Orient Holidays

Travel Agent's View

Orient is situated in the Tramuntana mountains and is believed to be one of the smallest villages in Majorca. As the village is so small do not expect to find a great deal going on, although there are 3 restaurants and a pretty church at the top of the hill.

The many cobbled streets are nice to walk through as are the mountain trails.

The airport is only 14km away with transfers usually being made by taxi. As public transport in Orient is not great and there is not much to do it is a good idea to hire a car to explore the area and prevent you from feeling totally isolated during your stay.

Insider's View

This idyllic and tiny hamlet at the foot of Puig D'Alfàbia in the heart of the Tramuntana mountains is one of my favourite walking spots. It is hard to describe the beauty of this tranquil and verdant valley with its rich almond and olive groves clustered on the craggy hills.

Orient was originally named 'aurens' meaning golden and with the setting sun high on the mountains in the evening it is easy to see why.

The hamlet only has 30 inhabitants so nightlife's a bit thin on the ground but it's one way to get to know your neighbours well. Getting there however can be a bit of a roller coaster for the old nerves. If you arrive from the village of Bunyola, expect ten kilometers of tight hairpin bends which have you on the edge of your seat. Coming from the direction of Alaró the trip is a little less spine tingling.

The ancient ochre hued village houses are peppered around the hills on the edge of the Vall d'Orient and the bijoux church of Sant Jordi (St George) in a small square is reached via several steps. It's worth taking a peek in this charming little church because it is custodian of the oldest crucifix in Mallorca, which is made of cypress wood and has a stunning golden image of St George set on the higher altar. There are some great places to eat in Orient, and Mallorcans flock to them all on a Sunday, usually after a hike or bike ride to the valley. Therefore I always book ahead and usually dine at Restaurant Orient which serves up hearty local fare and is famed for its suckling pig and rabbit.

The walks around this area are fantastic and it's not difficult to hire bikes or even guides if you fancy a really challenging excursion in the hills. A pleasant walk is to Castel d'Alaro and there are some fairly easy cliff top walks that wind down into the almond and olive groves. Insider Sig