5 things to do on a rainy day in Pollensa

HELP! It's raining on your holiday in Mallorca - What are you going to do all day?

We hope it won't happen to you of course. We really do. But it does sometimes rain in Pollensa. It doesn't rain often and rarely for long, but when it does, it can really pour. So, just in case, we thought we'd get a list together for you, with some cool tips on places to go and things to do on a rainy day in the north of Mallorca.

There are masses of fun things to see and do when it rains on your holiday in Pollensa

Water is scarce in the Balearic Islands and desperately needed to supply the large seasonal tourist population and irrigate the land, so when it rains in Autumn, following a long hot summer, locals welcome a downpour. And though far more unlikely, if it rains in Spring, they welcome it too, as it will fill the reservoirs before the heat.

We know you've come to Mallorca for the sunshine and the heat... and now it has started to rain! What on earth are you going to do? It is a rare problem in Summer and uncommon in Spring, though it can downpour unexpectedly in Autumn. If this happens to you on your holidays in Pollensa, please don't panic; there are lots of cool things to do on a rainy day - stuff you probably would never have tried if the sun was shining!

1. Take a wine-tasting tour 

I personally cannot think of a better way of spending a rainy day in Pollensa than drinking wine in a beautiful old winery all afternoon.

There are about 70 wineries (bodegas) in Mallorca, two DO wine regions and several wineries in the north of the island, near our hotel in Pollensa.

The Binissalem DO region has 14 wineries spread amongst the towns of Santa Maria del Camí, Consell, Binissalem, Sencelles and Santa Eugenia.

And the DOP Pla i Llevant region of Algaida, Ariany, Artà, Campos, Capdepera, Felanitx, Llucmajor, Manacor, Maria de la Salut, Montuïri, Muro, Petra, Porreres, Sant Joan, Sant Llorenç des Cardassar, Santa Margalida, Santanyi , Sineu y Vilafranca de Bonany, with 13 wineries.

The north of Mallorca doesn't have the DO denomination of Origin, but its fertile lands in the foothills of the Serra de Tramuntana produce some delicious brews.

You can tour the wineries, learn about winemaking and walk around the vineyards and then do what you really came for, wine tasting on the ancient wine estates.

The nearest wineries to our hotel in Pollensa are Mortitx on the road from Pollensa to Lluc, Can Vidalet on the old road from Pollensa to Alcudia, Bodegas Xaloc, near Pollensa Golf, and Can Xanet on the Pollensa to Alcudia road, all of which produce award winning wines and welcome visitors for wine tasting tours.

2. Visit an indoor market in Palma

Visiting an indoor market is a really excellent way of spending a rainy day on the island. And luckily for us there are a few great indoor markets in Palma. Yes, you will have to go to the city. It's a 45 minute drive from Pollensa, parking is pretty easy and cheap if you use the big underground carparks, and there are car parks beside all the markets.

My favourite is the Mercado Gastronómico San Juan, a trendy food court with a art-house cinema: Cineciutat, housed in S'Escorxador, the modernist buildings of a converted abatoir in Palma's Olivar district, where you can sample local craft beer, tapas, oysters and sushi. If you time it right, you could also see screenings of films from the Evolution! Mallorca International Film Festival, which will be held here and all over town from 23rd to 29th of October, 2020.

Another great indoor market is the Santa Catalina market in the old fisherman's district of Palma called by the same name. Locals gather mid-morning to shop and socialise, while market stalls offer a wonderful array of goods from fresh seafood to local pastries, flowers, fruit and cheese.

A recent addition is Mercat 1930, an exclusive hipster market on Palma's Paseo Maritimo, next to the famous  Tito's club. They serve lots of healthy and vegan snacks and great cocktails.

Mercado de l'Olivar is Palma's original food market. Located ion the city centre, it has been operating since 1951 and has two floors, the ground floor is traditional market stalls selling fresh and raw produce, and upstairs there are food stalls and cafes. there is also a hairdresser and a library.

You can spend an entire morning sampling and people watching undercover in these two emblematic areas of the city.

3. Pamper yourself in a Spa

Ah! Now this is a fabulous way to spend a rainy day. In fact, most people miss out on Mallorca's Spas because it is usually simply too hot to enjoy the many delights of a day of massages and beauty therapies. And they would rather lie on the beach. But if you cannot, because it's raining outside, then a day of pampering and wellness is possibly the next best thing.

Most of the big luxury hotels have Spa and Wellness Centres and non-guests are welcome to book in for a day of treatments.

In the Pollensa area there are a number, and the most exclusive is possibly the Spa in Son Brull Hotel, just outside Pollensa, which has a lovely Spa area with hot tubs, yoga lessons and massages. Vital Illa d’Or at Illa d' Or Hotel on the bay in Port Pollensa also has a great little Spa, while most sport hotels, like Duva, have good Spa facilities too: Club Duva.

For a proper pampering in wonderfully exotic surroundings, take a day out and head for the Palma Hamman, in Palma, where they offer thermal baths, aromatherapy and purifying massages. 

4. Indulge in some retail therapy

Nothing chases away the gloom and disappointment of a rainy day on holiday quite as effectively as a shopping trip. Mallorca's two largest shopping centres are FAN on the way to Palma Airport and Porto Pi in Palma, which house most well-known high street and designer brands, as well as a supermarket, cafes and restaurants. 

Just off the Pollensa to Palma road, past Inca, there is Festival Park, a huge outdoor retail and leisure centre with the Cinesa Festival Park multi-plex cinema, an indoor karting track, 18 cafes and restaurants, ice-cream parlours and a whopping 45 shops, including well-known brands of the calibre of Desigual, Diesel, El Ganso, Jaime Mascaró, Guess, Vans, Lacoste, Levi’s, Adolfo Dominguez, Amichi, Nike, Mustang, Munich, Pieles de Mallorca, Reebok and Gaastra. There is also a bowling alley.

Besides, when was the last time you went bowling? Not the first thing that comes to mind when you think of holidays in Mallorca, but then again, neither is rain. Mallorca Bowling is the largest and most comprehensive out of several bowling alleys on the island, and should you tire of lugging bowls, there is also karaoke and gaming machines. 

If you are not a great fan of malls and shopping centres, there are other places to go, like the Majorica Pearl Factory in Manacor, the Teixits Vicenç Ikat fabric making showroom and workshop in Pollensa and the vast open plan designer clothing shop Boets (previously Perpiel) in Montuiri, on the Palma-Manacor road, km 30.

Then there is the big Al Campo, which has a Decathlon shop, a and a few smaller stores of the likes of Pull and Bear, Zara Kids, C&A, Pimkie,etc.

5. Discover Mallorca's caves 

There are a reported 10,000 caves in Mallorca, a veritable underground theme park for caving enthusiasts, most however are yet to be explored, or being explored but certainly not open to the public.

You can visit some of these caves and for a rainy day activity, this one is pretty astounding.

The largest and most famous of all the Mallorcan caves are the Cuevas del Drach in Porto Cristo - 1.200 metres long and 25 metres deep, they were discovered by Édouard Martel in the late 19th century. The caves are vast with romantically lit stalagmites and stalactites and Europe's largest underwater lake, where they perform classical music concerts from a small boat.

There seem to be quite a few caves in the Porto Cristo area, most notable are the Covas del Hams, as well as many which are not open to the public because they are either too dangerous or being mapped for scientific purposes, or both.

There are also the Artà caves in Capdepera, the Cuevas of Genova in Palma, the tiny Coves de S'Alzinaret in Cala San Vicente and the 3000 m2 Coves de Campanet, in the north of the island, near Pollensa, which have a fabulous cafe attached.