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Great Holidays in Mallorca, Spain

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Written by Miranda Grace Robinson

Friday, 02 May 2008

by MirandaGraceRobinson

For an affordable holiday to suit every taste, look no further than the Balearic island of Mallorca. From Roman ruins to ultramodern celebrity homes, from mountains to beaches, via some nice shopping and coffee in one of the many cafs, Mallorca has something for everybody. At any time of year, it's a good bet for a couple of weeks away.

Mallorca is best known by many as a magnet for British people seeking sun, sand, cheap booze and wild nightlife. If this is what you want, you can certainly find it, particularly in Magaluf and Palmanova, where it's high-rise hotels, discos and chips with everything. These are great resorts for stag and hen parties and hedonistic twenty-somethings who want to let their hair down. If this is your idea of hell, however, don't be put off! Mallorca has so much more to offer than this.

If you're looking for a quiet place to relax in the sun and not have to worry about anything, I'd recommend you base yourself in Puerto Pollensa and spend a lot of time on the beach there. Because the beach is so long, there's plenty of space for everyone and you've got restaurants, bars and supermarkets only a few steps from the sand. The swimming is lovely in the Bay of Pollensa and you're also well placed to explore the Tramuntana mountains, should you feel more energetic.

The Sierra de Tramuntana provides some extraordinary landscape. Some of it is rocky and primeval, while other parts are covered in trees and home to wild goats. Mallorca is also a rich seam for bird-watchers. There are several nature reserves around the island and there are some fascinating underground caves too.

The vigorous holidaymaker has a plethora of activities to enjoy. Apart from the golf, for which people make dedicated trip to Mallorca, the walking/hiking is great, as is the horse riding and the bicycling. Then you have endless water sports, including water-skiing, scuba-diving and snorkelling.

If you're interested in history, Mallorca is a paradise of Roman, Gothic and Moorish architecture and influence, with a variety of superb museums to give you more information. Palma alone would keep a historian happy for months and Alcudia, the other principal Roman settlement on the island, also has a lot to offer, including an amphitheatre and significant archaeological remains.

There are some interesting art galleries around the island, where you can see the works of both up-and-coming and well established artists. Joan Mir and his wife set up a foundation in Palma and his public art is to be found all over the city. In terms of music, too, Mallorca has a lot to offer, with classical, folk and other musical concerts being frequently put on.

Mallorcan food and drink are well worth exploring. You sometimes have to work quite hard to find the real thing, as opposed to tourist fare, but it's good stuff. The most famous specialities are sobrasada, a spicy pork salami, and ensaimada, a spiral pastry. The locally produced wine is gaining popularity, for good reason.

From pretty well wherever you are in the UK, you can find a cheap flight to Mallorca. Accommodation is generally good value and so is car hire, so a Balearic holiday is not going to break the bank. And, with so many diverse things to see and do there, one trip may not be enough.

About the Author:

The author's Mallorca Info site offers loads of useful advice for your trip, and suggestions about what to see & do in Mallorca.