By Robbie Broughton

Cala Deia is one of those beautiful coves in Mallorca, far removed from the regimented sunbed grid pattern beaches of Palma. It’s a 20 minute walk from the village along goat and sheep paths that wind through the shady ‘es Clot’ gardens before crossing terraced olive groves. Alternatively you can drive down and negotiate the many hairpins from a turning off the main road just outside the village.

The beach itself is pretty tiny and, to be honest, not the most comfortable to lounge around on scattered as it is by large boulders interspersed by clumps of dried seaweed. But it is absolutely beautiful and on a still day the water is crystal clear making it ideal for snorkelling. Young bucks perform for their girlfriends by clambering up the cliffs and rocks to jump into the sea, some more elegantly than others.

Secluded it may be, but this beauty is no secret - one of the two restaurants next to the beach featured in the TV show The Night Manager and it may be one of the most photographed little bays on the island. Large yachts anchor just outside the cove and the affluent owners are ferried over in motor launches to the restaurant by their uniformed crew. The less privileged have to make do with the goat track or take a gamble finding a parking spot in the overflowing car park. A green residents parking permit is the envy of many!

We were lucky enough to head down there a couple of weekends ago and were delighted to find Cala Deia free of the hordes that would normally be crowding the beach and restaurants. The beaches and some of the bars and restaurants on the island may be open for business but, with the borders closed until very recently, it’s only the lucky inhabitants of Mallorca that have been able to enjoy them in the past weeks.

Some 10,000 Germans were set to arrive over the last couple of weeks in an ‘experiment’ to see how well the island can cope with social distancing of tourists. Borders are now formally open and everyone has their fingers crossed that the UK will drop their quarantine policy shortly, allowing the Brits to come over too.

**Cala Llombards in the south of Mallorca**

It’s a strange feeling: while we’re all making the most of the empty beaches, free tables and lack of crowds, it’s no secret that our island is completely dependent on the tourist industry. The waiter at the fisherman’s restaurant at the Cala said that it’s what it used to be like here 30 years ago before the days of EasyJet, Ryanair and Eurowings. Tourists have been coming here for decades but it’s actually relatively recently that the explosion of summer tourists transforms the island from June to September. They bring in a huge amount of money that benefits everyone on the island so that the likes of Jordi who runs the chiringuito on the beach at Deia can work like a bastard all spring and summer and take the rest of the year off.

**A traditional Mallorquin llaut in Porto Colom**

We had a similar experience this weekend when we went to explore the south of the island. Despite being only just over an hour away from where we live, it’s incredible that in our two years here we haven’t ventured down there before. The seaside town of Porto Colom is a fabulous place to visit, especially the old part of town where the traditional Mallorquin llauts (fishing boats) moor outside brightly painted boat houses. We were also able to visit the picturesque Mondrago Natural Park with its stunning sandy beach and clear water. Best of all was our day at Cala Llombard beach where we enjoyed calamari a la plancha with a couple of glasses of rosado at the very popular beach bar. Despite not booking in advance we had a great table in the shade and had a leisurely couple of hours people-watching and basking in the beauty of this stunning spot.

So we have all been saying how much we enjoy the absence of tourists but, at the same time, how much we miss them. A tourist-free Mallorca is unsustainable and we’ve lost thousands of Euros in bookings since the lockdown was imposed. We’ve just about survived but I know there are businesses that haven’t and my heart goes out to all the hotel, restaurant and bar workers who will struggle to find work this summer.

For us at Casa Ciclista the last couple of weeks have been great because we have been able to welcome some weekenders from Palma. Our first guests in three months were an international bunch who work on the yachts and it was so good to see the whole house being used again. People are using the fantastic barbecue and pool and enjoying the garden. We have space for up to 12 people and it gives us such pleasure to see all the spaces of the house, inside and out, being fully used and enjoyed. It’s been a big space for just the two of us to rattle about in for the past few months.

We’re hoping that we’ll be able to welcome our summer holiday guests, most of whom are Brits and booked to stay with us many months ago before any of us had even heard of coronavirus . With the so-called air corridors between the UK and Spain rumoured to be open by 4th July, we’re hopeful that we’ll be seeing them. Looking further ahead, we’re excited at the prospect of cyclists and hikers coming back to stay with us in the autumn and winter when the weather will be cooler and more suitable for those activities - we’re well into the summer temperatures of 30 degrees and above on a daily basis now.

But before that we have our family to stay in the first two weeks of July, a period of time that we’ve had block booked for them since last year. Between us, Ellie and I have six children, and the hardest part of the pandemic has been not being able to see any of them apart from skype and phone calls. We are so excited to be seeing them for real!

Check out Casa de Ciclista prices and availability here.

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