Majorca Visitor Guide: best things to do and see in Majorca

Majorca, sometimes known as Mallorca is the largest of the Balearic Islands which are situated off the east coast of Spain, in the Mediterranean Sea, the nearest mainland resort being Barcelona.

Majorca has a certain appeal to just about everyone mainly due to its accessibility at only two to three hours flying distance from most European airports, making it an excellent choice of destination for short breaks. If you are not renting a car you will need airport transfers in Majorca. Whether you search for minivan, airport taxi or minibus services you will find plenty of transfers from the airport.

 The vast range of accommodation and attractions on offer will leave no-one at a loss as to how to spend their time on Majorca.

The airport itself is one of the busiest in the world but there is room on this ever popular holiday island for everyone. And this is perhaps what might deter prospective holiday makers from visiting the island: ‘But everyone goes there!’ You may protest. ‘Well then…  that proves they’ve made a good choice,’ someone who has visited the island countless times would say in reply.

Although the island has in the past earned a sleazy reputation this is largely unfair as now some of the older, shabbier hotels are making way for brand new stylish ones and even celebrities are willing not only to holiday on the isle but to purchase property there too.

The people of Majorca are probably more geared up to the tourist industry than natives of any other destination on the planet since their island was practically the place it all started with the very first package deals when the age of the jet really took off in the 1950s.

With the standard May to October season of most Mediterranean locations, Majorcan hotels and apartments offer packages that are well within the means of most, so the island has always been affordable even in high season.

For those requiring a quieter more relaxing holiday the eastern side of the island is the best bet. Resorts such as Cala Mandia, near Porto Christo, at almost an hour’s journey from the capital of Palma are generally low-rise and blend in perfectly with their surroundings.  Architects at last seem to have come to a compromise with nature, learning how to enhance, rather than ruin the coastline. There are sheltered coves with clear blue waters that offer safe bathing for all.

On the opposite, more bustling side of the island where most of the high-rise developments are situated, the well established resorts such a Magaluf,  Palma Nova and Can Pastilles are more suited to those who seek night life and the hedonistic lifestyle these resorts encourage.

 With over a hundred beaches some of them with blue flag awards, Majorca still offers many idyllic and secluded places to visit, mainly on the east coast, for lovers of unspoiled scenery.

Some folk consider the vast tourist developments as progress and admittedly, tourism is the island’s main source of revenue nowadays.

For those in search of a sense of history, the Majorca of 1838 will more than provide this. Buy the book: ‘A Winter in Majorca’ by George Sand (widely available throughout the island) and discover a rich and interesting past. The visitor to the island can see her original manuscript at the Carthusian Monastery where she stayed one winter with Chopin, her lover in Valdemmossa. You can touch Chopin’s piano just as he had left it over a hundred and sixty years ago.

Valdemossa, itself, the village where the couple stayed is perched high in the mountains and faces due north down to a scenic coast and the perfectly calm Mediterranean. It is a beautiful place to be.

Some find the typical Mallorquin cuisine, which consists largely of fatty pork and over-spiced garlicky vegetables totally unappetizing but there are a wide variety of foods available at all reputable hotels.

The fauna and flora on Majorca thrives in abundance in the year-round temperate climate. There are many quaint windmills that dominate the inland plains which although no longer functional, still make a picturesque spectacle for tourists nonetheless.

The rich architectural style of the main buildings of Palma and its most notable Cathedral and port makes for a fascinating tour of the capital.

Full-day coach tours are available from your hotel and also glass-bottomed boat trips stopping at various coves along the coast.

A memorable train journey through the spectacular mountains of the island is also available from Soller to Palma. There are an abundance of ‘Noddy-trains’ too at most resorts.

Why not visit the island’s largest market at Inca? Here you can buy excellent leather souvenirs at a reputable factory.

And after all this you can still find spare time to just laze around by the pool making the most of the summer sun.

Majorca has therefore earned its reputation as being a popular playground for the rich and famous but there is still plenty there for the rest of us too!