
The Hotel Pearls of Palma
It would be hard to find a city that can match the breadth and choice of hotels that grace the streets of Palma, a pocket rocket of a capital, brimming with culture and history.
In the last decade alone, there has been an explosion of chic urban boutique hotels that harmoniously rub shoulders with more traditional establishments, modest hostels and popular, great value lodgings that have stood the test of time.
The joy of Palma is that these days, travellers can find a hotel to meet their budget even if it might mean hanging out on the edge of town. Some of these haunts include the likes of Iberostar Llaut Palace, Innside by Melia Palma Bosqué, Nixe Palace and Joan Miró Hotel in Cala Mayor.
Meanwhile, in the heart of Palma old town, there are sleek, luxurious retreats such as dreamy Sant Francesc Hotel Singular with its roof terrace, renowned restaurant and garden, stylish Can Alomar with its fabulous Peruvian fusion Japanese restaurant, cosy Hotel Gloria Sant Jaume, Can Bordoy and Posada Terra Santa. There can be some budget surprises here too though such as Hotel Born, Almudaina Palace, M House Hotel and Brondo Architect which all offer exceptionally good value.
There has been a swathe of stylish new boutique boys on the block in recent times such as Concepció by Nobis, Hotel Palma Antigua, Palma Riad and Ca’n Alexandre, while the good old faithfuls such as deluxe Hotel Convent de la Missió continue to hold their own, not least because it has a reputed Michelin-starred chef in Marc Fosh.
When it comes to superlative dining, the race is on. Hotel Es Princep, close to tranquil Parc de Mar, now boasts the presence of a two-star Michelin chef in the Zaranda restaurant, while nearby Hotel Llorenç is the seat of power for much revered, Michelin-starred local chef, Santi Taura. Lest we forget, that wedged between the two is Hotel Calatrava, one of my favourite hotels in Palma. It’s quiet, understated, has very welcoming staff and enormous suites overlooking the sea. Further along the road is fashionable and iconic Swedish-owned Portixol, which has a wonderful character and fabulous views out to sea. Its good value lunchtime menu is hugely popular and the restaurant is therefore always busy.
Other wonderful hotels in Palma include Summum Boutique Hotel, high-tech Nakar on Jaume III, newly-renovated Can Cera in Santa Eularia, Hotel Cort and Hotel Cappuccino in Plaça Cort, and Puro and Bo Hotel in La Lonja.
Palma continues to prove a game changer and leader on the hotel scene in Europe, stealing a march on other cities and always maintaining its edge. What next, one wonders? I, for one, am holding my breath.
Author and journalist Anna Nicholas is regular contributor to the Daily Telegraph and the Majorca Daily Bulletin and has also written a number of books about Mallorca.
For more information visit http://www.mallorca.es; on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Youtube
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