DK Travel : Mallorca

Known variously as the “Golden Isle”, the “Wooded Isle” and the “Tranquil Isle”, Mallorca is all of these, despite its decades-long dependence on mass tourism. The island is laden with history and sights, from its castles and enchanted gardens to caves and spectacular mountains. The eastern and southern coasts still sport some of the cleanest, most beautiful beaches in the Mediterranean, and the city of Palma is more attractive, culturally alive and fun than ever.

Mallorca (or Majorca) gets its name from the ancient Roman name for the island, Balearis Major, meaning the “biggest Balearic”

Artà

Ancient, prosperous town noted for its basketry.
Asador Tierra Aranda

Service is carried out with panache in a stone-paved garden with marquees, in which you’ll enjoy a dinner of Castilian cooking. Lunch is served indoors, in stately rooms.
Autèntic Mallorca, Portocristo

This special shop has all things Mallorcan: some 90 products including sandals, natural scents, dolls, musical instruments, glass, preserves, sausages, liqueurs, turrón (nougat), fig confections and olives.
Auto-Safari Park

A huge hit with anyone who enjoys being surrounded by African giraffes as tall as trees, rhinos as big as tanks and monkeys that jump on everything, even on top of cars. Facilities include a playground for the younger ones.
Avinguda Jaume III, Palma

This elegant, arcaded avenue is one of Palma’s main streets for chic boutiques, including Cartier and Loewe and good local shops such as Persepolis for antiques. Worth a stroll even if you don’t want to buy.
Bahía, Port de Pollença

This hostel’s restaurant has a great paella ciega , big enough for four, with Spanish broad beans, mussels, chicken, prawns and lots of saffron. The decor is a stylish sort of Modernista Baroque.
Banyalbufar

Built by the Moors using drystone walls, the town’s terraces speak of human ingenuity to create superb farmland out of inhospitable cliffs. There are a few nice hotels, cafés, restaurants, artisan shops and a small, shingly beach.
Banys Àrabs

This 10th-century brick hammam (bath house) is one of the few architectural reminders of a Moorish presence on Mallorca. A small horseshoe-arched chamber, with a dome supported by irregular columns and what would once have been under-floor heating, it has survived in its original form. This would have been the tepidarium , the lukewarm room; there would have also been a hot room and a cold plunge. Apart from this, there’s not much to see, but the pleasant garden has tables and chairs.
Banys Àrabs Gardens, Palma

To the Moors, who came from an arid land where the oasis was the symbol of life, water was the very essence of a garden. The cloistered gardens at the Banys Àrabs baths evoke that ideal – it was here that the wealthy owner would relax after his bath, and breathe in the fragrant, tranquil air.
Banys Àrabs, Palma

These private baths probably belonged to a wealthy Moorish resident and, together with their gardens, have incredibly come down to us virtually intact. However, closer examination reveals elements from even earlier sources. The columns, each one different, were doubtlessly taken from an ancient Roman building.

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Restaurant price categories

For a three-course meal for one with half a bottle of wine (or equivalent meal), taxes and extra charges.
- under €20
- €20–€30
- €30–€40
- €40–€50
- over €50