Mallorca has well and truly freed itself of its former Club 18-30 shackles to become one of the Med’s most popular destinations for a stylish break in the sun. If it feels like everyone is in Mallorca when you scroll through Instagram, they probably are. Seeing someone you know at the counter in El Camino (book ahead – this writer couldn’t get in) is as likely as bumping into a friend on a sunny Sunday in Hampstead.
It seems unfair that one sausage-and-chips resort town like Magaluf lumbered the largest Balearic Island with a reputation for attracting fishbowl-drinking, glowstick-twirling Brits abroad. Those in the know have been visiting the Mallorca for years. Obscenely pretty towns such as Deià have long attracted bohemians and creatives who pad around making art and music in their photogenic fincas, surrounded by antiques, piles of books and vibrant bougainvillea.
The island isn’t huge (it takes around an hour to drive from one side to the other) and yet it has an incredible arts scene if you know where to look. There are mountainous landscapes dotted with olive groves, perfect turquoise coves, and a frankly overwhelming number of ravishing hotels. Plus there’s Palma – a city break destination in its own right and at minimum, deserving of a day trip.
Mallorca’s popularity is no surprise when it has everything you could want from a holiday destination and it’s only two and a half hours from the UK. If the cat was ever in the bag, it’s out now and it’s.