Lunching (again...)

The end of the week wasn't quite as adventurous as the start. On Wednesday, Jemima woke up a bit feverish (to go with the hacking cough she's had for a few days) so I decided school was out. Instead, we had a quiet day at home, punctuated by a family trip to Chameli's for the menú (Jemima and I had John Dory and rice, Kevin had pork knuckle and jacket potato - except Jemima loved the pork knuckle, so basically shared Kevin's as well as eating her own. 

I'd planned a catch-up with my friend Tor that night, so Kevin decided to go to Heroes (the sports bar) for a drink. He staggered in past midnight, bouncing off the walls, having met a new friend who kept buying him drinks. As a result our run, postponed from Wednesday (because Jemima was off school), was postponed once again. Instead, we decided to venture into Santa Ponça for lunch, as part of our continued exploration of the local area.

Santa Ponça is a big local expat area, with lots of villas in a slightly built-up suburban environment, but with a very nice beach. We had a wander, then tried one of the top Tripadvisor restaurants, the Italian "Vivo!", and ordered their menú del día (weirdly only printed in German, which was not encouraging...). The green bean soup was surprisingly really delicious; but the chicken and rösti main was bland, and the apple doughnuts stodgy. (I know I do go on about Chameli's, but we still haven't found anywhere to match it, or even come close, especially for the price.)

After lunch we took a detour home through Magaluf, to see if it was waking up yet. And it was definitely busier - more people, restaurants having renovations and hotels having paint jobs. We finally found our way onto the beach near the Nikki Beach Club, and you can see why Magaluf was developed first - it's a huge expanse of lovely white sand. We'll return when it's all in full swing, to compare.

Then Friday, after a lovely sunny run, was another trip inland, this time to Es Capdellà, a pretty hilltop village a bit past Calvià set in some beautiful countryside. Despite being much smaller than Calvià it seemed a lot more lively, with about four restaurants open. We tried the menú at Es Molí d'Es Capdellà, a roadside restaurant with a nice (sadly full) terrace and a slightly canteen-style interior. It was phenomenally cheap: three courses, plus bread, water, and wine, all for €9.90; and the portions were enormous - our paella mixta starter would have been enough for a main. But it wasn't brilliant - my calamari was definitely straight from the freezer. But it was a jolly stop off (especially after most of a carafe of red wine, as Kevin was driving).

We had a little tour around the village, and it was very pretty, with some lovely old buildings, but feeling much more open and welcoming than Calvià. But there was not much else, apart a Council-run outdoor swimming pool (right next to a restaurant), which must be amazing in the summer.

And that was it for the week. Jemima was shattered again at school pick-up - I think she's been fighting something off - so we had a quiet night to be ready for the weekend. Kevin is off all day Saturday and Sunday on an RYA Powerboating Course, so Jemima and I are having Girls' Weekend: the Sequel. Bring it on!

The beach at Magaluf

Es Capdellà's outdoor pool

A very posh-looking hotel just outside Es Capdellà