We decided to visit Mallorca in early Spring, when the UK weather was still cold and wet and we were starting to get desperate for some warmth and sun after a long British winter.
We found a last-minute deal for a week half-board in Port d’Andratx, which was too good to miss. It was cheap because it was in the off-season and we weren’t entirely sure how worthwhile it was going to be. We weren’t sure of guaranteed hot weather; Mallorca isn’t as far south as, say, the Canary Islands, where the winter is pretty much peak season.
We were also unsure how much there would be to do at this time of year, for example if most attractions and venues might be closed. But we decided to give it a shot – and were extremely glad we did!
We actually flew out in the last few days of March and were really getting worried by the weather forecast and webcam that we were obsessively watching in the week leading up to the trip.
It had been raining every single day and temperatures were actually quite cold. The view on the webcam across the beach looked more like something you’d expect on a wet winter’s day at home than a view across the Mediterranean! And the forecast for the week ahead, when we were heading out there, was equally as dull.
On the day we arrived at Palma airport in Mallorca, it was grey, dull and there were spots of rain in the air. The weather was no different to what we’d just left behind in Southampton a few hours ago.
However, we woke up on day two to clear blue sky and a complete change in the forecast for the rest of the week compared to what it had previously said.
By the time we’d finished our breakfast, it was clear it was going to be warm and sunny enough to head to a beach. Perhaps not to swim in the sea, but at least to lay in the sun and be a great deal warmer than we’d be back in the UK.
Temperatures reached the low 20s and, although every now and again there was a bit of a breeze which could chill you, it did actually turn out warm enough to get in the sea.
The rest of the week followed the same pattern. Warm sun – not completely relentless like in the summer, there was some cloud and some occasional cool breezes which every now and again were cold enough to make us put a jumper on, albeit temporarily, especially towards the evenings.
But the majority of the time we were bathed in glorious sunshine that was easily as warm as an average summer’s day in England. We spent a lot of time on the beaches, including swimming in the sea and all got very tanned / burned, while back at home it rained and barely got above 10-degrees.
So the weather was great – exactly what we’d wanted and a great relief from the British winter. Though had we gone the week before, we’d have been distraught as it had rained every day.
The forecast for the week after we left incidentally was for unbroken sunshine and continuously increasing temperatures.
So the weather in Mallorca in April isn’t exactly 100% guaranteed sun, but from our experience, you’ve got a pretty good chance of some really pleasant, warm temperatures and plenty of sunshine – especially compared with the UK!
In terms of things being open and available in this ‘off season’ period, we didn’t have any problems. There is clearly less going on – for instance the bus timetable is reduced compared with summer; some of the beach-front bars and cafes were closed or in the middle of refurbishment. There was also quite a lot of building work going on all over the place, which presumably they get done over the winter in readiness for the peak summer season.
But none of this caused us any trouble – particularly as it’s what we’d expected and we’d paid a knock-down price for the holiday.
One benefit was that the beaches were virtually empty. You can see from these photos that we had much of the beaches completely to ourselves, which was really enjoyable.
It made us laugh one day, as we sat by the waterside near the marina in our swimming costumes, slapping on suncream, to see the locals walking past in coats and scarves. To them, this was a cold day – but to us, it was as good as any weather we might have expected at the height of summer back home.
So we would definitely recommend Mallorca as a destination in April. Obviously the later in the month you go, the warmer it’s going to be. You won’t have the absolute guarantee of sun that you might have over summer, but there’s a good enough chance of it to take the risk. The good weather combined with the peace and quiet of the off-season made it a gamble we were very pleased we took!