How to Experience Mallorca

While many visitors decide to visit the island and then remain fixedly around Palma, which is entirely understandable as it is a wonderful spot for a long weekend or entire holiday, there is so much to be seen elsewhere on Mallorca. In fact, with a few days and a car of your own (taken for hire) you can navigate quiet, minor roads, and do a comprehensive loop of the island, experiencing its many faces along the way.

Of course, with a reliable rail system that features stops at several inland locations, this too is a method of exploring the island, but with a car and map, you will encounter some of the most deliciously scenic countryside imaginable. 

Perhaps this is why so many travelers choose a luxury villa rental from which they do daily explorations of the entire island, making "loops" that introduce them to each type of setting and the many pleasures they each contain.

As an example of these "loops", a visitor can make their way out of the city towards Calvia in the west, and then head into the mountains towards Puigpunyent, Valldemossa, and then the larger town of Soller where a charming port is located. A drive from Lluc to Pollenca is described by many as "not to be missed". And another loop can be made by starting at the Sa Pobla area where the Parc Natural S'Albufera is found, and then doing a circle of Muro, Petra and Sineu before returning to Can Picafort along the coast.

In just a few hours of time each day, you can encounter and experience the very best of Mallorca, but also discover something entirely different and new with each day's adventure.

In fact, it is the beauty and appeal of the different little towns and regions that have held long-standing appeal for what Conde Nast called the "smart set" that never stopped paying visits to the island since first "discovering" its appeal in the 1800s. And it is still this that should bring visitors here, though many come for the climate and beaches.

Consider how many famous writers and artists have set works within Mallorca. From Chopin's writing about the beauty of the "cedar, aloe, orange, lemon, fig and pomegranate" and his lover's book about the island printed in the 1850s to the use of it in the novels of Agatha Christie, the poems of Borges and the canvases of Oosterlynck, it inspires in many ways. 

This includes great architecture of many eras, particularly Moorish masterpieces, a stunning cathedral, Arab baths, cloisters, and even a style named after the island and common to patio design. Gardens are in abundance and flourish year round; so many spots are an inspiration no matter where you might lay your eyes.