Mallorca Destination Guide

An Island That Outgrew Its Own Reputation

Mallorca spent decades known abroad for one thing, and it was the wrong thing. The package resorts exist and they are concentrated in a handful of bays that are easy to avoid entirely. The rest of the island is a limestone mountain range running the whole northwest coast, a protected landscape of terraced olive groves, stone villages and switchback roads dropping to the water, plus a capital city with a Gothic cathedral, serious galleries and a dining scene that has quietly become one of the best in Spain. It is also large: over three thousand square kilometers, which means the island can absorb a great many visitors and still leave you alone with a valley.

The planning decision: mountains, city or coast

The first choice is between the Serra de Tramuntana and everywhere else. The Tramuntana is the reason to come for most travelers: Deia, Soller, Valldemossa and Banyalbufar strung along a coast road with the sea a few hundred meters below you, and it is where the best small hotels are. Palma is the second option and stands on its own for two or three nights. The east and the south are the cove coast, flatter and drier, with the calas and the sailing and the family resorts. Many trips split three nights in the mountains with two in Palma, which works well because the drive is only about thirty minutes. A car is essential outside the city.

Spring cycling, summer crowds and an excellent autumn

February through April is cycling season, and it is a serious one: the road surfaces, the climbs out of Soller and the reliable mild weather bring professional teams here to train in winter and thousands of amateurs behind them. Almond blossom comes in February. May, June, September and October are the strongest all round months, with warm water from June and again through September, open restaurants and manageable roads. July and August are hot, extremely busy, and the Tramuntana coast road becomes slow and heavily parked. November through January is quiet and green, with many coastal places closed and the mountains at their best for walking. The island's season has stretched considerably in recent years and now runs closer to eight months than five.

Where to base, and how the geography actually works

Deia is the classic mountain village, small, steep and beautiful, about forty minutes from Palma and a further twenty from Soller. Soller sits in a bowl of orange groves with a wooden tram down to its port. Pollenca and the northeast are gentler country with the best beaches on the island around Formentor. Palma is a genuine small city and worth treating as one, with the cathedral, Es Baluard, the old town lanes and Santa Catalina for eating. Palma airport is one of the busiest in Europe in summer with connections across the continent, and it sits fifteen minutes from the city. Ferries run from the mainland if you want a car brought over.

Stay strategy in the mountains and the city

Belmond La Residencia in Deia is two connected manor houses above the village and remains the reference address in the Tramuntana. Son Bunyola sits on a large estate on the same coast with villas and a hotel. Cap Rocat is a converted military fortress on the bay outside Palma, cut into rock, and is unlike anything else on the island. Castell Son Claret is a country estate inland with the quietest setting of the group. In the city, Sant Francesc Hotel Singular occupies a nineteenth century palace on a square in the old town. Villa rentals across the interior are extensive and are usually the right answer for families and groups.

When to begin

Four to five months for the shoulder months. Cycling season is booked far earlier by teams and organized groups, so February through April accommodation in Soller and Pollenca wants six months. July and August want six to eight, and the small Tramuntana hotels have very few rooms so they close out first. Boat charters for a week in high summer are the earliest commitment of all. Restaurant tables at the handful of destination kitchens release on fixed schedules and should be confirmed for your dates.

Four experiences worth building the days around

• The Tramuntana coast road driven slowly from Andratx to Pollenca, stopping in the villages, which is one of the great drives in Europe.
• A day on the water by private boat along the north coast, into calas that have no road access and no crowd.
• The Soller valley by the wooden train and tram from Palma, then walking the terraces above the town.
• Palma properly for a full day: the cathedral, Es Baluard, the Arab baths and an evening eating through Santa Catalina.

Who this trip suits

Mallorca suits cyclists more than any other Mediterranean island. It suits walkers, given the Tramuntana trail network and the dry stone route. It suits families, because the range of beaches, villas and infrastructure is enormous. It suits sailors and anyone chartering. It suits couples wanting a mountain and sea combination without leaving the Mediterranean. And it suits repeat visitors, because the island is big enough that a second trip looks nothing like the first.

When another plan may fit better

If nightlife is the point of the trip, Ibiza does that far better and Mallorca will feel sedate. If you want an island with less development and fewer visitors overall, Sardinia is the better comparison. And if your only available window is August, understand that the mountain roads and the popular coves are at capacity and the island you read about is a different one.

Plan it with one accountable advisor

Tell us your month and whether the trip is mountains, city, water or cycling, and we will place you on the right side of the island before anything is held. Our luxury leisure travel planning covers the villa market, the charters and the hotel side together.