Mallorca, where the two official languages are Spanish and the Mallorquin dialect of Catalan, has long been a popular vacation destination for tourists from the U.K. and Germany. The hit British reality show “Love Island” even takes place in a private villa on the Spanish island.
Although plenty of Americans have visited Mallorca, it’s not as high on U.S. travelers’ radars as other European destinations. Still, I recently visited with a friend and quickly came to understand the appeal, thanks to the beautiful beaches, delicious food, fascinating history and welcoming locals we encountered.
To help you put together an adventurous and/or relaxing vacation on Mallorca, I’ve compiled some favorite bites, attractions and other highlights from the largest Balearic island.
Where To Stay
Unfortunately, we weren’t invited to the “Love Island” villa, but my friend and I stayed at the lovely Iberostar Selection Albufera Playa on the north coast of the island. The hotel was nicely nestled between the picturesque Playa de Muro beach and S’Albufera Natural Park, a protected wetland area filled with plant and animal life.
It is particularly important to be mindful of your accommodation choices on Mallorca, as the island has faced challenges with overtourism in recent years. Locals have been particularly vocal about the rise of vacation rentals, which has reduced the availability of housing options for longtime residents and made living there prohibitively expensive for many.
Mallorquins priced out of their homes have pleaded with tourists and opportunistic investors to stop buying up local land and transforming former residences into short-term lodging for visitors. They’ve also called for stronger government measures to limit overcrowding from cruise ship day visitors to lessen the strain on public resources.
That’s why visiting Mallorca as an overnight tourist, engaging with the local culture and economy, and staying in an established hotel is the move if you want to experience this destination.
Our accommodations offered easy bus access to the town of Alcudia, where we spent an afternoon exploring, dining and shopping at the local market. We took a longer, full-day trip to Palma as well and found navigating the public transit there to be similarly straightforward.
When we weren’t exploring the…
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