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What's On?                     Overview                     Prepare                     Highlights 

Located in the Mediterranean Sea, off the east coast of mainland Spain, the Balearic Islands are a popular destination, offering something for everyone and much in the way of natural beauty and architectural history.

 Luxury hotels available and spas incorporated into some hotels....

Hotels in the Balearic Islands offer a wide variety of accommodation, both rural and urban, by the coast and in the mountains.  Whichever island you choose to stay on, Balearic Islands hotels are available to suit all tastes and budgets.  Hotels on Ibiza tend to be aimed at clubbers and younger people, but there are also many family hotels to be found in the beach resorts.  Majorca and Menorca provide mainstream accommodation, usually of three to four star standard, with luxury hotels available, and spas incorporated into some hotels.  Formentera also offers mostly mid range hotels, and is the least well-known of the Balearic Islands.

Cheap hotels in the Balearic Islands are most easily found using our price comparison tool and by booking in advance, especially in July and August, as well as the rest of the busy summer season. 

Whatever your choice of hotel, you are certain to enjoy a wonderful holiday in the delightful Balearic Islands, as all the islands have much to offer visitors, from the amazing scenery and quieter atmosphere of Menorca, to the lively nightlife and frenetic partying of Ibiza and the all round resorts of Majorca.

Related Links
Majorca Flights
Majorca Car Hire
Majorca Holidays

Overview

Overview

Mallorca, in Spain's Balearic Islands, is Ibiza's smarter sister. Mass tourism is on the decline as the island is reborn as a glamorous sunsoaked paradise steeped in culture and history.

Seaside

The elegant city of Palma sits at the heart of a sweeping bay of fine sandy beaches. Crammed to bursting during the summer, brassy Magaluf has a backdrop of themed bars and clubs. Go west to the granite peaks of Serra de Tramuntana for searing clifftop views and hidden coves. Out of season wiggle down to the bay of Sa Calobra, encircled by jagged red cliffs. Mingle with the jet set on the pristine softly curving Platja de Formentor on the north coast and hike the beachside trails through the Mondragó Parc Natural.

Inland

See Chopin's piano and the cell where he composed his music in the monastery at Valldemossa. Rummage around monolithic ruins in prehistoric Ses Païsses near sleepy Artà. Take a drive through olive and almond groves to explore the ancient ochrecoloured hilltop towns of Pollença, Santanyí, Biniaraix and pictureperfect Fornalutx.

Escape

Visit the Monestir de Lluc, set high in the Tramuntana mountains, and home to an iconic statue of the Virgin Mary. Wander the terraced gardens of Alfàbia, infused with the perfume of jasmine and wisteria. Chug through the mountains by steam train from Palma to Sóller or take a boat trip around the marine reserve on remote Cabrera.

Adventure

Take advantage of the stiff northeastern wind known locally as the gregal to windsurf at Port de Pollença. Pedal your bike up the foothills of the Tramuntana Mountains and march the spectacular 13km Cornadors Circuit from Biniaraix to Sóller.

Eat & Drink

Start the day with a sugary pastry ensaïmada dunked in hot chocolate. Sample lechona (roast suckling pig) and botifarrón (sausage) made from meat reared on the inland plains, or taste the catch of the day at seafront restaurants. Top up with tapas in the evening. Choose quality local wines from Binissalem or sip cava in Palma's trendy Santa Catalina district.

Nightlife

Palma's nightlife centres around the Passeig Marítim and pulsates with hundreds of bars and clubs. The neon strip in Magaluf roars into life nightly, attracting hordes of boisterous holidaymakers in summer. Puerto Portals and Portixol offer smart seafront bars and you can dance barefoot in the sand as the sun sets over the Virtual Club in Illetas.

Take Home

Treat yourself to straw espadrilles, topquality leather belts and shoes and decorative handpainted ceramics. Raid the bodegas of Binissalem for local wines and carry them all home in a traditional Majorcan basket.

Prepare

Prepare

Bring your bikini for the beach, yes, but remember the Spanish love to dress up so pack a posh outfit for the evening too.

Mallorca Year

See the three kings arrive by sea in Palma (5 Jan) to give presents to the children in the Cabalgata de los Reyes Magos and follow the torchlight Semana Santa processions in Easter week. Catch the reenactment of a 1550 street battle at the Fiesta La Patrona in Pollença (Jul/Aug), watch yachts tacking in the Copa de Rey off Palma and make merry at the wine harvest celebrations, Festa des Vermar, in Binissalem (Sep).

Public Holidays

New Year's Day (1 Jan), Epiphany (6 Jan), Maundy Thursday (Mar/Apr), Good Friday (Mar/Apr), Easter Monday (Mar/Apr), Labour Day (1 May), Assumption Day (15 Aug), Spanish National Holiday (12 Oct), All Saints' Day (1 Nov), Constitution Day (6 Dec), Immaculate Conception (8 Dec), Christmas Day (25 Dec)

Weather

Daytime temperatures sometimes dip below 12ºC in winter and rise steeply to 30ºC in August, though the sea breeze takes the edge off the heat. Late spring or early autumn spell good (but slightly cooler) weather without the crowds. Winter is the season to mix with the locals in the north and enjoy empty beaches in the south.

Electricity

220V AC, 50 Hz, twopin plugs are standard.

Dialling Code

+34 (national), 971 + sixfigure number (Mallorca).

Money

The Euro (€) is the currency.

GMT

GMT +1.

Mallorca Tourist Info

Balearic Islands Tourism website

Highlights

Highlights

Palma's Gothic cathedral soars above the harbour; elsewhere your heart will soar with the spectacular beauty of the island.

Handsome Palma has an eyecatching Modernista heart, the vast gothic La Seu Cathedral and panoramic views across the bay from medieval Castell de Bellver. Pause for coffee and windowshopping in elegant arcaded Plaça Major and immerse yourself in art at the gleaming Fundació Pilar i Joan Miró.

Drive the twisting road along the west coast through the dramatic Serra de Tramuntana to lunch in sophisticated Deià and stop off at the rural hacienda of La Granja for insights into a Mallorca long gone. On the east coast explore myriad craggy coves and fight through a forest of stalagmites and stalactites to the accompaniment of local hero Chopin in the rambling, cavernous Cuevas del Drach.

Sightseeing Tips

Live as the Majorquins do and shop for delicious fresh fruit, vegetables, meats and cheeses daily from Palma's massive covered market in Plaça d'Espanya. Most towns have a scattering of stalls selling local produce in the morning, but get there early as they wrap up around noon.

Content provided by Frommer's Unlimited © 2009, Whatsonwhen Limited.