Entertaining Kids in Mallorca

We prepared ourselves for visitors as our daughter and two granddaughters arrived on board. Our daughter only stayed for a couple of days before heading home, leaving the girls with us for three weeks. What a great way for them to spend their school holidays, sunshine, swimming, ice creams and beaches.

Having the two girls come to stay with us in Santa Ponça was always going to be an adventure, and it certainly didn’t disappoint! The boat quickly became their home from home, although they were far more interested in everything going on around us than simply relaxing on board. They loved watching the boats coming and going in the anchorage and were fascinated by the many fish swimming in the clear water around us. There always seemed to be something left on their plates after meals, which they carefully saved for the fish. Before long, feeding fish had become a regular part of their daily routine, with the girls eagerly watching to see how many would appear for their next meal.

After a couple of days, we heard that our new engine was ready for collection, so we made the trip into Palma to collect it. While we were there, we took the opportunity to show them around the old city.

It was a very hot day and walking through old streets and buildings was not much fun, so when they noticed the fountains they were keen to have a closer look. It was a great opportunity to cool down.

We returned with our new engine, unfortunately, Fred also decided it was time to retire. Sections of the dinghy were starting to delaminate and, before long, the whole thing deflated. Fortunately, we had kept hold of our old dinghy, the original Fred, it is much better quality but smaller. After inflating it, apart from a few old scars, it looked as good as new and was perfect to hold the new lightweight engine. Meet Elliot and Fred V1, Paul is very happy.

With transport to shore much easier now, we spent plenty of time at the beach, enjoying the soft sand and warm shallow sea. We also made good use of the clear water around the boat, with lots of swimming and, of course, plenty of jumping in. They soon became very confident in and under the water, and it became a regular part of the day. We did encounter some jellyfish on a few days, but thankfully they were the harmless ‘fried egg’ variety. After a little initial concern, the girls soon got used to them and happily carried on swimming, with goggles on to keep check whether any came too close.

There was plenty more excitement on the water too, with trips out on the paddle board and lots of fun trying to balance and stay upright, but they also enjoyed falling over and jumping off it. And of course, there was the Unicorn! No visit on board would be complete without the customary unicorn rides. The girls climbed aboard and tried to propel the unicorn through the water, as always, it was more fun falling off. There was plenty of laughter and splashing!

We did consider moving on to another bay for a change of scenery, but when we suggested the idea, we were quickly shot down in flames! The girls absolutely loved Santa Ponça and, as far as they were concerned, there was no reason to go anywhere else. It had everything they wanted, beaches, swimming, shops, ice creams, cafés, restaurants and plenty to keep them entertained. So Santa Ponça it was! When the crew are happy, everyone is happy!

They were particularly pleased when they learnt that we had subscribed to the Disney channel and introduced us to the delights of The Descendants. Whilst on board we watched the full five episodes and many an evening was spent singing and dancing along to the soundtracks. We now know most of the words to most of the songs!

One of the biggest highlights was a visit to the Water Park. With slides, pools and plenty of thrills, there was more than enough to keep everyone entertained. We spent a full day there and still didn’t manage to go on everything! The girls enjoyed it so much that we decided to book another day. It was quite expensive, but definitely worth it to see how much fun they were having. Two full days meant we could enjoy all the different rides and attractions without feeling we had to rush around, I’m sure the girls would have happily returned for a third day!

We also spent time exploring the town in Santa Ponça, wandering through the souvenir shops looking for presents and little reminders of their holiday. There were plenty of opportunities to browse, choose gifts and enjoy a bit of shopping before stopping at one of the many cafés for a drink or something to eat. Naturally, no summer holiday would be complete without ice creams. We managed to fit in quite a lot. We also enjoyed a few meals out and introduced the girls to some delicious Spanish tapas.

Three weeks passed incredibly quickly, there was hardly a dull moment. Having the two girls on board brought a completely different energy to the boat, and seeing them enjoying themselves and making their own memories made the whole three weeks very special.

It was certainly busy, occasionally exhausting, but above all, three weeks of fantastic fun that we hope they will remember for a very long time.

I took the girls back to the UK, there was a change in the weather forecast and some strong winds and thunderstorms were due to arrive while I was away. This meant leaving Paul behind to look after Ziggy and make sure they were both safe through the storms. After three busy weeks with the girls, it was certainly going to be a quieter few days for Paul, although I’m sure he would have preferred a little less excitement from the weather!