A traveler's guide to Mallorca
Stay in Palma, Sóller, or the east, and treat the famous coves as morning destinations. They do not reward a casual 2 p.m. arrival in August.
Mallorca is a large Balearic island with a resort coast and a wilder one. The coves of the Serra de Tramuntana and the east are the beaches people mean. Palma is a real city you can stay in and leave each morning.
When to go
May, June, September, and October are the months to swim without the full crush. July and August are hot and the car parks tell on you. The sea is still warm into the autumn.
The beach
Es Trenc is the long, wilder sand on the south. Cala Agulla and the east-coast coves are the pine-and-turquoise version. The northwest has fewer beaches and more drama. Public paths exist and fill up. Go early.
In the water
Clarity is the reputation and it holds on calm days. Rocky entries want shoes. A boat from a small port is how you see the coves that have no car park left. The south beach is a gentler swim.
If you only remember this
- The Ma-10 along the west is slow on purpose. Do not plan a dinner on the other side.
- Parking reservations and early starts are the August strategy.
- Palma is worth a night, not only an airport.
- The water is cooler than the Caribbean in May. That is not a complaint.