I can’t be the only one who secretly hopes for bad weather back home while I’m sunning myself in the Med?

No such luck this time round, as we arrived in Majorca to a massive thunderstorm and torrential rain while the UK basked in warm sunshine.

Thankfully, though, this was short-lived and normal sunny service was resumed a few hours later. And admittedly, the thunderstorm was spectacular to watch.

Flight time is just two hours, 15 minutes from Liverpool to Palma – perfect if you’re travelling with young children. Thankfully my youngest slept most of the way and my eldest was quite happy watching films on the iPad - what a lifesaver that device has turned out to be.

Parking at Liverpool’s John Lennon Airport was a breeze and we had a fast-track pass to ease the stress of going through security with kids in tow.

As for Easyjet, well it isn’t exactly Emirates, but you get what you pay for and, having booked flights back in January, it cost just £550 (return) for two adults, two children and two suitcases.

We bought a variety of 'meal deals' from Boots before boarding to avoid the hassle of ordering (expensive) food on the plane.

Accommodation was a beautiful, four-bedroomed villa with a swimming pool that I booked through Owners Direct.

It was fairly pricey - £1600 for 10 days - but seeing as it was our last term-time holiday before my eldest starts school in September, I thought we’d better make the most of it.

Needless to say, the price goes up significantly during summer holidays.

Wirral Globe:

This was only my second trip to Majorca, and what a beautiful island it is. It has long been popular with the rich and famous, from the days of Frédéric Chopin and Agatha Christie to the likes of Andrew Lloyd-Webber, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Claudia Schiffer and Boris Becker who have all had homes there.

Wirral Globe: Image from PictureGalleryModule_ID:3132242

Sadly it suffers a lot of bad press, especially Magaluf and its drink and debauchery, but this all seemed a world away from where we were staying, near the old town of Pollensa in the north of the island.

Wirral Globe: One of the old cobbled streets in Pollensa

You can walk along its cobbled streets, sit and watch the world go by in one of the many cafes in the town’s traditional square or climb the 365 steps that lead to the hilltop known as Calvari, scene of dramatic torchlit parades.

Sounds lovely doesn’t it? Except if you have a four-year-old and a 16-month-old in tow, you can forget all the cultural stuff, and just head over to the beach with buckets, spades and a picnic.

Puerto Pollensa’s beach is handily situated for parking your car on the seafront and walking straight on to the sandy beach. Our sun loungers were just yards from the water’s edge and the view of the mountains was magnificent.

Wirral Globe:

Most of the time, however, we couldn’t drag ourselves away from our villa. With a fabulous pool, beautiful gardens, a hot tub and the all-important CBeebies thanks to satellite TV, what more could we ask for. Just 10 minutes from the shops, I was still able to buy fresh bread and croissants each day, along with meat and fish for our nightly barbeques. And plenty of wine obviously.

The only disadvantage was its location, next to a paintballing centre, which could get a bit noisy at times. 

The return journey was a bit stressful – huge queues at Palma for checking bags in, going through security and then passport control. This was followed by a three-hour delay before take-off, thanks to the French air traffic controllers strike. Luckily, the pilot was a friendly chap and let my little boy sit in his seat – a big moment for an excited four-year-old.

Next time, I’d purchase Easyjet’s extra legroom seats, which also allow you to also use dedicated check-in desks. These seats start from £5.99 per person depending on which route you’re flying.

Despite the long journey home, I’m already thinking about another visit to Majorca. But now that I'm tied to school holidays only, it could begin to get costly, so I'd better start researching now..

 

USEFUL INFO

Liverpool John Lennon Airport

www.liverpoolairport.com

Owners Direct

www.ownersdirect.co.uk

Easyjet

www.easyjet.com