Now I know you don't go to Mallorca for the shopping. You go there for the sea and sun, for the Gothic and Moorish monuments if you're a history buff, and eventually the local culture and food. I only stayed in its capital Palma for 1,5 day, but I do have a suggestion for the foodies: it's called the Celler de la Premsa. Nice atmosphere and local dishes which I haven't tried before, including the only soup I've tasted which isn't liquid, as it's filled with brown bread and vegetables until the bread absorbs almost all of the broth. I also loved the pork loin with cabbage (I know, the pork and cabbage combination sounds like something a German might think of, but this tastes purely Mediterranean), beef stew and stuffed aubergines. The paella also looked delicious, but I didn't order it as I had paella the previous evening. What a difference from what I saw in the touristic Cala d'Or: nice beach for sure, though being a Greek myself I wasn't that impressed, but no real local colour. I went to meet some Dutch friends who happened to be there on the same day, and my God it was like being in another country: you could order the same bitterballen and hapjes they sell at Dutch pubs, and eat fast food burritos (which probably tourists think are Latin and therefore local) or pizza.
But don't get me talking about food when I
really wanted to tell you about Palma's record shops. So the tourists just pass by on their way to the beaches, but I thought it's a big town (400.000+ inhabitants) there are bound to be some record shops to browse for music. Indeed there are a few, but pretty cool, ones. The coolest probably is
Espai Xocolat at Font i Monteros 18. If the title seems strangely written, it's because it's not Spanish but
Catalan, which is the primary language in the Balearic islands. It doubles as a coffee bar and live music space as well. It's pretty big with a wide selection of all genres. About 60% of the shop is dedicated to new CD's (mostly below €10, many on offer 3-for-2). Lots of jazz, rock, and local (Spanish and Catalan) titles. 40% of the shop is taken by vinyl both new and 2nd hand. Typical prices for used records are €6-10 but there are also many offers for €2. Some books and DVD's are also on sale. The second record shop is only a 5-minute walk away and a few steps down a shady gallery (Passatge Particular Antoni Torrandell 2). As the name
Mais Vinilo suggests, it's completely dedicated to vinyl, both new (€20+) and used (mostly €6-15 but also some under €5 in less than mint condition). Again all kinds of music, but above all a very good selection of Garage/Psychedelia (mostly reissues), Punk/Alternative and local bands. Also a lot of 7' singles on sale. Both shops, as well as the tavern I mentioned earlier, are very close to each other and in the more modern part of the city, about 10-15 minutes walk from Plaça Major.
About the same distance from Plaça to a different direction, you can find Palma's 3rd record shop, which was closed during my visit. It's called
Disco Loco and, judging by the photos of the interior at Google, it seems quite big and offers mainly CD's as well as vinyl, DVD, T-shirts and various trinkets. Should you want to look for music during
siesta hours (roughly 2-5 pm) when most shops are closed, there are always the
El Corte Inglés department stores. They have a limited variety of new CD (€5-15) and vinyl (€17-25) but I
did find some good bargains during my visit. Well, as I said before, I know you don't go Mallorca for shopping, but it's worth spending a day in the beautiful old town, visiting the
Palacio Real de La Almudaina and
Catedral, and -for music lovers- browse the records in
Espai Xocolat en
Mais Vinilo. The prices are rather good, and I sincerely suggest to do some searching on local bands and music and get an aural souvenir of your visit. Immerse yourself a little in Balearic culture, music and cuisine, don't just lie under the sun. You
won't regret it!
Now I know you don't go to Mallorca for the shopping. You go there for the sea and sun, for the Gothic and Moorish monuments if you're a history buff, and eventually the local culture and food. I only stayed in its capital Palma for 1,5 day, but I do have a suggestion for the foodies: it's called the Celler de la Premsa. Nice atmosphere and local dishes which I haven't tried before, including the only soup I've tasted which isn't liquid, as it's filled with brown bread and vegetables until the bread absorbs almost all of the broth. I also loved the pork loin with cabbage (I know, the pork and cabbage combination sounds like something a German might think of, but this tastes purely Mediterranean), beef stew and stuffed aubergines. The paella also looked delicious, but I didn't order it as I had paella the previous evening. What a difference from what I saw in the touristic Cala d'Or: nice beach for sure, though being a Greek myself I wasn't that impressed, but no real local colour. I went to meet some Dutch friends who happened to be there on the same day, and my God it was like being in another country: you could order the same bitterballen and hapjes they sell at Dutch pubs, and eat fast food burritos (which probably tourists think are Latin and therefore local) or pizza. 
But don't get me talking about food when I really wanted to tell you about Palma's record shops. So the tourists just pass by on their way to the beaches, but I thought it's a big town (400.000+ inhabitants) there are bound to be some record shops to browse for music. Indeed there are a few, but pretty cool, ones. The coolest probably is Espai Xocolat at Font i Monteros 18. If the title seems strangely written, it's because it's not Spanish but Catalan, which is the primary language in the Balearic islands. It doubles as a coffee bar and live music space as well. It's pretty big with a wide selection of all genres. About 60% of the shop is dedicated to new CD's (mostly below €10, many on offer 3-for-2). Lots of jazz, rock, and local (Spanish and Catalan) titles. 40% of the shop is taken by vinyl both new and 2nd hand. Typical prices for used records are €6-10 but there are also many offers for €2. Some books and DVD's are also on sale. The second record shop is only a 5-minute walk away and a few steps down a shady gallery (Passatge Particular Antoni Torrandell 2). As the name Mais Vinilo suggests, it's completely dedicated to vinyl, both new (€20+) and used (mostly €6-15 but also some under €5 in less than mint condition). Again all kinds of music, but above all a very good selection of Garage/Psychedelia (mostly reissues), Punk/Alternative and local bands. Also a lot of 7' singles on sale. Both shops, as well as the tavern I mentioned earlier, are very close to each other and in the more modern part of the city, about 10-15 minutes walk from Plaça Major. 
About the same distance from Plaça to a different direction, you can find Palma's 3rd record shop, which was closed during my visit. It's called Disco Loco and, judging by the photos of the interior at Google, it seems quite big and offers mainly CD's as well as vinyl, DVD, T-shirts and various trinkets. Should you want to look for music during siesta hours (roughly 2-5 pm) when most shops are closed, there are always the El Corte Inglés department stores. They have a limited variety of new CD (€5-15) and vinyl (€17-25) but I did find some good bargains during my visit. Well, as I said before, I know you don't go Mallorca for shopping, but it's worth spending a day in the beautiful old town, visiting the Palacio Real de La Almudaina and Catedral, and -for music lovers- browse the records in Espai Xocolat en Mais Vinilo. The prices are rather good, and I sincerely suggest to do some searching on local bands and music and get an aural souvenir of your visit. Immerse yourself a little in Balearic culture, music and cuisine, don't just lie under the sun. You won't regret it!
raffaella carra
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