Mallorca is the biggest of the Spanish Balearic Islands, famed for both its beautiful scenery and visitor resorts. Mallorca has a varied countryside with plains, high mountains and fine sandy
beaches. Over the decades Mallorca has attracted many famous tourists, including author Rupert Graves and Frederic Chopin. In more recent times, Hollywoods Catherine Zeta Jones & Michael Douglas, club owner Peter Stringfellow, and the super-model Claudia Schiffer have all purchased villas there.
The capital is the bustling city of Palma de Mallorca, which is dominated by the cathedral of La Seu, which was built in the early 15th century, and is famous for the charming old sector of narrow roads and quaint plazas. Palma also has a busy
port where luxury yachts can be viewed alongside small fishing trawlers. Further west is the Fortress of Bellver, from where there are fantastic vistas of the city.
Several of the famous visitor destinations are located round Palma Bay. The clubbing mecca of
Magaluf and nearby Palma Nova, both of which are ever popular with UK tourists, are found on the west of the bay, while Arenal in the east tends to see more German tourists. All these holiday resorts have good sandy beaches and a multitude of leisure
attractions.
There are two big holiday resorts,
Alcudia and Puerto Pollensa, on the north coast. Alcudia has the longest sandy beach on Mallorca, at over 6 miles that stretches to nearby Can Picafort. Puerto Pollensa is a quaint town set inside a bay between 2 mountains. Another good sandy beach ensures this pleasant town is perfect for families. Near by is the town of Pollensa, where the convent hosts a popular music
fiesta each August.
The Mountains of Tramuntana dominate the north coast of the island, and there are a few fashionable holiday resorts, including Deia and Puerto de Soller, on this spectacular part of the island. R. Graves made Deia his home town in 1929, and the novelist is intered in the local graveyard. Other villages in this region include Valdemossa and Biniarix. One of the favourite ways to view the Tramuntana mountains is to catch a train from Palma to Soller located a few of miles inland of Puerto de Soller). The trip on this narrow gauge network, which first opened in 1912, takes roughly 1 hour and 20 mins.
The neighbouring towns of Cala Bona, Cala Millor plus
Sa Coma all lay on the east coast of Mallorca. Cala Millor is the biggest of the 3, and is a popular destination for German holidaymakers, while the peaceful and relaxed town of Cala Bona tends to have more English visitors. Further south of these towns are the wonderful Dragon Caves (Cuevas de Drach). One of the best visitor attractions, this massive cave complex has the largest underground lake in Europe and beautiful displays of both stalagmites and stalactites.
