Our cruise on Marella Explorer at the end of April into May was a repositioning cruise. We began in the Canary Islands, had a great stop in Maderia and then cruised to Gibraltar.
Our next day was in port at Motril in Spain. This was a stop I was looking forward to as Motril is the nearest port to Granada where the Alhambra Palace is. We were very keen to do an excursion to see this ancient palace and fortress but unfortunately there were no tickets available so no excursion.
We decided to take the shuttle bus into the town of Motril. It was a fair distance away from where we docked, we discovered later there was also a beach which some of our fellow passengers visited.
Directly in front of us as we got off the bus was a beautiful church. It was on quite a steep slope and unfortunately closed but it did reveal perfect views back to the port and Marella Explorer.
We wandered around the town which was quite hilly. It wasn't a particularly exciting town but we did find a pleasant square with plenty of outdoor cafe seating. Having a sweet tooth I selected a cream cake, delicious, as was the coffee: Hubby went savoury with an open tomato and ham bread.
And that was Motril, returning to the ship we had a leisurely afternoon on our balcony with a glass or two of Prosecco.
A day at sea followed which we filled by having a late breakfast, a stroll around before going to one of the talks in the Squid and Anchor (the ship's pub) followed by another chilled time enjoying our private balcony space. Our evenings were for me the best bits; pre dinner drinks, dining in Latitude 53 (waiter service), watching a show ending with drinks in the Lounge singing along to the band with our fellow cruisers.
Our next port was Palma Mallorca, another place I was looking forward to as our daughter was an au pair here over a summer mid university.
We had booked an excursion which we thought included seeing Palma Cathedral and then travelling inland to Valdermossa, a place our daughter often visited.
Having to be dockside by 8.30 it was an early start. Our guide was quite chatty as we travelled through Palma but we didn't stop at the Cathedral, luckily we were the right side of the bus to catch a glimpse, it looked stunning.
We were soon travelling out of the city, our guide telling us there was a cycle race and we had to get through before they closed the road. It was quite a misty morning being so early but the views were beautiful, especially as Valdermossa came into view.
Valdermossa is a small ancient village, very picturesque with a lovely main street. Arriving at 9am had the downside of no where being open, our guide informed us the shops would open at 10am. Expecting a guided tour we were surprised when the guide gave us brief directions to see the best view and the gardens and then said to meet back at the coach at 11.15, a long time in a small village not yet open.
We wandered around, I'm sure the building were significant but we didn't know why. We enjoyed a coffee and croissant before browsing the eventually open shops full of souvenirs.
Returning to the coach our guide said he hoped we'd get back through before the road closed again and that we were visiting Belver Castle. I had never heard of this and wasn't sure it was on our itinerary.
The castle overlooks Palma giving spectacular views, our reason for the 10 minute visit ... not into the castle itself.
Our excursion had not really been as we expected and whilst our day was ok we were a little disappointed. We did discuss the excursion with the ship's destination team (as did other passengers) and they did refund part of the excursion cost. I think if we visit Palma again we will stroll along the marina to the Cathedral and the city.
Keeping up with my sunset and time tracker I've added on Motril and Palma, it's so interesting to see how it changes as we travel eastwards.
Maderia 20.42 UK time
Gibraltar 21.03 UK time plus 1 hour
Motril 20.57 UK time plus 1 hour
Palma 20.39 UK time plus 1 hour
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