OVER the years, Mallorca has shown contrasting facets to different people, but its transformation from a symbol of the ravages of sun-and-sangria package holidays to a sophisticated Mediterranean destination is—reality television shows aside—well underway. The dated mid-market hotels that blighted the beaches near Palma are increasingly being torn down or updated (even the beach at Magaluf has been rebranded Calvià Beach) and townhouses and farmhouses across the island are being converted into elegant luxury or boutique hotels.
The largest of the Balearics, Mallorca also has the biggest airport, with the most frequent year-round flights to all European capitals. It has, at the last count, 17 international schools, and high-speed fiber-optic broadband covers 82% of homes. But its lure goes far beyond such practical considerations: no other island in the Mediterranean can match it for culture, landscapes, and cuisine.
Tourism made the former agricultural island rich. In a quirk of fate, it was the daughters of Mallorca’s landowning families who benefited first. Before the onset of mass tourism in the 1950s—and, with it, the arrival of bikinis and behavior that was uncomfortable for the Catholic population —the sea was regarded with suspicion; historically, it had been a source of trouble, in the form of pirate attacks and disease. As a result, sons of the wealthy were gifted land and fincas on the fertile plain in the center of the island, with the daughters given parcels of seemingly worthless coastline.
Denne historien er fra June 23, 2021-utgaven av Country Life UK.
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Denne historien er fra June 23, 2021-utgaven av Country Life UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Kitchen garden cook - Apples
'Sweet and crisp, apples are the epitome of autumn flavour'
The original Mr Rochester
Three classic houses in North Yorkshire have come to the market; the owner of one inspired Charlotte Brontë to write Jane Eyre
Get it write
Desks, once akin to instruments of torture for scribes, have become cherished repositories of memories and secrets. Matthew Dennison charts their evolution
'Sloes hath ben my food'
A possible paint for the Picts and a definite culprit in tea fraud, the cheek-suckingly sour sloe's spiritual home is indisputably in gin, says John Wright
Souvenirs of greatness
FOR many years, some large boxes have been stored and forgotten in the dark recesses of the garage. Unpacked last week, the contents turned out to be pots: some, perhaps, nearing a century old—dense terracotta, of interesting provenance.
Plants for plants' sake
The garden at Hergest Croft, Herefordshire The home of Edward Banks The Banks family is synonymous with an extraordinary collection of trees and shrubs, many of which are presents from distinguished friends, garnered over two centuries. Be prepared to be amazed, says Charles Quest-Ritson
Capturing the castle
Seventy years after Christian Dior’s last fashion show in Scotland, the brand returned under creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri for a celebratory event honouring local craftsmanship, the beauty of the land and the Auld Alliance, explains Kim Parker
Nature's own cathedral
Our tallest native tree 'most lovely of all', the stately beech creates a shaded environment that few plants can survive. John Lewis-Stempel ventures into the enchanted woods
All that money could buy
A new book explores the lost riches of London's grand houses. Its author, Steven Brindle, looks at the residences of plutocrats built by the nouveaux riches of the late-Victorian and Edwardian ages
In with the old
Diamonds are meant to sparkle in candlelight, but many now gather dust in jewellery boxes. To wear them today, we may need to reimagine them, as Hetty Lintell discovers with her grandmother's jewellery
