Soller en famille!

Soller, en Famille 2023!

10 days together x

I'd found us a fabulous villa, in walking distance of the town, separate bedrooms......just one problem....somehow and I don't know how, we had no air-conditioning!!!! Now I always add it to my search filters and I always read reviews, so how that slipped me by, I still do not know!! Thankfully, ceiling fans had been added to the bedrooms and there were portable fans too but with a heatwave added into the mix and a whole load of mozzies, it wasn't the best nights sleep!!

It did however, have the most fabulous pool and beautiful gardens and shady terrace, 

PERFECT x

Day two!

 A lazy villa day. Only adventure was to the Eroski/supermarket, across town. Spent the afternoon poolside and then out to the square for the evening. Batteries recharging x

Day three!

A trip by bus to Deia, then a steep walk down to the beautiful cove of Cala de Deia. Swimming for me, rock jumping for the boys and a very hot walk back up the hill!! Sophie enjoyed a quiet, chilled day back at the villa, with pizza on the terrace for tea.

Day four!

 Soller Market day, an afternoon poolside and an evening in the square.

I have this way with remembering random people. Jeff jokes that I can't remember what I went to the fridge for, but can remember some person I chatted to, for all of 2 minutes, in a queue somewhere!! So, the couple in the pic with me, I met on the bus to the aeroplane in Bristol. I gave up my seat to the lady, it then turned out they were sat behind us on the plane and Eric, her husband, thanked me for my kind gesture. Then, as we were waiting for our luggage, we were next to each other again. I chatted as we waited, got our luggage, wished them a happy holiday. Then, today, in the busy market, I get a cheery hello and a tap on my shoulder and its them again. They were so pleased to see me, a really lovely couple .

Day five!

 And a first solo adventure for me whilst the boys went coasteering! Jeff  had booked he and Sam off on a day's coasteering, after enjoying jumping off the rocks at Deia. So with Sophie still not enjoying the heat, I got the bus to Valldemossa, a town up in the Tramuntana mountains, on my own. Had a lovely explore, then moved on to Deia for an hour or so before heading home. The boys met me at the bus stop, we enjoyed a beer before heading back to the pool. Evening spent in the square.

Day six! 

Remind me not to think going for a 6km walk in 36-degree heat is a good idea! Just Jeff and I were up to the challenge, walking from Soller to Port de Soller, along a mix of road and dirt track, in full sun and welcome shady trees. We at least had a dip in the sea as our reward!! And shared a slice of almond cake with ice-cream. Back to Soller by bus, an Eroski stop en route, then straight in the pool, before lunch on the terrace. A chilled afternoon poolside and then a lovely meal together in the square, to round off the day.

Day seven! 

And a hot, humid day, so we decided to have breakfast in the square, do the bakery run, then spend the rest of the day poolside, as Sophie was trying for, and got, Taylor Swift tickets (phew!!!) 

Back in 2019 I made friends with Alfonso the Baker on my solo morning bakery runs!! First time this trip, I thought there was a flicker of recognition, yesterday he remembered me, today we got free biscuits!! ❤️Alfonso❤️ Such a friendly, happy chap!! Had to get a photo x

 Then in the evening, we got the bus down to Port de Soller for a tea, a paddle in the sea and a bit of a mooch!! Was so hot and humid, we got into the pool, as soon as we got home.

Day eight! 

A visit to Ecovinyassa, a family run, authentic Mallorcan farm producing lemons, oranges and other incredible organic produce like pomegranates, olives, limes, grapefruit, grapes....... It was just a 10 minute walk from our villa, so perfect in this heat.  The afternoon was spent poolside and a late evening drink in the square. It was sooooo hot, so no planned trip to Palma or Valldemossa!!

Day nine! 

Final day!! A walk to Fornalutz, up in the hills behind Soller. Our original plan had been to walk there, but given we've had a mini heatwave here this week, we made a sensible decision to get the minibus up and walk back down. A smaller version of Valldemossa, with beautiful pots lining the narrow streets. Next stop Biniraix, then back down to Soller. Glad we made the effort! The afternoon was spent poolside and final evening, at our favourite restaurant in the square.

Nine days of delicious food and drink!!

With 'Pan con tomate' being a favourite breakfast choice. 

It's made with bread, tomatoes, salt and extra virgin olive oil.

Simple but delicious x

But the main reason for the holiday was to spend quality time together. 

It was very hot and Sophie did struggle with the heat, so possibly didn't do as much as she'd initially intended. Sam struggled with getting up!!! But over the course of the 10 days, we all got out of the holiday what we wanted to and spent most lunches and evening meals together xx

There are 100's more photo's over on my travel Instagram account

@hap_pea_travels if you are interested.

Travel home was long. We always arrive at the airport early, with plenty of time to spare but as we were checking in our bags, we were notified of an hour and 3/4 delay! So more waiting around than we'd hoped for. Sophie and Sam then headed straight back to Cardiff on our return, as Sam has work today and Sophie is back to work on Monday, with a trip to London to boot. Jeff and I have four days to turn around the washing (although not much, as we did have a washing machine) before we pack our cabin cases for an extra bonus few days away!! I've done a food shop, Jeff's been tying up all the sunflowers and doing bits in the garden. Managed to get two lines of washing out and very nearly dry, in-between the showers! We've got cinema tickets booked for tonight, trying to squeeze them in. He's off to watch Indiana Jones and I'm watching Greatest Day! Looking forward to no plans tomorrow, as Monday and Tuesday are busy. Given the weather, and I'd say it feels cold.... I'm glad we did book a little adventure  next week, doesn't feel like summer here in the UK (yet!!).