Mallorca: Choose Your Own Adventure Island
Mallorca is the friend who can pull off both hiking boots and heels. Palma has chic boutiques and tapas bars, the Tramuntana mountains are pure romance, and the south coast delivers sandy beaches and simple beach clubs.
Boat Days > Beach Days
The highlight here was our day on the water from Puerto Portals. The sea was impossibly blue, the coves secluded, and lunch at a restaurant you can only reach by boat felt like a cheat code for Mediterranean summer. Mallorca can be a beach destination – if you go to the right place – but enjoying it from the water is a recipe for success!!!
Hotels Worth the Hype
- St. Regis Mardavall: Big Resort Energy, multiple restaurants, stunning views, and recently renovated beautiful rooms.
- La Residencia, Belmond: Storybook Deià hideaway. Miró paintings over dinner, Michelin-star tasting menus, serious romance.
- Cap Rocat: Adults-only hotel built into a fortress. Dramatic drawbridge entrance, breakfast on your terrace, theater in hotel form. A true stunner.
South Side Story
Colònia de Sant Jordi – popular with Europeans on holiday (specifically lots of German/British renters who come back year after year). Santanyí = artists and charm. Both worth a wander. The star was Palma, a charming small city with absolutely phenomenal cafes, bars and tapas spots.
I Took a Pill in IBIZA*
*it may have been my Lexapro + Estradoil combo…
Ibiza’s reputation is all strobe lights and sunrise DJs, but it’s so much more. Nobu Ibiza Bay, where we stayed, balanced glitzy glamour with sophistication: marina views, chic pools, and service that made it feel stylish but not intimidating. Pro tip: we took a poolside lunch in a private cabana while we waited for our room to be available for check in and it was outstanding!!
Where the Nights Come Alive
- Dinner in Ibiza Town beneath fortress walls with international people-watching that rivaled Times Square.
- Cova Santa: Nightclub royalty since 1957. Classic Ibiza vibes!
- Casa Maca: Open-air grill, DJs, artichokes so good they deserved a standing ovation.
Beach Clubs Are a Lifestyle
- El Chiringuito: Chic loungers, sandy toes, cocktails, and a DJ-fueled lunch.
- Cotton Beach Club: As the name implies, crisp and clean white decor, perched above turquoise coves, panoramic views.
Ibiza is vibrant, international, and glamorous. Whether you’re clubbing till sunrise or clinking rosé at 2:30 PM, it works.
Seville: Tapas That Ruined Me for Ham Forever
Seville feels like stepping onto a movie set where history, flamenco, and tapas overlap.
Hotel Royalty
Hotel Alfonso XIII was built for royalty in 1929 and still feels like it. Ornate tiles, lush courtyards, and a breakfast spread that could make anyone a morning person.
A Tapas Crawl for the Ages
With 4,500 tapas bars, formal restaurants take a backseat in Seville to these more casual and authentic local eateries. Highlights: jamón ibérico so good it ruined supermarket ham forever, shrimp with camembert and honey (sounds wrong, tastes right), and camarón toast.
Must-Sees
- The Real Alcázar: Mudéjar architecture and gardens straight out of Game of Thrones.
- Cathedral + Giralda Tower: Monumental Gothic beauty, Columbus’ very restless remains (did you know he’s been moved four times in the last 400 years???), and a pipe organ that puts the one in Goonies to shame.
- Santa Cruz: Twisting small streets lines with local artisan goods including ceramics, fans, and orange blossom everything.
- Triana: More upscale galleries and tapas bars by the scenic river – a lovely walk over the bridge from the Alfonso.
Granada: Versailles With a Moorish Twist
Granada felt a bit less “storybook Andalusia” and more “real city,” but its anchor—the Alhambra—is pure magic.
Where We Slept
Palacio de los Patos, Hospes: Sleek, modern, minimalist. Rooms are brand new and have every modern comfort.
Where We Ate
Bar FM: Modest exterior, but the freshest fish of the trip. Absolute must.
Where We Wandered
The Alhambra is Versailles meets Moorish artistry: cloistered halls, intricate courtyards, fountains, fortress walls, and views that go on forever. The gardens and fountains were truly breathtaking. You can feel history humming around every corner.
Ronda: Big Views, Tiny Tapas Prices
Part of the beauty of Andalucia is how the towns can be visited from the road as way points between one another. We only had three hours in Ronda, but the city made every one count.
- Puente Nuevo Bridge: Soaring above the gorge, with drama worthy of a movie.
- El Lechuguita: A tapas bar where dishes cost €1.40 and tasted like a million bucks. Scratch-off menu, buzzing with locals.
- Confitería Las Campanas: For Yemas del Tajo, an egg-yolk confection unique to Ronda. Sweet, rich, and worth every calorie.
- Shopping: Leather belts and accessories: simple, classic, and tied to local tradition.
Ronda is small, but unforgettable.
Marbella: Where the Resort Is the Destination
Puente Romano in Marbella isn’t just a hotel, it’s a universe of indulgence. Imagine wandering through whitewashed courtyards and bougainvillea-lined paths that feel like an Andalusian village, only every corner hides another surprise: Nobu sushi here, a champagne bar there, live music drifting across landscaping so unusual and lush, we had to stop to marvel at it.
A playground for grownups
Whitewashed buildings, cobblestone streets, and lush gardens make it feel like an Andalusian village, but the clientele is international and very posh. The beachfront stretches along the Golden Mile like a private playground. At Nobu Beach Club, the vibe is glamorous and high-energy, with DJs spinning, cocktails flowing, and loungers that make you feel part of the scene. Prefer serenity? Just steps away, palapas and beach chairs offer a quieter take, where the Mediterranean laps softly at your feet.
A Culinary Universe
With 17 restaurants, dining here is more than a convenience—it’s a journey. From Michelin-starred gastronomy to wood-fired Andalusian tapas, you could easily spend a week and never repeat a meal. Of course, Nobu is a star, but don’t overlook the seafood: fresh, abundant, and prepared with the kind of care that makes every bite linger. And then there’s breakfast—lavish, exquisite, and unforgettable. The mango alone is a revelation, the kind of fruit that turns into a lifelong memory.
Rooms & Rhythm
The suites and guest rooms are a retreat within the energy. Elegant, understated, and plush, they strike the perfect balance: close to the buzz when you want it, but cocooned in comfort when you don’t.
Puente Romano is Marbella at its best: stylish, polished, and full of possibility. It’s not the kind of place where you have to leave the resort—it’s the kind of place where you’ll wonder why you’d want to. For travelers looking for a week of Mediterranean glamour with every whim indulged, Puente Romano isn’t just a hotel, it’s the answer.
Final Thoughts: Spain in Snapshots
Spain is tapas and tiles, DJs and drawbridges, cathedrals and coves. This trip gave me all of it: a boat day in Mallorca, a nightclub in Ibiza, jamón in Seville, the Alhambra in Granada, a tapas bar in Ronda, and Puente Romano’s mango in Marbella.
And yes, I took a pill in Ibiza. It was my Lexapro. Or maybe estradiol. Either way, it worked.
Rebecca@Wanderology.com 