Campbell & Will attend the International School of Brussels (ISB). I’m secretly a little sad that they’re missing out on our hometown school experiences (yes, you, Westland & B-CC). But we feel really lucky to be part of a special school here in Brussels along with kids from 70 other countries. The vacation situation isn’t bad either, especially with two weeks off at Spring Break. Which means someone gets to do a lot of travel planning! 😀

Enter Mallorca. Chris can obviously never take off work for two weeks straight in April, so we usually go somewhere as a family unit for part of the time and then the kids and I break free for another adventure. One year after touring the singing hills around Salzburg we tried for some Spanish sun on the island of Mallorca. There wasn’t really much sun but we loved our relaxing getaway anyway. After all the Austrian sightseeing we appreciated a taste of Spanish culture without the pressure to do too much. We didn’t even get to the capital Palma. But we did enjoy driving to small towns and turquoise-blue beaches on the Eastern part of the island.

One of my favorite days was that little road trip, which was before the EU eliminated roaming charges charges for mobile phones. The last thing Chris Lombardi wanted to see was a €€€€ phone bill from Spain. So instead of using my phone as a GPS to navigate the island, Will & Campbell called the shots from a little paper map that we got at the car rental place. It was such a refreshing way to explore, so old fashioned, and reminded me of long-ago days when my parents would flip though maps while driving us around in our baby blue VW bug.

where we stayed: viva zafiro resort in Alcudia.

what we loved: sometimes a big resort is just easy, upgraded to a hot tub penthouse suite, walking distance to the beach and Alcudia, and trying out tons of tapas at the hotel resto.

things we did: beach walks & seaside lunches, explored & shopped in old-town Alcudia, visited Pollenca, gawked at the incredible landscape at Calo des Moro (that spectacular beach photo above) and the beautiful southeastern coast, attempted the harrowing drive up to the Formentor Lighthouse but sadly the wind won! We ❤️ Flor de Sal d’Estrenc products & shops.

tip: I’d probably never stay at this hotel in the height of summer but the set up and location is great during off season with younger kids.