Even the towns at the interior of Mallorca, like Valldemossa, Fonalutx or Biniaraix, are under the shelter of Tramuntana mountain range, are those which kept better the interesting traditions and costumes, by the shore there are little places that survived the urban growth.

Therefore, idyllic images of Mediterranean fishing villages have gradually disappeared as tourists arrived massively. However, there are still charming spots in Mallorca bays, keeping the essence. Visiting them is necessary in order to understand the cultural heritage of the island.

Es Jonquet

Next to Santa Catalina quarter, in Palma, and enclosed by Sant Matgí street, the border between both areas, there is Es Jonguet, one of the oldest neighborhoods in the city, which has conserved all the charm of a fishing quarter. This is a humble neighbourhood, with low-lying houses and irregular streets, rising proud under the mills (old flour mills) that welcome travellers arriving from the sea.

S'Estaca

Do not confuse this old fishing village, near Valldemossa, with the huge mansion that actor Michael Douglas owns in this area and is named the same. The village has about twenty old fishermen shelters where it seems that time has stopped. A magic place between Sa Foradada and Port de Valldemossa.

Porto Petro

Porto Petro is at the town of Santanyí, southeast of Mallorca. Even it’s not a fishermen port as it used to be, it has respected, surprisingly, all its original essence. There are not huge residential areas; only little stores and familiar houses. This is a place for people who want to relax in the nature, with many coves nearby. Closely, however, there are the real tourist areas, like the cove of Mondragó or Cala d'Or, which have a lively activity on summer nights.

Port des Canonge

Passing by Banyalbufar, southwest of Tramutana, the mountain range gets to the sea at Port des Canonge. To get here you have to follow a windy road to discover, at the end, the old houses that fishermen used as shelter and now are a little residential area, with the beauty intact. The quay and a nice beach made of gravel and boulders, make this spot a very quiet place.

Closely, you will find little coves or walk through pine forests following "Volta des General", a nice route that goes from Banyalbufar to Port de Canonge.

Porto Petro by Magnus Manske | Es Joquen by Chixoy | Port des Canonge by mallorcaesasitambien

Makes you want to go, right? Do it! Check out our prices here!

The provenance of Minorcan gin clearly goes back to the time the island formed part of the British Empire, from 1713 to 1802. Indeed, demand by the British and Dutch seamen inundating the taverns was what prompted Minorca’s master craftsmen to embark on geneva or gin production. Thus arose the first distilleries to produce this coveted elixir.

The Doyen

Gin Xoriguer Mahón was probably the first gin to be made in the Mediterranean. Its origins go back some three hundred years when, on account of its strategic position, the port of Mahón became one of the most prized enclaves among the major maritime powers. The earliest recipe for Mahón gin was drawn up in 1750 by Miguel Pons Justo, who founded the legendary Minorcan distillery. Here, the secret formula for what is known as “Gin Xoriguer Mahón” has been preserved until the present. With its authentic bottling tradition, Xoriguer is one of the few distilleries in the world that still uses craft production methods, listed under the PGI (Protected Geographical Indication) as “Gin de Mahón”. Its special character resides in the craft methods applied to production, and the wine alcohol and juniper berries selected and left to stand for years that go into the making.

“Cocktails Perquesi” Mahón Gin Cocktail

To delight in its exquisite flavour, who better to guide us than the experts in combining these stimulating drinks? Cocktails Perquesi gifted us the recipe and the method for making a cocktail based on the Minorcan gin par excellence, Gin Xoriguer. The recipe, known as Frozen Pomada, is a variation on a fresher note of the classic gin-and-lemonade pomada.We hope you like it:

Ingredients:

6 cl. gin Xoriguer
2.5 cl. liquid sugar
1.5 cl. lemon juice
1.5 cl. lime juice
Crushed ice
5 cl. premium fever tree lemon
Lime twist garnish

Method:

Place all the ingredients – except the premium lemon refreshment – in a blender and mix with lots of crushed ice to yield a crushed-ice drink.

Serve in a glass, top up with about 5 cl. premium fever tree lemon and garnish with lime twist. Ready to serve.

Cocktails Perquesi is an ongoing project by mixologist, Mauri Jiménez. It is a cocktail catering service in the classical sense, although not limited to this. His mission is to socialise the world of cocktails and present it to the public in a clear, simple and honest way. The above cocktail is designed to bring a bit of Minorca into the home.

If you liked this cocktail, why not come and enjoy it in its original setting? Minorca awaits you – check out our flights here.

Text by ISABELYLUIS Comunicación and Cocktails Perquesí

Cocktail by Cocktails Perquesí

Images by Marcelo Salomao

Situated in France’s Loire Country, although Breton at heart, Nantes is a vibrant city which hosts a large number of cultural events every year. The most prominent of these is undoubtedly A Journey to Nantes, a festival at which artists display their works in the streets. If you happen to visit Nantes, here are the six emblematic sights in the old Breton capital.

Castle of the Dukes of Brittany. We begin with a historic monument, the Castle of the Dukes of Brittany. It is the last castle situated on the banks of the Loire before it runs into the Atlantic. This elegant castle now houses the Nantes History Museum.

Graslin Square. Here, in the vicinity of the green Cours Cambronne esplanade, are two must-see sights – the Nantes Opera House, a neoclassical building with statues dedicated to Molière and Racine, and the Art Nouveau La Cigale bar-restaurant.

Le Lieu Unique. This building, once the premises of the old LU Biscuit Factory, is divided into several areas – a performance venue, an exhibition area and a hammam, among others. Its emblematic tower affords pleasant views of the Castle of the Dukes of Brittany and the city as a whole.

Île de Nantes. The Isle of Nantes features various contemporary works by great architects, including Nouvel, Buren and Portzamparc. One of the standout landmarks is the Palais de Justice, designed by Jean Nouvel, located on the François Mitterrand quayside, which welcomes visitors to this spot.

The Machines of the Isle of Nantes and the Marine Worlds Carrousel. The so-called Machines of the Isle, located on the former site of the Nantes shipyards, is an unusual artistic and tourist project. It consists of sculptures of giant mechanical animals, indicating a fusion between the imaginary worlds of Jules Verne, who was born in Nantes in 1828, the visionary machines of Leonardo da Vinci and the industrial history of the city itself. Another must-see is the Marine Worlds Carrousel, a three-storey merry-go-round with a marine theme. The attraction won the Thea Award in 2014, one of the most prestigious in in the leisure theme industry.

Memorial to the Abolition of Slavery (Fosse quayside). In 1998, to mark the 150th anniversary of the abolition of slavery, the artist Krzysztof Wodiczko and the architect Julian Bonder built a commemorative monument along the Loire dockside. The monument comprises 2,000 glass panels depicting scenes from the slave expeditions that departed from Nantes not so long ago.

Apart from these six sights, Nantes offers other charming spots that can be toured in a single weekend. Check out our flights here.

Text by María Jesús Tomé
Photos by María Jesús Tomé / Nantes Tourisme

Algerian cuisine has being influenced by many cultures. For hundreds of years, Berbers, Arabs, Turks, Romans, French and Spanish have contributed to create an eclectic gastronomy by mixing flavours and scents.

Their exotic sweets surround you with a flavour that takes you to exotic places from One Thousand and One Nights, with a great variety beautifully presented. Vivid colours sweets with precisely detailed ornaments, often made of almonds, pistachios, walnuts and hazelnuts, flavoured with orange blossom water and sweeten with honey or fruit pulp.

Among the most popular cakes, you should try makroud, samsa, hrisa, sfenj or halwa cookies, usually served with a cup of green tea and mint, one of the most consumed beverages in the country.

Algeria is, along with Tunisia, one of the largest producers of dates, specially deglet nour variety, soft, translucent light touch and smooth, like honey flavour that is grown mainly in the provinces of Algeria Biskra, at Tolga and M'Chouneche oasis, served to elaborate different sweets. Between both countries, they produce 90% exports of its kind. Algerians are also the largest consumers of honey in the world, which is not surprising, since almost all their sweets contain this liquid gold.

Qualb bel louz is a speciality from North Algeria and the name means “almond hearth”, highly consumed during Ramadan nights, along with mint tea or coffee. It’s made of semolina, almonds, orange fragrance and bathed in honey syrup.

Makroud is another typical dish from the Algerian gastronomy. This sweet is made also of a semolina base filled with date paste, cut on shaped diamonds or triangles to be fried and bathed in syrup. You'll find it in thousands different colours and varieties.

Among this delicious Eastern food, you should also try Samsa, an old and traditional Algerian sweet made of triangular layers of brick mass filled with almonds and sprinkled with sesame seeds. Or sweeten with ghribia, a round cake prepared with flour, sugar and cinnamon just flavouring or orange peel and lemon.

M'halbi is one of the most habitual desserts. It’s fresh and creamy, with a unique decoration of brown drawings made with cinnamon powder. El zlabia, which most popular version is Boufarik, was made after the carelessness of a bakery apprentice who couldn’t remember well the recipe.

Baklawa, originally from Turkey, is consumed in the Middle East. They are cupcakes made of nut paste and thin pastry, bathed in syrup or honey to finally incorporate any kind of nut. They can be a bit cloying, but certainly with an exotic and delicious flavour.

With all these recipes, we can assure you a sweet flavoured trip with you visit Algeria.

Picture ghribia by Waran18 | picture griouche by Arnaud25 | picture makrout by Latyyy

A place well worth discovering! Check out our flights here.