Mallorca Travel Guide - Overview

The recent holiday history of this beautiful little Balearic playground is very much a tale of two islands: the anglicised Majorca (famously mispronounced with a hard j) and the original Spanish Mallorca.

Dubious reputation
The island has been a retreat for the rich and famous since the 1930s, but it wasn't until the late 1950s that Mallorca attracted mass tourism, becoming synonymous with an ‘exotic' holiday abroad. However, by the 1980s the island had become infamous for cheap fun in the sun, complete with lager louts and yob culture.

Mallorca reinvented
During the late 1990s the island authorities stepped in to give it a facelift. The term Majorca, redolent of old-fashioned British package holidays, was quietly retired and the name reverted to ‘Mallorca'. In package ghettoes like Magaluf, old-style hotels were literally blown up and replaced in an effort to rebrand and upgrade the island.

Unspoiled gems
Away from the coast, particularly in the beautiful Tramuntana hills, the island has always been unspoiled. The capital, Palma, has developed into one of Spain's most beguiling and fashionable small cities. The package resorts still remain but their excesses have been curbed and the island is once again famous for its beautiful people and celebrated for its style.