Holiday bucket list: Mallorca

My very first holiday as an adult, away from my family for the first time ever, was in Mallorja (or Majorca). My friend Clare and I went to Palma Nova. We chose it because it was it was supposed to be a bit quieter than its slightly noisy neighbour, Magaluf, and we had the most wonderful week of sunbathing, cocktails and lazing on the beautiful beach. One thing we didn’t do, though, was explore much, which is one of the reasons why Mallorca continues to rate quite highly on my holiday bucket list and why I was delighted with Booking Mallorca asked me to pick a few faves from their selection of lovely villas and apartments.

Mallorca is the largest of the Balearic islands, and if you think of it as a bit of a squished diamond shape, with two bites out of it, one on the south west side, which is Palma, and one on the north east side, which is the Bay of Alcudia, there’s another smaller nibble just above Alcudia, near the top of the diamond (stay with me here) which is the Bay of Pollensa (or Pollença if you’re local). The water there is crystal clear, and the beaches are naturally sheltered by the headland that juts out, separating it from the Bay of Alcudia. The port of Pollensa is ridiculously pretty, unspoiled and dotted with small restaurants and cafés, and Villa Almazara Varitx is built of the same Mallorcan stone that seems to make the entire village glow in the sunshine.

The four bedroomed villa boasts gorgeous gardens, a terrace with a swimming pool and is within easy driving distance of the port and all the beautiful beaches, including S’Illot beach, which I saw in a travel magazine once and tore out the picture because it was so beautiful.

Further south, Puerto Alcudia is a popular beach resort, and Alcudia town itself is a stunning medieval walled town with fabulous Roman ruins including an amphitheatre - all well worth a visit. Villa Vista Mar is located in nearby Malpas-Bonaire which has incredible views over the Bay of Pollensa as well as being close to everything that Alcudia has to offer. The six bedroom whopper of a villa has everything from a pool to a barbecue. Love that view.

Right at the very top of the diamond, the most northerly point in Mallorca is Formentor. Formentor beach is a quiet, pretty strip of sand, with plenty of shady trees. Villa Gentil is nestled right on the beach and has 7 bedrooms, so you could literally ship the whole family out for the most amazing holiday. Love it.

Villa Gentil

Ahh beautiful Mallorja. I think it’s high time I went back. For more information on villas in Mallorca, visit Book Mallorca.