Wikipedia says there was life in s'Illot around 1100 BC. There were around 200 inhabitants. Not much has changed since then; today there are 249.
About perceived distance
S'Illot is on the east coast of Mallorca, just past Port de Alcudia. It is one of the furthest places on Mallorca to which you can set off from Palma. The advantage, on the other hand, is that it doesn't take that long via the motorway, or at least it feels shorter than a visit to Manacor, for example, which is actually closer.
The spirits I called
I had asked the best wife of all to find excursion destinations. So far, thank God, she had rarely succeeded, but this time she found s'Illot. It is also "only" half an hour from Pollença. So from the point of view of native Mallorcans, it's about a day's journey. I was allowed to follow and had two hours of peace and quiet. So I set off slightly unpunctual and took the usual route towards Alcudia. The stretch of coast between Port de Pollenca and Alcúdia is not only spectacular for kite surfers, the panorama is quite sensational!
From Pollença to the Atlantic?
From then on, it became village-like romantic, the little street that meandered through the centre of the village by the sea looked like a dreamy little coastal town in the south of France. Me gusta!
That's what I love about Mallorca. You drive half an hour and you're in another world! And that can be repeated quite often and leads to certain lazy husbands finding it quite superfluous to leave the island - except for car purchases. So friends of mine ...
Of course there were no parking spaces, but thanks to an off-road car, the problem was solved more or less legally. In the firm belief that a tow truck would not be able to get through here, I reached the small restaurant where we had arranged to meet.
Picnic in s'Illot
By the way, you don't have to go to a restaurant here - as is usually the case on Mallorca - but can also simply have a picnic. Several tables and benches under shady trees invite you to do so!
The view is sensational. Unfortunately, my photo is only an imperfect representation. You are looking at the entire Tramuntana chain, Port de Pollenca is in the middle and the bay closes again in the south.
Into the water!
If you want to swim, plunge down the small slope (not literally ...) into the pebbly bay with wonderfully clear water. And those who want to scramble on the rocks, which look as if the child of a family of giants had forgotten to clean up after playing, can also let off steam.
In general - a great place for children. Whether under the trees, on the beach, in the restaurant. Everywhere - as mostly on the island - children are welcome visitors. A huge difference to Germany!
Our waitress is delighted at how well the little rascals speak Spanish and I'm signed out for the time being. The service is really nice. Please don't expect any other gastronomic excellence, this is an excursion restaurant. And the owner owns I think 7 more in similarly great locations. And they all fill up in a relaxed way, even without any special highlights in the kitchen...
Eating in s'Illot? ... The view is great!
We are there with six people. And we order up and down the menu in a colourful way, so that I get to try a lot.
Gambas al ajillo are quite good. Above all, crassly tidy! The fat is obviously fresh and the cooking point almost perfect. The garlic could have used a little more roast flavour. But totally okay! However, 16 euros for it can only be justified by looking at it!
The pimentos de patron are also great, which they really aren't always. Fish and chips for the kids was okay, the fries are a bit mushy and the flavour is almost non-existent.
I had courageously ordered "lechona", which is the name for suckling pig here. From "leche", the milk. I was pleasantly surprised by this daily special! It may sound silly, but the potato was to die for. It really was! It tasted so really good. Had the texture of a young potato. If only the fries had been carved from the same tuber!
The suckling pig was layered, a bit like a lasagne. Good taste, nicely tender, slight flavour of its own, impeccable. The roasted vegetables could have been prepared with a little more effort, but they were okay. For 17 euros, it was absolutely good!
I wouldn't recommend the chicken wings, others can do better ... The chipirones, the Spanish name for the small fried baby squid, were actually quite good. But unfortunately they were watery inside. I suspect they came from the freezer, were defrosted and not drained sufficiently.
I tried - you guessed it - several desserts at once. Tiramisu and crema catalana were homemade. The Tarta d'Almendra with the wonderfully creamy hazelnut ice cream was really good. Did you know that this Mallorcan almond cake is actually only made of ground almonds? There is no flour in it. And no butter either, by the way. So, by the way, also for people who don't tolerate gluten, this is a delicacy without remorse.
The coulant was as expected, half the island seems to use the same supplier here. It always tastes the same and looks the same. A bit like the McDonald's of desserts. But quite okay and you know what to expect ...
So: If you want to kill an afternoon in s'Illot with a fantastic view and a really different atmosphere than in the south and southwest, you will succeed here. If there was a playground, it would be amazing, maybe as a suggestion.
By the way, you can also go on short hikes in the immediate vicinity to flatten out the little exercise fanatics. That's just by the by and only from theory...
The best wife of all had read somewhere that the best sunsets on the island were to be found here. So that I could honestly - or more correctly - continue to claim in good faith that they were in Portixol, we simply left early!
