Majorca or Mallorca as it is known to the Spanish is Spain’s largest island and forms the heart of the Balearic islands along with Ibiza, Formentera and Minorca and has been a popular tourist destination since May 1952. Surprisingly, the island has been inhabited since 6000BC and like mainland Spain has been under the rule of one various potentate, caliphate, king or Caesar through the centuries. Today a holiday villa on Mallorca has become something of a dream destination. Ilios’ handpicked villas with pools offer one the best chance to see the best of the busy streets of Palma and the quiet countryside.

The capital is Palma and many people rarely leave the golden sandy beaches that lie along its immediate coast. This is a dreadful shame as the inland towns and countryside have kept their unspoilt beauty and remain as true to the Mallorcan spirit as la Balanguera (its anthem). Popular with the Spanish royal family, who spend their summer holidays here, the island has attracted a number of famous residents: Catherine Zeta Jones, Michael Douglas, Michael Schumacher, Claudia Schiffer, Annie Lennox, Julian Lennon, Boris Becker and (unfortunately) Peter Stringfellow all have holiday homes on the island.

The explorer in you will love the beaches at Alcudia and Cala D’Or (which also has a jazz festival), Inca for leather, Manacor for pearls and Sineu at the centre of the island for the best market we have seen. Our Majorcan holiday villas and farmhouses are well situated for relaxation, beaches and seeing the real Mallorca.

In 2005, there were over 2,400 restaurants on the island of Mallorca according to the Mallorcan Tourist Board. They ranged from small bars to full scale restaurants. Despite Mallorca’s location in the Mediterranean, seafood is often imported, daft, but true. Olives and almonds are typical of the Mallorcan diet and many recipes feature these. The island now has over 4 million almond and olive trees which are key to the terraced landscape. Among the gastronomic delights that can be truly stated as being Mallorquin are sobrassada, botifarro (spicy pork sausages), arros brut (rice cooked with saffron, chicken, pork and vegetables) and, for the sweet lover, ensaimada, a kind of fried bread served in slices with pumpkin or piped full of sweet cream, chocolate or nougat paste. Those from patisseria marroig are considerd exquisite.

Click for more information about villas and hotels in Spain