"Today, the difference is astonishing. A road tunnel has been blasted through the adjoining mountainside to divert traffic away from the sea front, and the local authority has extended the marina and restored historical buildings. With new restaurants and hotels opening, the port - and the town of Soller, two miles inland is fast becoming the most attractive and sophisticated destination in Mallorca."

Puerto Soller hugs a perfect horseshoe bay, the mouth of the harbour guarded by twin lighthouses. Behind it loom the slopes of the Serra de Tramuntana and the island’s highest peak, Puig Major.

Getting there has always been the allure. From Palma, an antique narrow-gauge railway trundles over mountain passes before descending into the handsome, compact town of Soller town centre. From outside the station, a 90-year-old tram rattles its way to the harbour past green shuttered houses, unfenced back gardens and acres of orange and lemon groves. So close are the the tracks to the houses that you could almost reach out from you seat and pluck clothes from washing lines or oranges brushing the side of the tram on its short trip to Soller Port.

Until recently, passengers arriving at the port were disgorged into a noisy traffic jam. Now they find themselves on an attractive promenade where bars and restaurants spill onto wide pavements. A handful of superyachts are moored in the marina, but they are easily outnumbered by ranks of small fishing boats with gleaming white canvas awnings.

The hotel Esplendido exemplifies the port’s transformation. Opened in 1954, its glory days were long past when it was bought by a Swedish couple, Mikael and Johanna Landstrom, owners of the fashionable Portixol Hotel in Palma.

Two of many restaurants are outstanding. Es Faro, wedged beside one of the lighthouses. On the seafront, the recently opened Agapanto offers modern cuisine served in a torch lit garden overlooking the bay. Very romantic.

Article from THE SUNDAY TIMES August 2007.