Resort Guide
What is Mallorca / Majorca like?
Mallorca (also spelt Majorca) is the largest of Spain's Balearic Islands. It is mountainous in the northwest and has flat plains in the east. Most of the UK tourist resorts are located in the south western side of the island. The popular resorts are Palma Nova, Magaluf, Santa Ponca (Sta Ponsa), Portals Nous, Illetas, Camp de Mar and Andratx. However you may wish to stay away from these to get a flavour for what Mallorca was like before the tourists arrived. Whether in a restaurant, shop, or hiring a car, the majority of people you meet will speak English and German as well as Spanish, although most will appreciate it if you attempt to use some Spanish to converse with them - however influent you are!
Mallorca can be a picturesque island, with some wonderful mountain views and beautiful, clear blue seas. The island has something to offer for most people. If you enjoy sun blessed holidays with plenty of good food and wine then Mallorca is the place to visit. Most resorts have been built around a beach and there are golf courses, swimming pools, and all types of water sports on offer as well as many cafés and bars to pass the time in. Accommodation is generally basic, with a range of apartments and hotels on offer.
To escape the tourism a little, why not hire a car and visit some of the more traditional villages or take a walk in the mountains? Well worth a visit is the village of Randa in the Centre of the island, which is home to a 13th Century monastery and a traditional Mallorcan café called the Cellar Bar. It is highly popular with the locals and serves some first class cuisine. On the east coast there are also some astounding cave systems such as the Ceuvas Del Drach, where amazing stalactite and stalagmites have formed over thousands of years in extensive underground chambers.
What about the diving?
There is diving available all around the island, although some of the best is around the southwest due to there being a number of marine reserves and because of the rocky nature of the seabed. Islands emerge out of the sea providing wonderful wall dives that are home to a large quantity of marine life. There are also many caves, caverns and tunnels that have formed in the carbonate rocks providing all levels of diver something a little different.
A good base for divers is Santa Ponsa or Palma Nova, which allows access to dive sites all the way from the wrecks at Palma to the nature reserve at Dragonera. The islands of El Toro and Malgrats were made into marine reserves in 2003 and 2004 respectively. As a direct result of this acclaimed status the underwater life is second to none. The local district council (Calvia) together with an array of prominent local businessmen are trying to get permission to sink a wreck in this area, which will no doubt rapidly become covered with marine life and will make an interesting alternative to wall and reef diving. The plan is to scuttle a former Spanish Navy frigate called Balears. She measures 136 metres in length and will be sunk in water 40 metres deep. The exact location is yet to be finalised however if sunk it will be somewhere between the marine nature reserves of El Toro and Isla Malgrats.
Overall, Mallorca makes a great budget diving destination for Europeans, either to coincide diving with a package holiday or by putting together your own flights, accommodation and dive package to create your ideal stay. It is a good place to take a family if you have a partner who is willing to keep an eye on the kids whilst you sneak off for a morning and it is also somewhere you can dive solidly for a week without running out of interesting dive sites.
In order to find out detailed information on specific parts of this beautiful island please follow the links below.
Palma Nova
Magaluf / Magalluf
Santa Ponsa / Ponca
