Spain! (A Near Death Experience)

My travel philosophy is to go where the sales are. We found an amazing sale on tickets to Barcelona with Finnair...and off we went!

(Cala Llombards; Palma de Mallorca)

Okay, my travel philosophy is to go where the sales are...and where the water is. We love the beach! So after hearing that Barcelona (Barca) is one of the best beach cities in the world, and seeing pictures of the stunning Balearic islands, I knew we had to pay a visit. Also, I had just found out I was expecting! We took this trip while I was 8 weeks pregnant, which changes our adventurous ways slightly (but not much!).

Barcelona, Spain

We landed in Barca at an unGodly hour. Not only was it early, the city doesn't start moving until much later than we are used to. We were left with nothing to do but walk the city. Fortunately we found some amazing sights, a supplement store, and a cute little coffee shop.

Where We Stayed

Knowing that I wanted to save money to spend on the second leg of our trip (Mallorca), I chose a relatively inexpensive hotel. Room views and luxury are pretty important to me, so I had to find a balance between cost effectiveness and luxe. Fortunately, after plenty of research, I found Hotel Gran Torre Catalunya. The room had BREATHTAKING views of the city, came with complementary breakfast on the top floor, and was open and bright. The only downside was that it was quite a walk from the city center.

See hotel here: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g187497-d289670-Reviews-Gran_Hotel_Torre_Catalunya-Barcelona_Catalonia.html

Barca Highlights

Architecture

We took a guided bus tour around the city. It was relatively inexpensive and we felt that it was the best way to see as much as possible in a short amount of time. The city is full of the most beautiful architecture. From Gothic cathedrals to all of Gaudi's architectural masterpieces. I felt like I could have spent DAYS exploring the city just looking at the buildings.

La Sagrada Familia

La Sagrada Familia is one of Gaudi's most famous projects. I was surprised to learn that it is actually unfinished! Our tour bus dropped us off right in front of the cathedral and we were instantly engulfed in a massive crowd. Word to the wise: purchase tickets before arriving. Getting tickets into the Sagrada Familia is like the FastPass at Disneyland. You get it now, but have to return to use it 5 hours later.

Overall, seeing the cathedral from outside was more than enough for me. It is like nothing I've ever seen before. (In my head I kept thinking, "It looks like it should be made out of candy!")

Arc de Triomf

We decided to walk from our hotel to the Arc de Triomf at 11pm. The walk took about 50 minutes, which means we got there close to midnight...and there were people everywhere! I swear this city truly never sleeps (it doesn't even start to get dark until 10pm).

Barceloneta Beach

Barceloneta was the first beach we visited in Spain. I was underwhelmed. We didn't even get in the water. The sand was uncomfortably crowded and the water left more to be desired. However, we did enjoy lunch at a nice beachside restaurant where I had my first Paella. Absolutely delicious!

Palma de Mallorca

I had the most difficult time deciding which island to visit. Ibiza is obviously gorgeous and probably the most popular, but I'm not much of a party-goer, so I chose Palma de Mallorca (after hours of Googling 'Mallorca Beaches' 'Most Beautiful Water Mallorca' etc..)

Where We Stayed

We stayed at the gorgeous Pure Salt Garonda. In my personal opinion, the hotel was somewhat pricey for what you get. However, we enjoyed the beachfront access, ocean views from the room, and free breakfast in their downstairs restaurant.

Mallorca Highlights

Playa de Palma

Our hotel included a small private section of Playa de Palma beach. This was the very first place we visited. Feeling purely exhausted after a morning of traveling (and still suffering from jetlag), we spend a few minutes playing in the water and finished the afternoon with a nap on the sand.

Overall, the beach is pleasant, not too crowded, and the water is beautiful. There are also TONS of shops and restaurants lining the coastline.

Cala Llombards

Many of the beaches I saw online were quite a distance from our hotel. In particular, I wanted to visit Playa des Trenc, a beach known for it's bright white sand and crystal clear turquoise water (and nudity, lol.)

We found a cheap moto shop a few blocks away from our hotel and rented a motorbike. Mind you, we had an extremely vague map in a language we do not understand and no GPS. But, in the spirit of adventure, we set off.

After about an hour of motoring across the country side (with no water in sight...I was sure we were lost and doomed.) We found Playa des Trenc...and were underwhelmed. It was a small strip of beach, looked somewhat dirty, and had extremely large pieces of black seaweed floating everywhere. We stayed for maybe 15 minutes and left.

After motoring around with seemingly no direction, Steve (and his amazing sense of direction) found Cala Llombards. This beach is located in a narrow cove, which means its crystal waters are framed by stunning cliffside rocks and greenery.

Astonished by its beauty, we decided to jump off the cliffside, right into the icy water (mind you, I'm pregnant). And we both nearly drowned! We had no idea that the current was so strong. I literally thought we were goners. After fighting our way out of the current, we decided to spend the rest of the day LOOKING at the water.