More than just beaches and golf, though they are a big attraction

Yes Beaches and Golf are a couple of the main attractions of Mallorca, but there is so much more than that.  Cultural interests such as museums and art galleries, outdoor activities include most sports and pastimes and the lovely environment makes these more appealing.  On or under the water? Well the clear Mediterranean sea is just so inviting and there are plenty of activities to choose from.  Shopping is very varied and good value too! One could go on and on, but perhaps one thing that particularly draws us all to this pretty and cosmopolitan island is that is it only about two hours away!  

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Beaches Golf Places to visit Watersports Other activities Events

Beaches 

There are 208 (161 are classified as sandy beaches) beaches in Mallorca needless to say we cannot list them all here but some of the best are located on the south east coast which would mean a day’s outing from any of our hotels.  If you would prefer a beach near to your hotel we recommend you ask reception to advise you of the best and least crowded in the area.

Puerto Soller does have a lovely sandy beach but can, like many Mallorcan beaches, become quite busy in the peak of sunner.

Cala Mondrago has been voted as one of the 10 best beaches in the world and is divided into two beaches S’Amarador and Cala de ses Font de n’Alis both are sandy beaches.  Cala Mondrago was declared a Nature Park in 1992 and an area of special interest by the EC in 1995. of the twp S’Amarador is the less crowded. 

Ses Covetes is 11kms from Campos and is also recommended as a good beach for families.

Portals Vells In the Calvia area there are some lovely beaches and coves that because they are slightly more inaccessible are less crowded.  There are three at Portals Vells which can be accessed by car and and then on foot, it is sign posted and is approx 8kms from Magaluf and close to the Club Nautic Portals Vells.  The three beaches are mostly sand and have clear shallow waters, the middle one Platja de Portals Vells II) is also a nudist beach. They are called Platja de Portals Vells III, II, I and also known as sa Caleta, sa Platgeta and Platja del Rei. They are surrounded by trees and nature.

On the west coast which is the busier and more developed coastline, outside the Palma area, there are beaches but these would generally be very busy though Illetes consists of two pretty coves with pine trees stretching as far as the shore. Portals Nous has a small beach  and Santa Ponca beach is in this region and is the third most popular with British visitors.

Golf

With approximately 20 courses to choose from Mallorca will satisfy the most discerning players.  We list here just a few, three of these are connected to some of the hotels we offer and therefore can guarantee tee times.  You don’t have to stay in these hotels to play golf we can arrange and pre book the course of your choice.

The 3 courses link to our hotels are: Son Vida, Son Muntaner and the Son Quint golf courses.

Son Vida  This was the first golf course in Mallorca and originally opened in 1964 and designed by F W Hawtree, Son Vida was completely renovated in 2001. The fairways are tree lined and have great views over the Bay of Palma.  The Balearics Open was hosted here in 1990 and 1994. It has 18 holes and plays to Par 71 (5601 metres). Naturally it has all the facilities one would expect of a top class course. Handicap required Gentlemen 28, Ladies 36.

Son Muntaneer Opened in 2000 and designed by Kurt Rossknecht this course is suitable for golfer of all levels and even has a golf school to help improve your game.  It is 18 holes and play to Par 72 (6347 metres) and has all the facilities you would expect.

Son Quint Is a brand new course opening on 1st Sept 2007 and is a sister course to the two above. With 18 holes playing to Par 72 length 6205 it is sure to prove popular.  A hilly challenging course with pine and olive trees and great views over the Bay of Palma most of the challenge comes from the natural environment and will test all levels of player. It has be designed by Ramón Espinosa and Kurt Rossknecht and naturally has full facilities.

Also worth mentioning are:
Golf Alcanada is on the northern most tip of the island and is a fairly recent addition, it location means it is not too busy and it is a challenging course designed by Robert Trent Jones Junior.  It is naturally 18 holes and plays to par 72 (6499 metres) though it is not inexpensive at around 100 euros but visitors with a handicap certificate are welcome.

Golf Santa Ponsa I is a 6,543 m, par 72 course with 18 holes the 10th hole is one of the longest in Europe (there is also a 9 holes course Santa Ponsa III). Designed by Folco Nardi with assistance from Pepe Gancedo, it is a long, wide course with many indigenous trees and vegetation, water hazards and bunkers. It is one of Mallorca's busiest courses as many national and international tournaments take place here.

Things to do include

Take the train from Palma to Soller – a great way to view the countryside if you don’t want to driver and Soller is a lovely town to wander around.

A visit to Palma town whether it is to shop (see our introduction of Mallorca for the places to head for) or sightsee is a must, the shopping as we mentioned on our introduction to Mallorca is very good and the range of cultural places and art galleries is excellent and include:

Palma Cathedral – Also know as La Seu is one of the finest Gothic churches in Spain.  It is a phenomenal building with a great history, adjacent is the Museu del Cathedral which has some interesting medieval paintings and holy relics in the collect and you can even see sections of the original Roman City through a glass floor.

Palau March Museum is a majestic building with a courtyard that has a small but good collection of comtemporary sculpture including works by Henry Moore, Barbara Hepworth and Rodin.  It is also sometime used for classical concerts in July and August.

Art Galleries and Museums include the Museu d’Art Contemporani, the building is an 18th century mansion and the collection offers an overview of the most significant schools of 20th century Spanish Art.  It is located near Placa Major in Palma. Casal Solleric has very interesting exhibitions which change regularly, the current exhibilition is Frida Kahlo portraits.  Es Balaurd, at the top of Jaime III, is probably the most famous because of its architecture has a constant change of exhibitions.  Each of the galleries mentioned here are in Palma but there are smaller galleries in other towns on this island that has always attracted artists.

There are so many historical and cultural activities on offer we are sure that you will find something to interest you, the guide book we give you before you go will be of assistance.

The leather industry is mainly found in Inca, not the prettiest place in Mallorca but many of the factories have outlet shops here, though the prices may not necessarily be less than in town.

The Gordiola Museaum del Vidre is a factory and museum of glassware.  You can watch glass blowing and see some antique pieces in the collection. Located outside Algaida on the Manacor road from Palma.

Mallorcan cultured pearls are made in Manacor.  You can tour of the factory and choose from a huge selection at the Pearl Centre on the main road alternatively you can buy them more or less anywhere on the island, prices don’t vary too much.

Mallorcan Markets are fun, held weekly in most towns and are a combination of local goods and leather and other goods.  We enjoyed one in Santa Maria and the stall holders were open to a bit of bargaining for hard goods. We should warn you that live goods, chickens etc are caged and sold at these markets. 

For children who tire of the beach and pool there are theme parks and aqualands and even the Caves at Porto Cristo to explore.

Water sports

Sailing very popular here and you can hire all types of craft for any from an hour to a week, subject to your qualifications of course.
Windsurfing there are schools for the novice and also equipment hire found in the large resorts and some of the beaches have facilities too, such as Formentor, Puerto de Pollensa, Port de Soller and Platja de Palma to name a few.
Scuba diving is particularly good in the clear shallow waters of the south and east coast.
Water-skiing, kitesurfing, paragliding, snorkelling and fishing are some of the other water sports on offer.

Other activities include:

Walking, mountain biking, hiking and climbing are perfect in April and May when the flora is at its best, September and October are good too but in high summer avoid the middle of the day as temperatures can reach the mid and high 30°. With almost 40% of the the Mallorcan countryside under protection there is so much to choose from including the Tramuntana Mountains, the Formentor area and other National Nature Parks for these activities.
Bird Watching is very rewarding in Mallorca as many as 200 species migrate here in spring and the Tramuntana region is probably one of the most interesting with viewings of various birds of prey.

Horse riding and spectator sports are also available on island.

Events on Mallorca

Culture is ever-present on a day to day basis on the island. All year round there are festivals, concerts, literary competitions, exhibitions, recitals, theatre performances… The city of Palma de Mallorca is the cultural and artistic centre of the island, and has a good reputation for preserving its culture and history.
If it is nightlife you are after outside the hotels and the big resorts most nightlife can be found in Palma with clubs, theatres and concerts.   We list some events on our What’s on page above.