To celebrate finishing our first year of law school, a group of university friends and I escaped to Mallorca for a few days of sunshine. After months of studying, we wanted a proper summer break somewhere warm, relaxing and close to the sea.
It was also my first experience of booking a package holiday. I usually enjoy constructing trips from the ground up, choosing each flight, hotel and activity individually. For this particular trip, however, simplicity was part of the appeal. We wanted something affordable but still comfortable, and booking our flights and accommodation together made sense for an easy beach holiday.
We eventually settled on Illetes, a small coastal resort around 20 minutes west of Palma. It was quiet enough to feel relaxing but close enough to the city for an easy day trip. The balance suited us perfectly.
Staying in Illetes
Illetes is not somewhere you visit for a long list of attractions. It is a small, peaceful place centred around its rocky coastline, clear water and compact beaches. After the pace of university life, that was exactly what we needed.
We stayed at Hotel Riu Palace Bonanza Playa, where we were unexpectedly given a bungalow within the hotel grounds. Rather than a conventional hotel room, we had what felt like a small house to ourselves, complete with plenty of space and a large private balcony overlooking the water.
The balcony quickly became one of my favourite parts of our stay. Mallorca’s coastline was directly in front of us, and the view made even the quiet moments feel special, whether we were getting ready in the morning or returning after a day at the beach.
I had also been slightly apprehensive about relying on a hotel buffet, but the food was much better than I had expected. There were plenty of fresh options alongside Spanish and Mallorcan dishes, with a different theme each evening.
We appeared to be among the youngest guests at the hotel, which initially felt a little unusual. In the end, however, it contributed to the peaceful atmosphere. The hotel was calm, friendly and wonderfully quiet at night. It felt very different from the lively party holiday Mallorca is sometimes associated with.
The Beaches of Illetes
The main reason to stay in Illetes is, of course, the coastline. Our hotel was not directly on the beach, but Platja d’Illetes was only around a ten-minute walk away. The beach is relatively small, with pale sand, vivid blue water and buildings rising around the bay.
Its name can be slightly confusing when searching online, as several places in the Balearic Islands share similar names, but it was the closest and most convenient beach to our hotel.
A little farther along the coast was Cala Comtessa, which became my favourite of the two. It felt more open and natural, with fewer buildings immediately surrounding the water and a more relaxed atmosphere.
One of my strongest memories from the trip was waking up early with my friend Shally to watch the sunrise there. Getting out of bed at around 6:30 in the morning felt painful at the time, but Shally reminded me that you never regret getting up for a sunrise. She was right.
We arrived while the beach was still quiet and watched the first light spread across the water. For a place that became lively and busy later in the day, it felt completely different in those early hours. It was still, peaceful and almost entirely ours.
Gelato in Illetes
One of our regular stops in town was Corazón Helado, a small gelato shop that had opened only shortly before our visit.
The owners were incredibly welcoming, and the gelato was so good that we returned several times. They also made thick milkshakes and smoothies using the gelato, which quickly became my favourite order.
Italian gelato might not be the first thing you expect to seek out while visiting a Spanish island, but it became one of the small rituals of our stay: beach, sunshine and a stop at Corazón Helado on the way back.
A Peaceful Base Near Palma
Illetes gave us exactly the kind of break we had hoped for. It was peaceful without feeling isolated, with beautiful beaches, clear Mediterranean water and easy access to Palma.
The package holiday that I had initially been sceptical about also turned out to be ideal for this particular trip. Everything was straightforward, the hotel exceeded my expectations, and we could focus on enjoying the sunshine rather than organising complicated travel logistics.
Most importantly, Illetes gave us somewhere to slow down after an intense year of university. It was a place for long beach days, early morning swims and gelato in the sunshine. And when we were ready for something beyond the beach, Palma’s art, architecture and historic streets were only a short bus ride away.
And that wraps up this post on the small beach town of Illetes. Check back soon for a post on Palma, the gorgeous capital of the Balearic Islands.
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