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At the height of the holiday season, this 5-km (3-mile) long beach near the airport becomes exceptionally busy. Numerous hotels, apartments and clubs crowd behind a row of cafés and bars next to the beach.

A sprawling hotch-potch of modern structures and tourist attractions on a bay ringed by sandy beaches and pleasant pine forests. This is where Jaume I, the Conqueror, first came ashore with his army to retake the island from the Moors; now the only interlopers are the yachting enthusiasts in the ultramodern marina.

This tiny, modern urbanizació (development) has an excellent beach and a pier running out to a small rocky island in the middle of the cove. You can also climb up on the windswept cliffs of Cap d’es Llamp.

On the wild northern coast, where the opalescent hues of massive cliffs and sea meet, this is probably the area’s quietest beach, since it’s bypassed by most of the crowds who come to see the nearby Torrent de Pareis.

The area consists of three coves – Cala Sant Vicenç, Cala Barques and Cala Molins – with an appealing aura of intimacy. The first two have tiny but perfect beaches, gorgeous water and views. The third is down a hill, with a broader beach and more of a singles atmosphere.

Daytrippers from Port de Pollença love to come here, either by car or ferry, to partake of the same pristine sands and pure waters as the guests of the grand Hotel Formentor. The unspoiled views here are among the very best on the island (see Hotel Formentor).

One of the most popular resorts on the east coast of Mallorca. The first hotels began to appear here as early as the 1930s, but the real tourist invasion did not start until the 1980s. Similar to neighbouring Cala Bona and Sa Coma, Cala Millor has many beautiful beaches; the main one is 1.8 km (1 mile) long and is quite magnificent. There are bars, restaurants and clubs aplenty, all over-crowded in summer. To see what this coast used to be like, walk to the headland at Punt de n’Amer nature reserve.

Actually a collection of eight coves, which, taken together, comprise the most upmarket enclave on the southeastern coast. Though sprawling, the developments are characterized by attractive low-rise, white structures abundantly swathed in greenery.

The town has a handful of modest hotels, a few restaurants, a pretty beach and an interesting harbour. Many people come here with the sole purpose of catching a boat to nearby Cabrera (see Illa de Cabrera), which, according to Pliny, was the birthplace of the famous Carthaginian leader, Hannibal. The town’s other main attraction is the nearby salt lake, from which huge quantities of salt were once extracted – the main source of the town’s wealth.

This splendid beach is everyone’s favourite, and weekends will find it very crowded with sun-worshippers from Palma. The rest of the week, it’s the domain of nudists, nature-lovers, and neo-hippies. It remains the island’s last natural beach, interrupted only by the complex of vacation homes at Ses Covetes.