Deia Mallorca

I mean, what is there to say? Deia Mallorca is probably one of the most beautiful places I have ever visited. It is a small and stunning mountain town in the Tramuntana mountains on the island of Mallorca. Set in the hillside, it is surrounded by lush greenery that feels like the garden of eden. Flowers, fruit, palm trees and vines – an absolutely stunning combination that blew me away. So today I thought I’d share everything I learned after visiting Deia.

Deia is an extremely romantic little town in the north of the island. While it is very small, it packs an absurd amount of charm and beauty into a tiny little package.

Deia has a short Main Street with lovely restaurants, bars and a few shops. There is a little food market with a small bakery and all the basics, plus plenty of choices for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

It has a trove of stunning little streets winding below, above and around the Main Street. There’s something quant and stunning to see on every corner, so I think wandering around the streets is the best way to see some Deia magic.

The view of the skyline of Deia Mallorca as seen on a sunny and clear day

Where to stay in Deia – medium to splurge

I splurged a little for this section of my trip and stayed at Es Moli. Es Moli is an old family run hotel a short walk from town. The walk in question? A stunningly beautiful view of the township itself that I highly recommend seeking out, regardless of where you stay.

I will say this was a splurge because I was staying by myself. It is much more affordable if staying with someone else.

I stayed in the Annex of Es Moli because it was a little bit cheaper. If you’re sticking to a very strict budget that’s one thing, but I would book the main hotel if I went again. The Annex was up two or three flights of stairs on a steep hill so it was a bit of a slog if you forgot something in the room.

Es Moli is not the most expensive hotel in Deia. Belmond Residencia is a gorgeous hotel that you’ve likely heard of courtesy of their Pinterest worthy restaurant, El Olivo. Belmond is absolutely not cheap and absolutely a huge splurge. Not in my budget, but gorgeous to look at nonetheless.

There are also a number of air bnb type accomodations available if you book early enough in advance. Given that the housing crisis is universal I try to stay in locally owned hotels where I can, but I realise this isn’t realistic for all group sizes.

A view of the pool area at Belmond Residencia in Deia, Mallorca

Budget stays in Deia

When I was booking Deia, it was toss up between a splurge (Es Moli) and a slightly more budget hotel. The main reason I chose to splurge was that most of the budget hotels didn’t have air con and I am famously intolerant to heat and lack of sleep.

I have to say, though, that some of the budget hotels look incredible for the price. Hostal Miramar is one hotel I looked at which is a bit of a hike up from the Main Street in town. That hike, though, results in the most gorgeous view.

The other option is Hotel Villaverde which is right in town. You’ll need to select a room with a private bathroom if you want one, but the reviews are all super positive and the location can’t be beaten.

Both hotels say they have parking available. I would always recommend double checking as I got caught out in Palma.

An image of El Olivo restaurant in Belmond Residencia, Deia, Mallorca — El Olivo restaurant in Deia, Mallorca

Where to eat in Deia town

Deia is a small town but it has a selection of gorgeous restaurants. I was tired by this stage of my trip and did eat a few girl dinners in my hotel room trying to understand Spanish TV. However, I had a long list of places to try.

Nama Deia – a cult classic that you should definitely book. Nama is an Asian inspired restaurant with gorgeous sweeping views over Deia.
De Monio – I didn’t eat here, I only had a matcha (which was not good). HOWEVER, I have to assume I caught the barista on an off day because everyone raves about this place. It is also extremely cute inside and sells lots of preserves, jarred goods and natural wines. Definitely recommend checking it out (and tell me if your matcha is good).
Ca’s Patro March – a cult classic at Deia beach that (on a good day) has stunning views of blue water. The parking situation is dicey on a busy day but you can walk down from Deia – it takes about 30 minutes and the route I took wasn’t excessively steep or strenuous (more on this later in the post).
Belmond Residencia restaurants – not necessarily for the food, but for the views. I forgot I had a booking at Miro and they charged me 75 euro no-show, so make sure you remember your booking 🙂
S’Hortet – a gorgeous and tranquil cafe down in the more residential area of Deia. They serve delicious juices (I had pomegranate and mint) coffee and more. I highly recommend it.
I wanted to eat at Sa Font Fresca but it’s opening hours were absolutely not what was on the door when I went. Triple check it’s open before you go.

An image of El Clot road in Deia, Mallorca

Where to eat in Deia surrounds

Sa Foradada – a cliffside seaside restaurant on the way out of Deia en route to Valldemossa. I didn’t go here either because I’m not one to queue, but it is apparently stunning and delicious.
El Corazon – a very trendy hotel and restaurant on the road between Soller and Deia. Gorgeous view and fresh food.
Ben’s D’Avall – a Michelin starred restaurant with gorgeous views over the water. This is in Alconasser on the road between Soller and Deia. It is also just up the road from Es Moli private beach.
Es Pi At Sa Padrissa – just outside Deia en route to Valldemossa, this is a fancy restaurant at a hotel with a stunning view.

An image of the view of Deia from an Annex room in Es Moli

Tips for Deia

My primary tip for Deia is to stay in Deia. The parking and driving is absolutely atrocious (to the detriment of the poor locals who must loathe the high season). Because Deia is on a cliffside road from Soller to Valldemossa, there are scant opportunities to easily perform a U-turn.

If you do stay in Deia, make absolute sure they have parking available (not just street parking).

When I arrived in Deia from Soller at around 1pm, the entire coastal road was littered with parked cars. It stretched on for miles before the town. Driving to Deia for the day means you’ll need to be confident enough to reverse park on a tight road in busy traffic. You’ll likely (depending on when you arrive) also have to walk a fair distance to get to the town.

What about public transport, you ask? There is a bus stop at the top of the Deia township. However, whenever I walked past it, the stop was packed with a long line of waiting passengers. This was late September, so not even technically peak season. If you want to take the bus (which does save the hassle of parking) you need to be prepared to wait and potentially not get on the first bus that arrives.

One last benefit of staying in Deia is that the hoards of day-trippers leave. In the later evenings and early in the morning there are less people and you get more of a sense of the town.

I didn’t love Deia when I first arrived due to the sheer volume of ‘Instagram’ tourists. Lots of people with drones and flashy outfits who were not afraid to inconvenience people for their photos. If you only come to Deia for the day, you might leave with a bad impression (as I would have if I only stayed that one day).

An image of the hillside of Deia at golden hour

Things to do in Deia

Deia is a small town, but there is still plenty to do while you visit.

My favourite thing to do in Deia is to (respectfully and quietly) wander the gorgeous streets. There’s so many beautiful little things to stumble upon. You can walk up to the church and cemetery which has a gorgeous view of the town and ocean. Remember that people do live here, so don’t be a dud.

You can also hike down to Deia beach where Ca’s Patro March is. I took the route down El Clot (there is a hiking trail down) which was lovely to see some nature. I will say it’s probably a moderate route only in the sense that there are some step ladders to climb over fences and a bit of a hill. An easy walk, but probably not for people with children or with limited mobility. I daresay you can also walk down via the road to the car park, but I didn’t go this route. I walked back via the trail and stopped at S’Hortet (conveniently at the top) for a juice when I got back into town.

Deia beach is a rocky beach. On a good day it has gorgeously blue water; on other days it is brown and filled with seaweed. What you get on the day is luck of the draw as with many things. I’m not really a ‘lie on the rocks’ sort of person, but you might be fine with it. I will say the beach is quite small.

Personally, I prefer to stay in a hotel with a swimming pool. Being a solo traveller, I was often back at the hotel as people were leaving for dinner, so I had a lot of stunning sunset swims.

If you’re a pilates fan, there is a cute little reformer pilates studio down in El Clot. I didn’t do a class but you can easily book online.

A restaurant on the Main Street of Deia, Mallorca

More things to do in Deia

As with most places in Mallorca, there are plenty of opportunities for some gorgeous hikes. Apparently there is a 30 minute hike from Deia beach to Lluc Alcari, which is a gorgeous little town I wanted to visit. I read a review that proclaimed Lluc Alcari was even more gorgeous than Fornalutx, which is absolutely saying something.

Son Marroig is a gorgeous private estate with sweeping views over the ocean. By all accounts it’s a gorgeous spot and you can wander the gardens too. I was in a rush to Valldemossa so I didn’t have time to stop.

Similarly, the house of Robert Graves is a prominent attraction in Deia. I must confess I didn’t know who he was and I didn’t go but it seems to be a popular attraction.

Deia is in between Soller and Valldemossa. This puts it in a great spot for day trips to both towns as well as Port De Soller.

Banyalbufar is a 37 minute drive from Deia which makes for another lovely seaside day trip.

In general, the island is small enough to factor many a day trip into your trip.