Mallorca or other winter sun destinations

nbalcombe

I appreciate that there a few threads floating around on the subject of Mallorca but I guess I have some quite specific questions that warranted a new thread.

My missus has suggested a cycling holiday for some winter sun next year and I wanted to get something booked before she changes her mind. I'm an average cyclist in terms of distances, quite happy doing 100Km+ rides at the weekends with around 1500/2000m in climbing. My other half is more recreational, we've done a few 60Km rides together with cafe stops but no real big hills.

What I'm looking for is something that gives us the best of both worlds, spending time on the bikes together, finding little quaint villages/beaches but also allowing me to go out and tackle some of the more iconic roads.

We're looking at going around March time but we have some flexibility in that.

Any recommendations on where to go/stay?

will it be warm enough to lay on a beach and swim in the sea that time of year?

Good experiences with cycle hire places would also be good.

Thanks in advance.

markhewitt1978

nbalcombe wrote:

I appreciate that there a few threads floating around on the subject of Mallorca but I guess I have some quite specific questions that warranted a new thread.

My missus has suggested a cycling holiday for some winter sun next year and I wanted to get something booked before she changes her mind. I'm an average cyclist in terms of distances, quite happy doing 100Km+ rides at the weekends with around 1500/2000m in climbing. My other half is more recreational, we've done a few 60Km rides together with cafe stops but no real big hills.

What I'm looking for is something that gives us the best of both worlds, spending time on the bikes together, finding little quaint villages/beaches but also allowing me to go out and tackle some of the more iconic roads.

We're looking at going around March time but we have some flexibility in that.

Any recommendations on where to go/stay?

will it be warm enough to lay on a beach and swim in the sea that time of year?

Good experiences with cycle hire places would also be good.

Thanks in advance.

Mallorca can be ideal weather in March but it can also vary quite a bit. Sometimes it's 25C and sunbathing weather, sometimes it's no warmer than the UK.

Vslowpace

How about Tenerife ?

I couldn't advise on the bike side of things, but the climate is a bit more all year round than the Balearics

AK_jnr

I stayed in Mallorca this january for a month. Out on the bike in the morning and sat on the beach in the afternoon. We were super lucky with the weather. It rained once the whole time we were there.

ilovegrace

We hired bikes and stayed here http://www.balearreisen.de/en/hotels-un ... ub-resort/ great resort , bike hire situated on the resort so no need to travel , for bike , good range of Canyons, great service when I was there (2 years ago).
First cycling Holiday abroad and could not fault it.
regrads
ILG

Tenderloin

I was in Tuscany at the weekend, still nice weather and some great climbing to be done.
Grand Canaria and Tenerife get rave reviews as well.

bernithebiker

I've seen snow on the road at the top of Puig Major in April, so good weather in March, whilst fairly likely, is by no means guaranteed. The sea is too cold to swim in too, unless you're hard as nails!

If you're looking for quaint little seaside villages, PPollensa and Alcudia are not it. Think more Deia, Banyalbufar, Estellencs, although you probably won't get such a good hotel deal. Generally, the weather tends to be better in the South.

Palma has tons to offer too, and the other halves always seem to love it. The climb at 7.25m here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PlFGfmAvbFU is only minutes from central Palma, and you won't see 1 car on it.

One option for you wife is an electric bike - there are more and more of these on offer now, and she can then do longer rides with you.

BalearReisen mentioned above are good for hiring Canyons.

trek_dan

In my experience Tenerife isn't much use for recreational cycling as there is only one real way to go and that up for 7000 feet! The roads around the bottom of the island are too busy to really enjoy albeit I've only ever stayed on the 'busy' side of the island around Playa de las Americas, there may be some hidden gems elsewhere on the island.
When I went to Mallorca (Porto Pollensa) in April the weather was ok for cycling, but certainly not sitting on the beach. We had some rain and some horrific wind.

sloppyschleckonds

nbalcombe wrote:

What I'm looking for is something that gives us the best of both worlds, spending time on the bikes together, finding little quaint villages/beaches but also allowing me to go out and tackle some of the more iconic roads.

What you are looking for does not exist

bernithebiker

SloppySchleckonds wrote:

nbalcombe wrote:

What I'm looking for is something that gives us the best of both worlds, spending time on the bikes together, finding little quaint villages/beaches but also allowing me to go out and tackle some of the more iconic roads.

What you are looking for does not exist

Not so fast there Sloppy! How about Deia?

Quaint little village / town. Tick!

and pretty little beach. Tick!

Ride together to Soller / Port Soller or Valdemossa. Tick!

Solo ride up the Puig Major to Sa Calobra and beyond, or down to Andratx. Tick!

sloppyschleckonds

I'd like to see anyone on a Majorcan beach in winter!

svetty

Never been to Gran Canaria but have a week off in November. Any recommendations??

drlodge

Svetty wrote:

Never been to Gran Canaria but have a week off in November. Any recommendations??

Been there twice, near Maspalomos. Should be as good as anywhere.

pilot_pete

Have a look at the Algarve. Fantastic roads, coastline and hills inland. Villages aplenty, great, cheap food. Brilliant cycling and a bit of a hidden gem - I go every November and the temp is high teens/ low twenties every day. Last year wall to wall blue skies all week. March average similar, but later the better in March I would suggest.

It is a little bit further south than the Balearics so a better chance of descent weather all week at that time of year I would suggest. The roads inland are very quiet and overall of a high quality surface wise. There are plenty to choose from, unlike the Canaries and you won't get the howling winds that the Canaries are notorious for!

Some fantastic climbs including the highest point Foia which is 3000' above sea level and several around Branco de Velho. I love it! You can ride for hours and see very few cars and not many cyclists, which is in contrast to Majorca. Good bike shops who do small jobs on the spot and charge peanuts to get you back on the road again. Our group is about 8 strong on average so we always end up with someone needing the services of a bike shop at some point during our week...

Take a look at the roads on Google street view and look to rent a villa away from the touristy areas, either slightly inland or east of Faro. Cheaper and more pleasant.

PP

svetty

Pilot Pete wrote:

Have a look at the Algarve. Fantastic roads, coastline and hills inland. Villages aplenty, great, cheap food. Brilliant cycling and a bit of a hidden gem - I go every November and the temp is high teens/ low twenties every day. Last year wall to wall blue skies all week. March average similar, but later the better in March I would suggest.

It is a little bit further south than the Balearics so a better chance of descent weather all week at that time of year I would suggest. The roads inland are very quiet and overall of a high quality surface wise. There are plenty to choose from, unlike the Canaries and you won't get the howling winds that the Canaries are notorious for!

Some fantastic climbs including the highest point Foia which is 3000' above sea level and several around Branco de Velho. I love it! You can ride for hours and see very few cars and not many cyclists, which is in contrast to Majorca. Good bike shops who do small jobs on the spot and charge peanuts to get you back on the road again. Our group is about 8 strong on average so we always end up with someone needing the services of a bike shop at some point during our week...

Take a look at the roads on Google street view and look to rent a villa away from the touristy areas, either slightly inland or east of Faro. Cheaper and more pleasant.

PP

Sounds ideal. Any cyclist friendly hotels you could recommend - secure bike storage etc??

First.Aspect

I'm in Mallorca at the moment. 20-25C, but a bit wet on and off.

The thing about Mallorca is not that the climbs are hugely challenging, its that they are challenging enough, and the island offers flat roads as well. My feeling is that the coast road near Deia might seem pretty challenging to a Brit who occasionally does weekend rides. If you stay the other side of the mountains, you can set off for a bimble, or head for the mountains, as you wish.

I'm in Port de Soller and whilst its a fantastic place to relax, there are basically three routes out by bike, one topping out at 840m, the other at about 500m and the third taking you along said coast road which either goes up, or down. Its cycling heaven unless you want a bimble.

navrig2

We went to Tenerife last year and would agree it is not for the leisure cyclist. The coastal roads were hellish busy and the side of Teide was all about climbing. You could, no doubt, work out some routes which would be contouring around the hill but you'd have to cycle back the same way or take on a decent climb at some point.

This year we went to Mallorca, PPollensa. Much more scope for leisure cycling and for some decent distances with climbs. PPollensa was good for a base but to get out of town for a decent ride required 10km or so along busy roads before you got the nicer routes. If your leisure route was 40-60km then 20km of that would be alongside the busy routes. Wouldn't be my wife's idea of a nice cycle. I'd aim for somewhere other than PPollensa.

Deia looked quite nice but there would still be a bit of climbing at some point.

Bike hire, we used http://www.mallorcabikehire.com/ The service was great - delivered and collected from our accommodation. Brakes are set to UK layout. Bikes were this year or last years model and gearing was nicely setup. Phil was very friendly too.

turbo1191

Have a look at Rhodes.. surprising amount of good cycling to be had. coastal and mountainous. im fairly certain charter flights start in march.. if not you can go via athens.. great beaches and quaint villages. Ive used the company below to hire bikes from.

www.getactiverhodes.com

bernithebiker

turbo1191 wrote:

Have a look at Rhodes.. surprising amount of good cycling to be had. coastal and mountainous. im fairly certain charter flights start in march.. if not you can go via athens.. great beaches and quaint villages. Ive used the company below to hire bikes from.

http://www.getactiverhodes.com

What are the rhodes like?

turbo1191

The rhodes are great. pothole free.. and when you get into the interior of the island its virtually traffic free.

pilot_pete

Svetty wrote:

Sounds ideal. Any cyclist friendly hotels you could recommend - secure bike storage etc??

Afraid not, I always stay in my mate's villa. Look at villas for rent around somewhere like Loule...you should be able to get something rally cheaply out of season. November to March would be considered low season so should get plenty of choice.

PP

svetty

Cheers!