TRAVEL
This gem in Spain’s Balearic Islands has more to it than its party reputation. Discover Majorca’s charismatic culture and cuisine in the charming capital and pretty mountain villages.
Majorca
‘The first thing that I do when I’m playing in other countries, whether I win or lose in the tournament, is to seek the fastest way to go back to Majorca.’ Tennis champion Rafael Nadal returns home to an island that has retained its relaxed Mediterranean charm and heritage while being polished by an influx of investment in high-end tourism in the past few years.
Majorca (Mallorca in Spanish) is the largest of the Balearic Islands off Spain and a short flight from Madrid. Its capital, Palma de Mallorca, or Palma, is small but not too small – with a population of about 400 000, including a clutch of European celebrities. It’s blessed with a long city beach, cobbled streets and a magnificent landmark, the Gothic cathedral of La Seu.
Residents in local-brand Camper shoes and Massimo Dutti sweaters gather for tapas in La Llonja, the city’s bustling restaurant district, and zip across town on scooters to freshproduce markets, open-air galleries and sculpture gardens.
The favoured holiday spot for the Spanish royal family, Majorca has a permanent beach-holiday ambience and year-round blue skies. Investment in luxury hotels, boutiques and hospitality means the island supports seven Michelin-starred restaurants and developments such as the $132 million marina designed by Philippe Starck in the island’s south-west and a hotel by the Dubai-based Jumeirah group in Soller, on the west coast.
At Cap de Formentor, the island’s northernmost point, a 90-minute drive from Palma, is Hotel Formentor, Majorca’s epicentre of glamour. Opened in 1929, the hotel, set in landscaped gardens, was the honeymoon destination for Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier in 1956. From the lighthouse at the tip of the peninsula, the neighbouring island of Menorca is visible on a clear day.
Majorca’s interior is just as impressive as its coastline. The Serra de Tramuntana mountain range was placed on UNESCO’s list of cultural landscapes in 2011 – it is prime hiking territory. And the expanse of flat terrain behind the mountains is favoured by professional cyclists training in the cooler months.
Even Magaluf, the party town that once gave the island a bad name, is being transformed by a consortium of British and Spanish companies, heralded by the arrival of a whitewashed beach club, part of the international Nikki Beach chain, a luxury ME hotel and pedestrian-only boulevards.
Here, then, are a few of our favourite experiences in a Majorca that has come of age.