The Real Majorca

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12 FEBRUARY 2004
Majorca – a wasteland of concrete, seething beaches and raucous resorts… at least, that's what many people think. So who'd want to go there? The answer is those who know the real island – such as the Spanish royal family, supermodel Claudia Schiffer and Hollywood couple Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones and a host of other celebrities. At 47 miles by 62 miles, Majorca is much bigger than you think and full of surprises. Here are just a few of its highlights.

City surprise
With a seafront as elegant as the one in Cannes, a cathedral as imposing as Notre Dame in Paris and shops and restaurants the equal of Italy's most stylish cities, Palma is a delight. The capital has a long and noble history, and strolling around it is an instant lesson in architecture through the centuries. Start as everyone does with the awesome cathedral, all flying buttresses and soaring turrets. The locals call it La Seu. The medieval Portella quarter is a cobweb of alleys lined with richly decorated mansions. Look carefully and you'll find some unexpected surprises. Hidden away in C'an Sanc is the best ice cream shop on the island, while another mansion has been converted into the baroque high-camp night spot Abaco. Still others house exclusive, tourist-free boutique hotels – a real find. For a change of style visit the art nouveau Gran Hotel and Casas Sayas around Plaza Weyler. The artist Joan Miró lived in Majorca for the last 40 years of his life, and his studio is in Son Abrines. Strictly 21st-century are the oh-so elegant Passeig de Born and Avinguda Jaume III, where Europe's leading fashion houses tempt diehard shopaholics.

Mountain magic
The beautiful drive along the corniche from Puerto Andraitx to the little fishing village of Port de Soller is worth it for the spectacular views alone. You'll know you've reached Deia by the dazzle of bougainvillea trailing over the drystone walls. The little stronghold was the mountain eyrie of the poet Robert Graves, who came here to write and live the simple life in the 1950s. The composer Chopin didn't have such a peaceful stay on the island. He composed his Opus 28 No 2 here in 1838 in a tiny cell in the Carthusian Monastery at Valdemossa, near Deia, but endured a miserable winter that did nothing for his consumption. His mistress, French writer Georges Sand, also felt the chill and took to wearing trousers in an attempt to keep warm, resulting in her being stoned by the villagers for her effrontery.