You're hot, then you're cold Majorca.

We felt quite mixed about Majorca. We found some nice spots, enjoyed the sunshine & each other's company, but nothing about the place particularily compelled us. Our hotel was nickel&dime city. Everything from beach towels to the safe key (in room safe) cost extra. And, they all required a deposit. Then you had to keep your deposit reciept to get your deposit back. Rubbish. Which leads me to my next issue with the place; chock-full of Brits & Germans. The entire island catered to the crappy tourist dollar. If I wanted to go to a British pub, or eat schnitzel, I would have chosen another place to visit. It was like Majorca copied everything yucky and cheap about their most common tourists & then plopped it on every street corner. Oh and they had our delightful American places to boot, more KFC, BK & PizzaHut's than I've seen all year combined.
However, as you can see, we found a great spot for a post-dinner drink. We thoroughly enjoyed this little bar with a great waitress who entertained my Spainish, and was far away from the crowds and the excessive numbers of under-5 children. We took a really nice, winding drive on the one overcast afternoon. Joe was right (ehm, I admit) and we enjoyed some really picturesque towns. We spent another afternoon at a nice beach & the rest of the time, poolside. One night we ditched the car & took a taxi into town so we could 'party all night' (we were back in the hotel by 12.30 & promptly asleep with glasses on face & TV on. Don't let anyone tell you we aren't rock-stars (how we are going to manage ourselves next week at Oktoberfest, I don't know).
Everytime we take a trip, we learn more & more about what we really want out of our holiday time. We need some cultural experiences, some feeling of mixing with locals, eating their food & drinking their beer or wine. We need a hotel that has updated their rooms at some point this century, esp. their comforters, no more rust colored ala-1970. We want some time to relax, to listen, and absorb. No more running from one place to the next to the next. Vacation is not a check-list. A place to get a bit away from the crowd, to hike, or swim, to be a part of the natural environment. Maybe throw in a patio with a view for good measure. This doesn't seem like too much to ask, does it?! ;)
Please note: We realize the fact that we get to do all this (despite my sometimes negative nelly/snobbish attitude) is a serious blessing. Yesterday, one of the children drew me a treasure map & instructed I put it on the hidden treasure in my house & I said, 'I'll stick it on Joe, he's my treasure.' All I'm saying is, take me with a grain of salt peoples. I do reco-nize.