The fantastic four

Extend your summer with a trip to one of the Balearic islands, each of which has plenty to offer to the curious traveller

- MATTHEW HIRTES

My introduction to the Balearics came like many, through music. Growing up in Nottingham, we danced to a Balearic beat in the Midlands’ house music hotspot. So, my brother’s choice of 21st birthday party was to celebrate at the origin of the source: the White Isle itself, Ibiza. In a head-scratching moment, we found we had been booked into family-friendly Portinatx in the north rather than banging San Antonio.

This travel agent intervention turned out to be a blessing in disguise. We found chillout zones away from the superclubs, in the great outdoors. While these tranquil areas have always existed, they’ve become more conspicuous as the islands have embraced more diverse types of traveller.

In broadening their appeal, the islands have consolidated their status as one of Europe’s most popular tourist regions. In May 2022, more than 1.6 million holidaymakers arrived in the Balearics, more than any other region in Spain. If even conservative estimates are to be believed, the island group’s GDP is set to grow by up to 7.1 per cent in 2022, following a bumper summer season.

An autonomous Spanish community, the Balearics are between 80km and 300km east of mainland Iberia and have an east-west divide. The eastern group of islands are the Balearics proper and are made up of Mallorca, Menorca and tiny Cabrera. Over in the west are Ibiza and Formentera, formally known as the Pitiusas.

The beauty of the Balearics is the diversity in terms of geography and philosophy. You can do something different every day with the merest of island hops. Dance the night away, dine fine, brush up on your watersports skills, and enjoy superb wellness facilities on these four fantastic islands.