Monday, 18 December 2006

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Kerry Katona: I just love Majorca

Enjoy sun, sea and sangria on the Spanish island

'Majorca is the best place for holidays,' says the singer. 'I rent a villa with friends and go to all the English restaurants and karaoke nights. It's a British holiday abroad.'

The charm of Mallorca

Whether they call it Majorca or Mallorca, visitors have been in love with this beautiful island off the coast of Spain for more than a century. In 1905 the local tourist office was set up, and by the 60s its efforts had been so successful that mass tourism threatened to spoil the laid-back paradise. It got so bad that a decade ago the El Arenal resort was named one of the worst holiday spots in the world.

Yet what most visitors didn't realise was that the high-rise horrors and over-development were confined mainly to a few areas in the southwest corner of the island. Away from these teeming, traffic-choked towns (now much improved), Mallorca retains its old charm, enticing celebrities such as Michael Douglas and Antonio Banderas to purchase holiday
homes on the island.

They come back year after year to enjoy the wonderful coastline, fantastic scenery and varied landscape – from the mountainous north to the rolling meadows and sandy shores of the south. Whether you prefer rugged cliffs or wild dunes, Mallorca's got the holiday for you.

Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta Jones have a £4million castle-style mansion on a secluded hillside near Deya in Mallorca. Michael says: 'The splendour of the landscape and history of the island bewitched me.'

Southern Mallorca

Why go there?
With its narrow coves and long runs of golden beaches, Mallorca's flat southern coast has a quiet, open beauty. Inland, the region is dotted with windmills and a scattering of pretty cycle paths that lead to uncrowded beaches.

Beaches
The famous beach of Es Trenc, near Colonia de Saint Jordi, is a fabulous long and undeveloped stretch of fine white sand backed by wild dunes, while Cala Pi on the headland of Cap Blanc is a beautiful sheltered cove beach that rarely gets crowded. If you prefer something a little less rugged, Cala d'Or offers the best stretch of beaches, and Cala Gran, just to the north, is pretty but not as developed.

Caves Del Drac (Dragon's Caves)
Close to the attractive resort of Porto Cristo, these four vast limestone caves are one of Mallorca's most popular tourist sights. Guides shepherd visitors along the dark, slippery paths, pointing out atmospherically lit stalactite formations. The tour ends with a floating, floodlit violin concert on Lake Martel, Europe's largest underground lake. Afterwards, you can return by boat across the lake.

Felanitx
Lying about eight miles inland, this elegant town in Mallorca's wine-growing area has an attractive square, the Placa Constitució, surrounded by handsome houses and a crisscross of streets and alleys. In addition to wine, the town is famous for its capers, which can be bought at the large produce and craft market on Sunday.

Porto Petro
From May to October, boats can be picked up from the port for cruises out to Cabrera, a rocky island teeming with plants and wildlife – if you're lucky, you might even spot a dolphin or two. The day trip is a lovely way to see the surrounding coves and bays that are accessible only by waterway. Take a picnic as there's no restaurant on Cabrera and the food you can buy on the boat can be variable.

Northern Mallorca

Why go there?
For the magnificent Sierra de Tramuntana mountain range and the dramatic cliffs, hidden coves and picturesque ports that make up this coast. You'll also find atmospheric towns and villages and a relaxing, friendly lifestyle.

Beaches
The sandy coves of Cala de Deià and the bays around the Cap de Formentor peninsula in Platja Formentor are stunning pockets of bleached white sand and warm turquoise sea. Also check out the quiet beaches at Port Pollensa, lapped by crystal-clear waters, and the flashier Port d'Alcúdia, which boasts fine golden sands but can get crowded during summer.

Deia
There's a mysterious quality to this attractive village hewn out of enormous grey-white cliffs, particularly early in the morning before the day-trippers arrive and in the evening after they've gone. Once the home of poet Robert Graves, the heart of Deià seems to tumble right over the edge of the cliff, and a maze of alleys curl upwards to a small church. Climb down the steep path to the little pebble bay where Graves swam every day.

Lluc
High up in the Tramuntana mountains, the remote village of Lluc with its monastery, church and small museum is considered Mallorca's spiritual heart and most important place of pilgrimage. Just off the main Placa dels Pelegrins are a café and bar and a small shop selling local handicrafts.

Port de Soller
This lively port's famous for its old-fashioned narrow gauge railway – complete with creaking Agatha Christie 20s-style carriages – that winds some 20 scenic miles through the Tramuntana mountains to Mallorca's main city, Palma. You can also catch the clanking old tram that rattles down from the station to the harbour, then pick your way down sloping lanes and past chunky stone houses to the bars and cafés on the seafront.

Nightlife
Nearly all of Mallorca's coastal towns and villages have a thriving bar and restaurant scene, although Port de Pollensa and Port d'Alcúdia also offer a smattering of disco bars and clubs.

Eating and drinking

Traditional Spanish dishes such as paella (saffron rice cooked with mussels and prawns) and gazpacho (a chilled raw spicy soup made with tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers) are found almost everywhere, together with fresh fish and shellfish. Mallorcan specialities tend to centre on pork, vegetables and soups. Try ensaimada (a spiral-shaped sweet flaky pastry), sobrassada (spicy pork sausage) and coca de trampo (a pizza-style dish with a kick of fresh peppers). The best Mallorcan wines are the reds, light and fruity.

Philip Blackmore