Palma in January is a quieter city: smaller crowds at the caves, an almost empty square below the cathedral, and the odd grey afternoon that sends you straight down to the hotel spa. I gave it three nights in the middle of the month: a spa hotel in Santa Catalina, the best sushi I found on the island, an underground concert in Porto Cristo and a cathedral with hardly anyone else around.
Base camp: Santa Catalina
Protur Naisa Palma Hotel · 4/5
A modern four-star on a quiet street at the edge of Santa Catalina, a short walk from the market and about 20 minutes on foot from the cathedral. It does the essentials well: spacious rooms with big showers and good beds, a rooftop pool for the warmer months, and a spa with a warm indoor pool that earned its keep on a grey January afternoon. Reviewers single out the staff again and again, and in January it was strong value.
The extras are where it nickels you. Breakfast is about €14 a head and not everyone thinks it's worth it, and parking is limited and €18 a night. The design is modern and tasteful rather than a statement.
Midori Sushi Palma · 4/5
The bonus of the hotel: Midori is directly across the street, and it was the best sushi I had on the island. It's a proper à la carte sushi bar, not a buffet, in a small, quiet room on a Santa Catalina side street. The fish is the point: the flame-seared aburi rolls, the salmon nigiri and the tuna tartare are the dishes regulars come back for, and service is friendly and unhurried. It's low-key rather than a night out, and the room is small enough that you should book. At around €30 a head it's fair for the quality, and a welcome counterweight to a few days of Mallorcan pork and ensaïmadas.
First drink, last scoop
Latitude Bar, Paseo Marítimo · 3.5/5
A sports-and-cocktail bar facing the yachts on the Paseo Marítimo, and a good spot for a first drink off the plane, which is exactly how I used it. The cocktails are solid and the marina view is the draw. It's TV-led and loud when there's a match on, so treat it as a sundowner stop rather than a dinner destination.
Che Gelats · 4.5/5
Argentine-Italian gelato that locals regularly call the best in Palma. The dulce de leche flavours are the reason to come, along with chocotorta and sambayón, and there are vegan and sugar-free options too. It's a small, mostly takeaway shop with warm staff. The only complaint: you'll want a second scoop. There are three branches around Palma.
Underground in Porto Cristo
Coves del Drach · 4/5
The Coves del Drach are Mallorca's great natural stage set. You walk through chamber after chamber of stalactites lit like a theatre, then sit on tiered benches above Lake Martel while musicians drift past in lit boats playing classical music. The water is an unreal turquoise, and a short boat crossing is included. At about €18 it's excellent value, and January means smaller crowds than summer.
The flip side is the format. Visits run in timed groups and the pace is set for you, so it can feel herded, especially at the exit. There are a lot of steps and the floors are damp and uneven, which rules it out for limited mobility or strollers. Book a winter slot online (10:30, 12:00, 14:00 or 15:30) and allow 60 to 90 minutes.
Palma, in gold
La Seu and the Dalt Murada · 4.5/5
La Seu is the building that makes Palma's skyline, a Gothic cliff of golden sandstone above the old sea walls. The best way to see it is the way I did: walk down the Passeig des Born, climb past the Almudaina palace and follow the Dalt Murada along the walls, where the buttresses line up against the sky. On a clear January day the stone glows and the square is almost empty.
One of Europe's great cathedral approaches, and in January you nearly have it to yourself.
If you go inside, the vast rose window, Gaudí's canopy over the altar and the coloured light on a sunny morning are what people come for, though entry is paid and the nave can feel austere apart from the glass. Winter hours are short (Monday to Saturday 10:00 to 15:15, closed Sunday), so go early. If you only have an hour, the walls and the S'Hort del Rei gardens below are free and just as photogenic.
One more reason Palma means a lot to us: it's where we got married. On the last day of this trip, a small civil wedding with our two best friends as witnesses, then off to La Seu for photos in the January sun.
