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Grape Harvest Time in Mallorca
September is traditionally when winemakers celebrate the fruits of their labours once the grapes have all been harvested. In Binissalem, almost three weeks of this month are dedicated to a varied programme of events for the Festa des Vermar – also known as the Binissalem Wine Fair. I’ll write more about that in my next post.
I’m sure I’m not the only person who’s imagined spending time in a Mediterranean vineyard with other people, harvesting optimum-ripeness grapes. In my little fantasy, a morning of clipping and collecting fat bunches of grapes would be followed by a simple but idyllic, communal, al fresco lunch at a long, shaded table, served with a little wine to help diminish the pain of aching muscles. Ah, we can dream …
La Vendimia at Finca Serena
My dream almost came true on Monday, but without the aching muscles. I spent a wonderful evening at the rural hotel, Finca Serena, set in the tranquil countryside not far from the town of Montuiri. And it did involve liberating one bunch of grapes from the vine. I even donned a provided straw hat and glove and wielded some secateurs, as though I were born to the task.
We were a small group of media people invited to celebrate la vendimia or grape harvest (which actually took place last Friday under the direction of the oenologist Tomeu Llabrés). We began the evening in the peaceful vineyards, where the hotel’s Kiara told us about the varieties grown.
Finca Serena is an estate of more than 40 hectares, including ten hectares of vineyards producing the organic, native Mallorcan grape varieties of Premsal Blanc, Callet, and Giró Ros.





We were invited to have a go at harvesting, cutting a bunch or two of grapes before having a wine-tasting surrounded by vines as the sun slowly slipped down towards the Serra de Tramuntana mountains.
From there we climbed the path up to Las Palmeras terrace of the 5-star hotel’s Jacaranda restaurant – an impossibly romantic setting for dinner.
Jacaranda Restaurant






Chef Jordi Rigo had designed a special vendimia tasting menu which was available to hotel guests and diners from outside the hotel on Friday and last evening to our group. It was an idyllic taste-of-Mallorca dinner and, yes, we sat at a long table together and enjoyed convivial conversation and some of Finca Serena’s wines. All without having had to work hard for it. Thank you, Finca Serena and Único Hotels.
Jan Edwards ©2026
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Three Mallorca Restaurants with a Point of Difference
Motorworld Inn, Palma
Immaculate cars, generous food portions, and schnitzel days (Mondays & Tuesdays)
The clue is in the name. This themed restaurant is within the German-owned Motorworld complex located on the outskirts of Palma (with a large car park, for which a small charge is made). So, if you fancy a Bugatti with your beef carpaccio, a Porsche with your pizza, or a mojito with your Mercedes, this could be for you.
Petrolheads should enjoy browsing among some lovingly maintained vehicles before or after eating in the spacious Motorworld Inn, which has a large terrace with outdoor bar.
You can read my review of Motorworld Inn for Mallorca Sunshine Radio here.
Molí de Son Rafal, Llubí
Chef/patron, BBQ meats, and some high-quality beef choices
The village of Llubí has a couple of excellent restaurants: DaiCa (which has three bedrooms too, should you prefer a very short journey to bed after your dinner), and the innovative Brut, which accommodates only 14 diners in a single sitting in the evenings. Both of these offer tasting menus only. I haven’t been to either for ages and need to revisit.
However, if you’re looking for an eatery in Llubí that’s open for both lunch and dinner, with a more affordable à la carte menu, check out Molí de Son Rafal which, as the name suggests, is also home to an old windmill. And that’s not all. The small building next to the windmill was once a noodle factory, founded in the 18th century. Production at this ‘fideuer’ ceased in the middle of the last century, but the family has preserved the building as a small noodle museum. I can pretty much guarantee there’s not another one in Mallorca!
Check out my review of Molí de Son Rafal for Mallorca Sunshine Radio here.
Hospes Maricel, Cas Català
For a long and indulgent, lazy breakfast on an elevated seafront terrace
The point of difference at this beautiful, coastal 5-star hotel is the breakfast. The Madrid Fusion Gastronomic Summit has twice named it ‘The World’s Best Breakfast’ in the past. This year’s version is the best yet – the creation of the Hospes Maricel’s new executive chef.
You can even buy a voucher for this breakfast as a gift. Now that would be what I’d call a fine birthday gift.
Read more here.
Jan Edwards ©2026
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New Bytra Boutique Hotel open in Petra
Earlier this month, we went to see Mallorca’s newest village hotel, a 4-star, adults-only property in Petra. Bytra Boutique Hotel has 12 rooms and is a conversion of a noble house built in 1900.
This new hotel will appeal to those who want a more authentically Mallorcan stay on the island, soaking up some of the culture of village life. It’s located opposite the handsome church of Sant Pere and is only a short walk from the heart of Petra. It appears to be a super renovation, with some original architectural features retained.
Why the name Bytra? This was the name of this area in the time of the Muslim occupation of Mallorca. In the northeastern town of Artà, you’ll find hotels named Yartan and Juz de Yartan – Yartan being the name of this town under Muslim rule. I like that these hotels reflect something of the rich history of Mallorca.
Facilities at Bytra Boutique Hotel

Courtyard of Bytra Boutique Hotel 
Foyer of Bytra 
The reading room 
The reading room 





Suite terrace with Jacuzzi The 12 guest rooms include double, double superior, suite with terrace and Jacuzzi, and suite superior with terrace and Jacuzzi. Rooms are equipped with air-conditioning, safe, iron and ironing board, tea and coffee-making facilities, Wi-Fi, and more.
The hotel has a reading room, patio courtyard, outdoor pool, bar, and breakfast room.
NOTE: I have not stayed at this hotel so cannot comment on that experience.
Another Hotel Opens in Petra this Month
Ca’n Rey is the name of another hotel due to open in Petra within a few days. It’s also a conversion of an old manor house, and I can’t wait to see it. Wellness seems to be one of the focuses of this hotel, which will be designated 4-star.
Why Petra?
Petra has an important link to the West Coast of America: this village was the birthplace of the 18th-century Franciscan friar, Junipero Serra, who travelled to what’s now California to establish missions there. You can visit the humble home where he was born and visit an interesting museum related to him.
American visitors flying direct to Mallorca from Newark and Miami and visiting the birthplace of Junipero Serra will no doubt welcome the opportunity to stay in one of these two new boutique hotels and spend a little more time in the authentic Mallorcan town of Petra.
Jan Edwards ©2026
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New Art Partnership for La Residencia Hotel in Deià
Art-loving vsitors to Mallorca probably already know that La Residencia, A Belmond Hotel, has strong cultural and artistic connections.
The renowned 5-star hotel in the village of Deià houses a permanent collection of more than 800 original works by artists who have lived and worked in Deià and northern Mallorca, including an impressive collection by the artist Joan Miró. All this art is displayed for guests to enjoy throughout the hotel and in its dedicated Sa Tafona Art Gallery.
For the fourth edition of the hotel’s ‘Artists in Residencia’ programme, the hotel has partnered with the Loewe Foundation (on the occasion of the latter’s 10th anniversary), launching an annual artist residency programme structured around three creative stays, each lasting two months.
Discover the work of the following artists:
Kaori Juzu
Kaori is a jewellery artist from Japan, working with conceptual metal-based forms. She’s spending May and June at La Residencia, taking inspiration from Mallorca’s landscape and light.
Deirdre McLoughlin
Deirdre is a ceramic artist from Ireland. She works with clay-based sculptural forms and experimental shaping processes and will be in residence during July and August.
Dahye Jeong
This South Korean textile artist specialises in horsehair-weaving techniques and will be at La Residencia in September and October.
Artistic Encounters
During their residency, each artist will share their work with guests through informal encounters and small gatherings, including the hotel’s weekly cocktail and dedicated breakfast sessions. Guests will be able to interact with the artists and their processes in a natural and engaging way.
Art is at the heart of the guest experience at this renowned hotel, which also offers ‘Walk and Talk’ tours with the art curator, and master classes in sculpting with the Sculptor-in-Residence, Juan Waelder. Could this be the summer that you bring out your own inner artist as well as discovering the art of others?
Jan Edwards ©2026
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Sample Some of Mallorca’s Best Wines at the Pollensa Wine Fair
You can discover the variety and high quality of Mallorca’s wines, without touring the island’s bodegas, at the Pollença Wine Fair, or Fira del Vi.
This annual event – the 2026 edition is the 23rd – takes place in Pollença’s atmospheric cloister of the Convent de Sant Domingo in the heart of the town. It’s happening on April 25th and 26th. Opening hours are Saturday, 10 am to 8.30 pm and Sunday, 10 am to 2 pm. Last entry is one hour before closing.
Needless to say, it attracts a lot of people, from wine-lovers to sommeliers to distributors to curious holidaymakers, so I recommend attending on the Saturday morning because this event gets busier as the day goes on. If you want to talk to the wine producers, you’re more likely to have time to do so earlier in the day. I’ve never been on the Sunday morning as I imagine it’s even busier because there’s a big market in Pollença on Sundays.
You’ll pay an entrance fee on the door of 15€ per person, in return for which you receive a tasting glass, a helpful booklet, and a 5€ voucher to redeem against the cost of any bottles of wine you decide to buy at the event.
This year there’ll be some 37 wineries exhibiting at the fair, including Tianna Negre, Es Fangar, Ca’n Feliu, Conde de Suyrot, Can Axartell, Mortitx, and Binigrau. Some wineries from the DO Monsanto on the Peninsula will also be represented.
At a formal wine tasting at a French château some years ago on a business trip, I splattered my white skirt with red wine, while attempting to spit into the spittoon. Only wine professionals are likely to use the dump buckets at the Pollença Wine Fair to avoid becoming too intoxicated. There’s no requirement for we ordinary mortals to spit if we don’t want to. You do you … but maybe avoid white clothes, just in case.
My recommendation is to have a breakfast or early brunch in the town before you start sampling. It’s easy to get carried away and not realise how much you’ve sipped, so having something to line the stomach first is a good idea.
A word of warning: The annual 312km cycle race takes place on Saturday 25th, and road closures can affect access to Pollença. I find it bizarre that two events that attract a lot of people are scheduled over the same weekend. Here’s a link to the race website.
Jan Edwards ©2026
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Shopping for Food & Drink in Manacor
Manacor is our nearest town for shopping, and someone emailed me recently to ask where I buy my food and drink in the town, so stay with me if you’re interested.
When we first moved here in 2004, the choice of shops – and available food products – was limited. During the first few months we lived here, I had a recurring dream of being in the food hall of Marks and Spencer in Summertown, Oxford, which was close to where I worked at the BBC. Hiper in Manacor was then a smaller supermarket with poor lighting, a strong aroma of bleach, and little appeal. It’s vastly better now, but I find it expensive compared to other shops.
Manacor is now awash with chain supermarkets, with two branches of Hiper (one in the town centre), two Lidls, an Aldi, an Eroski (which I used to think sounded more like a name for a Russian sex shop), and, in Manacor’s Carrer Major, a Carrefour Express (open daily from 8.30am to 10pm).
As the choice of supermarkets has increased, our use of them has decreased. Part of that is a desire to support more local businesses. Only occasionally do we venture into one of them for something we can’t buy at our usual shops – which are as follows:
Agromart
Founded in 2010 from the merger of two fruit-and-veg companies, Agromart today has more than 25 stores across Mallorca. As well as fresh produce, Agromart stocks an extensive range of wines and spirits, dried and jarred goods, breads and pastries, and more. In Manacor, the store includes a large cheese counter, dairy goods, and a charcuterie section, as well as a butcher’s counter. Sadly, the fresh fish counter is no longer there, although you can find frozen seafood.
https://maps.app.goo.gl/roea9MtVVgEE1q6X
Terracor/Terragust
This is my number one choice for fresh fruit and vegetables grown locally, as well as other products from Mallorca (including wines). This farm shop is between Manacor and the El Cruce restaurant roundabout – the one with the ‘dancing’ sculptures.
Terracor is easily spotted from the Ma15 road for its enormous green-roofed greenhouses, which are also home to a covered growing area (strawberries and tomatoes are the key produce in this space), and the recommended eatery, Degusta.It also houses offices, logistics, and distribution departments. There’s an on-site bakery here and it’s worth trying their breads, cocas, and other baked goods.
This agricultural company manages more than 300 hectares of productive land in Manacor, Petra, Felanitx, and Porreres.
Terracor is big on sustainability practices and was recognised as one of the ‘Best Sustainable Producers’ by the bank BBVA and El Celler de Can Roca in 2021. I am a massive fan of this company.
https://maps.app.goo.gl/GTMyyZuCGLrMBoHD8
Müller
This German chain has stores across Mallorca and Spain and other European countries. It offers a wide range of household, personal care, kitchen products, confectionery, pet food and sundries, but not fresh food. It has a good range of organic packaged products, including canned and jarred, and dry goods for the pantry. You’ll also find products for coeliacs and those on a gluten-free diet, as well as dietary supplements. In Manacor, the adjacent store is Müller’s stationery and toys department.
If you shop regularly at Müller, it’s worth getting the company’s free app, for discounts.
https://maps.app.goo.gl/6CeLf2LaTPX1m4tFA
El Paladar
This branch of the Spanish chain of delicatessens is worth a visit for tasty gourmet treats. Some of the product range – eg Simon Coll chocolate – is available in Agromart or other stores. El Paladar is good for hand-carved ham, bread, wines, and choice of preserves, oils, and vinegars. They also sell the iconic Bonilla a la Vista artisan crisps (patatas fritas) in tins. Yum!
El Paladar also has stores in Palma and Mahon (Menorca).
https://maps.app.goo.gl/BkmA2WvHGapvUmRc7
Ca Ses Cusses
When we first moved here, Ca Ses Cusses was our best bet in Manacor for sourcing some of the ingredients I’d bought in the UK but couldn’t find in supermarkets in the town. It’s where I’ve often bought coffee beans which they grind to suit the appropriate coffee-making appliance (we’re filter fans).
Five generations of the Carrió family have owned Ca Ses Cusses since it was founded in 1895, and today it is the charming Àngela who is in charge. Her father Biel retired last year but still pops into the shop, close to Manacor’s marketplace, to chat to customers and spend time with his daughter. Ca Ses Cusses is open mornings only from Monday to Saturday.
Given the history of Ca Ses Cusses, it’s not surprising that it’s been designated one of the Establiments Emblematics de Mallorca
https://maps.app.goo.gl/gCR9pXvPtx7VZXzCA
Sa Botiga d’es Peix
Supermarkets in Manacor sell fish, either packaged or fresh, but for an independent fishmonger, head to Sa Botiga d’es Peix in the centre of the town. You’ll find it in the fresh-produce market square, Plaça de la Constitució.
Do you have any other food-and-drink shopping recommendations in Manacor?
Jan Edwards ©2026
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Early Season 2026 Mallorca
With seasonal restaurants and hotels beginning to open for 2026, it’s time for me to start posting again on this blog. I do maintain the eatdrinksleepmallorca Instagram and Facebook pages through the winter, but take a break from posting here, which gives me more time to concentrate on my novel-writing* and restaurant reviews for Mallorca Sunshine Radio.
Eat Out with Mallorca Restaurant Week
First, Mallorca Restaurant Week lasts for five weeks and not only one. This pre-season restaurant promotion – the second edition – is happening now and continues until the end of March. Its organisers describe it as a ‘cultural and economic platform that brings together restaurants, chefs, local producers, the territory, and the media’.
For diners, it’s a chance to try menus exclusively created for Mallorca Restaurant Week by the participating restaurants – of which there are some fifty this year, including some with Michelin stars.
The menus are seasonal, use local produce, reflect the restaurants’ level of cuisine, and are priced for appeal. It could be an opportunity to discover previously untried restaurants or to take advantage of the quieter time, before the busy holiday season begins, to revisit a familiar one.
The participating restaurants include some of my favourite places: Yara in Puerto Portals, Es Fum in Costa d’en Blanes, Terragust Degusta near Manacor, and in Palma, Izakaya, Botànic, Aromata, La Vieja de Jonay Hernández, Fera, and The Merchants. Locations also include Alcúdia, Calvià, Port de Sóller, and Fornalutx.

Edgar Rodríguez, Aromata in Palma 
The garden at Botànic , Palma 
Miguel Navarro, Es Fum (one Michelin star) 
Izakaya High Japanese cuisine, Palma 
Jonay Hernández, Palma 
Yara in Puerto Portals Find all the details and make your booking through the promotion’s website, https://restaurant-week.es There are still a couple of weeks to take advantage of Mallorca Restaurant Week, subject to table availability. Best to book now!
No Béns d’Avall in 2026
This Michelin-starred restaurant on the northwest coast will not be open in 2026 – news that was a big surprise to many. The restaurant’s dreamy location has been the backdrop to numerous romantic lunches and dinners, with hard-to-beat views of the Mediterranean. I’ve had some memorable lunches in this beautiful spot.
This is what the Vicens family has said:
“After over half a century of trajectory in haute cuisine, we announce the closure of our current ‘etapa actual’, closing a cycle that has marked the gastronomic evolution of the Balearic Islands.
‘This decision comes from a strategic reflection towards evolving our project and adapting to new hospitality and culinary formats. This is not an end point, it’s a transformation.’
The family’s new project is planned to launch in 2027, preserving the values and essence built over decades, while embracing a new contemporary proposal both in the kitchen and the dining room.
‘We close one door to open another, but the passion continues. The best is yet to come.’ And I’m already looking forward to it.
* If you’d like to read either of my published, contemporary romance novels, both set in Mallorca, here are the Amazon links:
Daughter of Deià https://books2read.com/u/4Dx8ad
The Mallorca Cat Café https://mybook.to/M3pg
Jan Edwards ©2026
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Mallorca’s Michelin Stars for 2026
The restaurant world equivalent of the Oscars (Academy Awards) are the Michelin stars, and last night was when the new stars for the 2026 edition of the Guía Michelin were announced. The gala event was held in the SOHRLIN Cultural Centre in Malaga – which was hosting this prestigious annual event for the first time. Among the 700 attendees was the Hollywood actor, Antonio Banderas, who was born and still lives in the Andalusian city.
After the awards were announced, some 700 attendees sat down to what must surely have been a sumptuous gala dinner, prepared by three chefs from Michelin-starred restaurants in Malaga. Imagine the pressure of cooking for some of the very best chefs and restaurant management in Spain!
Mallorca’s New Michelin Green Star
Mallorca’s only new starred entry in the 2026 Michelin guide is a Green Star, an award that highlights restaurants at the forefront of the industry when it comes to sustainable practices.
The new Green Star for 2026 is for the Port de Pollença restaurant, Terrae, with Venezuelan chef David Rivas at the helm. He trained in Barcelona and has worked in Norway and Hong Kong, but chose Mallorca as the home for his sustainable restaurant. I’ve yet to try it, but my appetite is whetted by what I’ve discovered about this exciting concept. Congratulations to David and the team at Terrae on their Green Michelin star.
Mallorca’s other restaurants with Green Stars:
Andreu Genestra, Llucmajor
Bens d’Avall, Sóller
Ca Na Toneta, Caimari
Maca de Castro, Port d’Alcúdia
Regular Michelin Stars
There’s no change to Mallorca’s list of Michelin-starred restaurants. Here’s a reminder:
2 stars – Voro, Canyamel
1 star for: Andreu Genestra, Llucmajor; Bens d’Avall, Sóller; DINS Santi Taura, Palma; Es Fum, Costa d’en Blanes; Fusion 19, Playa de Muro; Maca de Castro, Port d’Alcúdia; Marc Fosh, Palma; Sa Clastra, Es Capdellà; Zaranda, Palma.
For a full list of Spain’s Michelin-starred restaurants, visit here.
Jan Edwards ©2025

























