What to Do When It's Raining on Mallorca

15 September 2021

One of the best things about a rainy day on the island is knowing that it won't last long. This welcome weather change is actually a cause for celebration. Mallorca has a persistent water shortage, so seeing the reservoirs fill up is a visible measurement of the island's overall environmental health.

The next week or so calls for rain in the forecast. We thought you might want ideas about what to do with the yourself and the children. Here are a few ideas.

A “Zero Carbon Foot Print Day” #

If none of the activity suggestions below interest you, here is another idea: stay home, curl up with a book, candles or Netflix. Take time on your rainy respite to plan more ways to live sustainably, like design next week's organic menu based on local products while tuning into our island's digital English language radio stations.

Take a Tour While Staying Home

Explore on-line tour options without getting wet, like visiting the Jewish Quarter of Palma by booking their on-line tour or even bicycle virtually through Bryan Visser and 6Points Cycling Challenges. Contact Bryan to learn more about their supporting local charities while participating in weekly virtual rides on Zwift.

Meetings or plans with locals are often cancelled when there is rain (which strikes many new to the island as silly because in most countries life goes on normally in bad weather). This is not the case in Mallorca. Mallorquín fincas and homes are infamous for not being watertight. If you aren't scrambling to put a pot under a pesky roof leak, mopping up water that seeped under the door you might be recruited by a neighbor to do the same. If you prepped the property properly, you will have time to explore some more of our suggestions below.

Food, Glorious Food #

Markets
Mallorca is no slouch when it comes to choices in food possibilities. What better way to spend a dreary day then munching your way through one (or more!) of Palma’s indoor markets. With three to opt from, you’re sure to get a little bit of everything you love without breaking the bank. The Mercat d’Olivar is a hop-skip from the train station in Palma, and a great place to start. If you’ve not had your fill there, head to the relatively new Mercado Gastronómico San Juan in the modernist s’Escorxador cultural and commercial centre where you can feast on rustic local pintxos followed by a sophisticated plate of oysters washed down with local vermut. Then make your way back to the Mercat de Santa Catalina for more tapas and enjoy the scene as locals go about their day buying up fresh flowers and ingredients for that night’s meal.

L Olivar Market Stall Palma

Restaurants
While most of our favorites have shuttered due to COVID, others have popped up. If the thought of all that moving around makes your feet ache, why not stop into one of Mallorca’s many top-rated restaurants and make an afternoon of it. Many restaurants still continue the Spanish tradition of offering a three-course midday meal at cut rate prices. While the venue may be closed inside, you can orderBy take-away or dine under a tent outside.

Affordable Mallorca Tip: Even some of the Michelin-star restaurants offer a menu del dia, and whilst it is not exactly cheap eats, it is a lovely indulgence that won’t wreck your budget. Please post a photo of yourself at one of these restaurants and tag us on IG @AffordableMallorca.

Cooking Classes On-site or On-line
Or why not consider learning how to recreate some of these amazing local dishes yourself? Lonja 18 and Grounded Living offer cooking classes that range from €70 for a 3-hour course to €195 for an all day one. The best part is you get to enjoy your creations after! Due to COVID, you need to email or call first.

Red Wine Restaurant

Sporty Set #

If you are more the “get up and go” type, then there are also options for you. Another COVID reminder, schedules are shifting constantly, email or call to make sure these places are open.

Bowling
Head to Bowling Mallorca. For €6/weekdays and €6.50 on weekends and holidays, you can practice your skills and have a good laugh at the same time. They also have karaoke for the more intrepid.
Address: Camí dels Reis, 211, 07011 Palma

Leaps and Bounds
There is also Palma Jump. For €10 you can spend an hour (or more) practicing trick moves on dozens of trampolines, or give trampoline basketball, obstacle courses and ninja warrior courses a go.
Address: P.I Son Moix, Calle Textil, 3, solar 33, 07011

Adventure
And if you like solving puzzles, there are Escape rooms where you use brawn and brains to find your way through a maze of rooms, solving clues the whole way. Great to do as a family, as real teamwork is required. Best to search on Google to see which ones are available. Some stay open until 11pm!

Indoor Rock Climbing
Mallorca has great outdoor rock climbing, but also indoor practice walls. You might not feel sufficiently flexible and strong, but don´t worry because with the harness and experts supporting you, safety is assured.

Spas and Hammams
And when you’re done with all that exercise, get thee to one of the island’s many fantastic spas for a nice relaxing massage or to a hamman to sweat out the kinks. There. Doesn’t that sound better already?

Video Gaming Centres and Casinos
Pamadi, located in the Porto Pi mall, has something for everyone. There is a section made just for kids with throwbacks like pinball machines, foosball and video games (Space Invaders, anyone?), as well as massive climbing frames. For adults, there are billiard tables and a full bar. A snack bar offers more-than-basic offerings like croissants, churros, cookies, and bocadillos. It's clean, convenient for parking and best of all, it's indoors!

If you like a bit of risk in your game-playing, stop into Mega Fun Games in Palma, where you can pretend that you’re in sunny Vegas on a rainy afternoon. Roulette, one-armed bandits, and sports betting in a 200m2 space with hot and cold drinks served from the bar. But beware: Keep your visits strictly to a few rainy days a year as gambling comes with a serious risk of addiction!

Bowling

Art and Culture #

Art Galleries and Museums
There are a number of small galleries and ateliers, located in nearly every part of the island, meaning you won’t need to travel far to get a good selection of mostly local artists. Most items in galleries are for sale, so you may find that perfect piece for the entry way or above the fireplace. There are too many here to list them all, but a few of note are ABA Art in Palma, Addaya Centre d’Art Contemporani in Alaro, and Ahoy! in Palma.

If you are not in the market to buy, but prefer to browse, Mallorca also has a number of excellent museums. Pilar and Joan Miro Museum and Es Balaud Museum of Contemporary and Modern Art are perennial favourites in Palma, as is the Fundacio Caixa housed in a stunningly beautiful building. It's not an actual museum but the architecture and the art collection are second to none.

Outside Palma there is the Ca’n Prunera Museum of Modernism and Sala Picasso y Sala Miro, the permanent exhibition at the railway station, both in Soller, the Museo Sa Bassa Blanca in Alcudia, and the Museu de Pollença in Pollença, of course! CCA in Andratx deserves honorary mention for its interesting gallery and regular workshops, talks and events.

Cinema
After tapas at s’Escorxador, take advantage of the cinema Cineciutat, also located there, which shows films in original version with Spanish subtitles. It’s a fun way to pass a wet day, and also a good way to brush up on your Spanish!

Other Arty Places of Interest
Why should painters and sculptors get all the fanfare? Mallorca’s craft tradition is alive and well and a fun diversion when you can’t get outside.

Visit local textile makers Teixits Vicens and get a guided tour where you will learn about Mallorca’s rich textile making history and get to see the fabrics actually being made.
Address: Rotonda Can Berenguer, s/n, 07460 Pollença

Glass blowing and making is another form of art, and you will see quite a show if you pass by glass making factories Lafiore in S'Esgleieta, Menestralia in Campenet, or Gordiola, in Algaida. All are open to the public and have extensive shops where you can purchase items similar to what you see being created.

People eating popcorn at movies min

Nature #

Caves
Just because the weather isn’t cooperating doesn’t mean you can’t get a dose of nature. Caves are a great rainy day place to visit, as it doesn’t much matter what’s going on outside, when there is so much to see inside! Drach Caves are the most famous, but don’t overlook Campanet Caves and the Caves of Génova.

Aquarium
Last but not least is Palma Aquarium. Featuring sea life from all over the world, it’s like taking a trip without leaving town. You’ll see everything from sharks to seahorses, coral to clown fish. There are also interactive exhibits and activities to fill in the day. And since 2014, the aquarium has been instrumental in rescuing and rehabilitating marine animals from their Marine Fauna Recovery Centre, making it not just a fun choice but a responsible one as well!

So don’t let the rainy day blues get you down! Get out there, and make hay while the sun doesn’t shine!

Cave mallorca

Please note: Given COVID and potential restrictions, make sure to have a relaxed attitude about activities. We have tried to ensure all information is accurate but everything is subject to change during these times.


Sources

  • Spruceeats.com
  • Culturetrip.com
  • Groundedliving.com
  • Bowlingmallorca.es
  • Palmajump.com
  • Bestescaperoomsmallorca.com
  • Google.com
  • Tripadvisor.com
  • Palmaaquarium.com

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15 September, 2021

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