Mallorca travel guide

A particularly pretty, green and culturally interesting island – Mallorca, the largest of the Balearics, has long been the ideal vacation destination. Oh, to stay in the mountains, as Frederic Chopin and Georges Sand did, or party in Palma like Frank Sinatra and Liza Minelli. Sensing a winner, in the 1950s, the first Club Med opened, choosing Mallorca as its destination, and the concept of the All-inclusive vacation was born.
I fell in love with the island and its beauty, nature, people and culture
– Paralympian Karen Darke, our partner for Mallorcan vacations.
Seventy-odd years later, mass tourism has entered into a cantankerous phase. The concept is getting very old to local people, who are fighting against the colonisation of their coasts. At last, it looks like much-needed limits are being set on cruise ship arrivals. So where is the beautiful island now? Still there – but especially in the gorgeous Tramuntana Mountains, inland hilltop villages, and under the black pine trees as the sun sets. It’s not glamour we’re chasing any more; our walking and wellness vacations show you the real Mallorca, without dimming its light.

Read our Mallorca travel guide for more details.

Mallorca is…

a beautiful island, with 300 days of sunshine.

Mallorca isn’t…

prepared to tolerate irresponsible tourism.

Things to do in Mallorca

Head for the Part Forana – as Mallorcans call the countryside away from the capital. The island used to be primarily agricultural, and there’s still the vestiges of traditional country life here – in old farmhouses, and mountain mule tracks. Stay somewhere interesting. A monastery (many rent out rooms, now there are fewer monks to occupy them), a finca (farmhouse), a walker’s refugio on the island’s long distance walking route (GR221), the ruta de pedra en sec… Those all-inclusive resorts will feel like prisons once you realise what else the island has to offer. Consider spring and autumn. The island has a serious overtourism problem and the government are looking at ways to extend the tourism season. In the 19th century, Palma was a winter resort, not a summer one, after all. Winter weather is less predictable summer weather, but it’s still warm enough for orange trees to thrive.

Things not  to do in Mallorca…

Fly and flop. Tourists have steadily filled up the beaches across the island, especially in the busy south-west. Our vacations will tempt you off the beaten track. Disgrace yourselfMenys Turisme, Mes Vida ‘less tourism, more life’ say the island’s anti-tourism protesters. Tourism’s antisocial behaviour has necessitated policing and costly clean-up. Tourism of excess is out, tourism of consideration is in. Megacruise – Currently no more than three ships carrying over 500 passengers are permitted to dock in Palma in one day, and only one can carry over 5,000 passengers.

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Responsible Travel, Travel Team

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Responsible Travel, Travel Team

Practicalities

Why should you go to Mallorca?

“I started going to Mallorca in 2010 to ride my handbike.” Our partner Karen Darke used to train for the Paralympics around Mallorca on her arm-powered tricycle. Now she’s returned to run our wellness retreats on the island. “I fell in love with the island and its beauty, nature, people and culture. I speak fluent Spanish and have lots of local friends there. I think Mallorca has so much to offer that the typical tourist on the beach doesn’t see."

How to get to Mallorca?

Cruises aside, most people fly to Palma’s international airport, Son Sant Joan airport; there are flights from across Europe, making this the third busiest airport in Spain. Ferries from Barcelona or Valencia take six and a half hours and seven hours respectively.

Which part of Mallorca is the most beautiful?

We’re partial to the Tramuntana Mountains, but even if you stay outside of the mountain range, it’s never far away, “The combination of being so close to mountains and their raw rock, and the sea – it feels very elemental,” says Karen.
Written by Eloise Barker
Photo credits: [Page banner: Stock Birken] [Is/isnt: Alena Vavrdova] [Things to do: Petr Slovacek]