Majorca

In recent years Majorca has shaken off its cheap and cheerful image of the kiss-me-quick package holiday. Those willing to leave the tourist-courting coastal resorts will find an idyllic and unspoiled island, blessed by a perfect Mediterranean climate. Capital city Palma counts among Europe’s most fashionable cities – a pocket-sized Barcelona with a lively café society, designer boutiques and a flourishing arts scene. By contrast time appears to stand still in Majorca’s rural interior, with its honey-coloured villages, welcoming people and astonishing breadth of scenery. From craggy mountains and citrus groves to deserted coves, photogenic fishing harbours and marshy wetlands famed for rare birdlife, little wonder Majorca is the Mediterranean’s most popular holiday island.