Majorca
The largest of the Balearic Islands, an archipelago to the east of the Spanish mainland which includes Ibiza, Menorca and Formentera, Mallorca is commonly perceived as little more than sun, sex, booze and high-rise hotels – so much so that there’s a long-standing Spanish joke about a mythical fifth Balearic island called Majorca (the English spelling), inhabited by an estimated four million tourists a year. However, this image, spawned by the high-rise developments of the 1960s and growth of mass tourism, takes no account of Mallorca’s intrinsic natural beauty.
Until well into this century, Mallorca was a sleepy backwater, concerned mainly with farming and fishing. Then in the late 1950s the gradual growth of tourism changed all of this, and created for Mallorcans the highest income per capita in the whole of Spain. But the price has been profound social transformation and the over development, especially around the bay of Palma, of parts of the coastal landscape.
Elsewhere Mallorca is much less developed than many other parts of Spain. Palma itself, the Balearics’ one real city, is a bustling, historic place whose grand mansions and magnificent Gothic cathedral defy the expectations of many visitors.
To the east of the capital stretches ES Pla, an agricultural plain that fills out the centre of the island, sprinkled with ancient and seldom visited country towns. On either side of the plain are coastal mountains. To the northwest, the rugged Serra de Tramuntana mountain range hides many beautiful cove beaches, notably Cala de Deia and Platja de Formentor The fascinating town of Pollensa and nearby beach resort of Puerto Pollensa lie close to Formentor at the northern tip of the island.