Mallorca, the 12 Best Places to Stay

Where to stay in Mallorca: the 12 best resorts

Beautiful white stretches of sandy beaches, ancient traditional fishing villages and family holiday resorts make the Balearic island of Mallorca a popular European tourist destination. The classic image of a Spanish holiday, visitors can choose from one of the many fantastic tourist resorts with accommodation to suit everyone, from tourists to young ravers.

Palma de Mallorca

Mallorca's capital city, Palma de Mallorca, is an elegant and sophisticated city with elegant avenues, stylish shops and cafés, all situated along the Bay of Palma. It is the cosmopolitan centre of the island and is home to numerous bars and restaurants serving traditional island cuisine.

Palma's nightlife is not as lively as other areas of the island and it is a great place to stay if you're visiting the island for a weekend, as there is a wide selection of luxury hotels to choose from. There are some interesting historical attractions in the capital, including the 13th-century Cathedral of Santa María, but you can explore the rest of the island via the bus network.

Port de Pollença

A small port town to the north of the island, this old fishing village is now home to a family resort with long stretches of sand and calm, sandy waters. The port has not lost its sleepy charm — nightlife here is very low-key with many seafront restaurants catering to couples and families. Since the iconic Hotel Miramar was first built in Pollença in 1912, the town has grown to offer many charming places to stay.

Take a walk along the town's famous Pine Walk, where Mallorca's elite once built elegant retreats, enjoying the breathtaking views of the Bay of Pollença and enjoying an afternoon taking part in one of the many activities in the area designed for tourists, such as golf or kite surfing.

Cala d'Or

The attraction of Cala d'Or's numerous sandy beaches means the area has developed in recent years from a once tiny fishing village into a full-fledged tourist resort. The town's streets are now lined with bars, cafés and restaurants that cater to foreign tourists, and there is a wide variety of hotels with family facilities to choose from.

Regardless of the steady flow of tourism, Cala d'Or remains charming with narrow cobbled lanes and low white buildings. The town is connected by a bus service that can be unreliable, but with a direct bus line to the airport, it is an excellent choice for your stay on the island.

Port d'Alcudia

The large family resort of Port d'Alcudia attracts thousands of international tourists a year with its soft, sloping white-sand beaches along the Bay of Alcudia. Around the town's picturesque marina, boutiques and restaurants create a relaxing atmosphere, while the traditional old town of Mallorca, near Port d'Alcudia, is an interesting day trip for its architecture and history.

The town's main pedestrian promenade, Ciudad Blanca, is the centre for the port's tourist attractions and activities and is where you can find a wide range of hotels, offering a selection of accommodation that is often good value for groups and families.

Magaluf

Lively Magaluf has become synonymous with Mallorca's famous party scene; this is the town to stay in if you're on the island for an all-night party. Groups of young people on holiday travel to Magaluf to spend their days lying on the sandy beaches and their evenings having fun in the numerous bars and nightclubs.

The place has grown, with numerous high-end hotels and holiday apartments offering reasonably priced accommodation. There is plenty to do in the area to keep you entertained, but good public transport links and a regular bus to the city of Palma mean you can explore the rest of the island too.

Alcudia

The beautiful old Alcudia remains a slice of the real Mallorca. Winding cobbled streets and an ancient old town dating back to the 14th century show visitors to the island a slice of what Mallorca once was. The traditional houses and buildings are surrounded by ancient medieval walls built to protect the town from invaders.

Today the town is very appealing to tourists who are trying to understand more about Mallorca's history and culture. Hotels in Alcudia are smaller and more traditional, and staying here would mean a slower, quieter pace of life than the big tourist towns, but it is easy to rent a car to explore the rest of the island.

Palma Nova

Close to the airport, this newly built town offers all the services needed to make your stay in Mallorca pleasant. The town has a friendly atmosphere and attracts many families to enjoy the beaches year after year. The centre of Palma Nova is full of international restaurants, bars and entertainment until late at night.

The beaches around the town are all clean, white-sand bays that offer visitors the chance to try a wide range of different water sports. If you're thinking of staying in Palma Nova, you'll find accommodation to suit your budget; everything is on offer here from small cheap apartments to luxury villas. And with good bus links to Palma you can also visit some of the sites in the rest of Mallorca.

Port de Sóller

Surrounded by mountains, the traditional port town of Port de Sóller has a picturesque and charming atmosphere with its wide golden beaches. The town attracts couples and tourists who want to enjoy Mallorca's nature, since the surrounding area features some famous hiking and cycling trails.

New trendy hotels have started to spring up in the port and the area is home to some excellent restaurants and cafés. Bus links make it easy to connect to other towns, as well as the rail service to Palma, as well as the iconic tram service, called the Orange Express, which runs through orange groves.

Cala Millor

Cala Millor is all about the beaches; the sea is calm, the sand is white and the beach is wide. A palm-lined promenade runs along the seafront and is where you'll find many shops selling everything visitors might need to make their holiday easy. This is a family-friendly tourist resort with amusement parks and activities for children, but when night falls the town heats up with tourists enjoying the town's nightlife.

Cala Millor has a wide choice of cheap apartments and villas for rent at low prices. Most people hang around Cala Millor to spend their days on the beach, but there are bus links and the neighbouring resorts are easily reachable on foot.

Cala Ratjada

An important fishing port on the island, Cala Ratjada is a renowned family holiday destination with a splendid sandy beach and a natural pine forest along the jagged coast. A walk along the seafront will take you along the coast to small coves as well as small fishermen's cottages. Cala Ratjada itself has kept its traditional charm with fishing boats still operating in the port.

The town is popular with European tourists and as such there are many international restaurants alongside family-run restaurants serving traditional local cuisine. The night in town can be a lot of fun with a younger crowd enjoying the bars and clubs. Its popularity means the beach can be crowded during the day, but a number of hotels offer pools and a place to relax.

Can Picafort

Developed from an old fishing village, Can Picafort's long stretch of white-sand beach is a big draw for tourists. Along the seafront a wide promenade is dotted with bars and cafés where people sip a cocktail and enjoy the ocean view. The town's restaurants are varied and reasonably priced, offering food to satisfy international tourists.

Boat trips to other tourist resorts are a big attraction here, as is a regular weekly market selling a wide range of items and souvenirs. Can Picafort's hotels cater to families on holiday but, further out, you can find more rural and luxurious accommodation.

Peguera

Peguera's three excellent beaches — Playa Palmira, Playa Tora and Playa La Romana — attract many European tourists who return year after year. The town, like many on the island, has grown from being a fishing village into a tourist destination and has all the accompanying hotels and facilities.

The resort is beautifully maintained and easy to get around on foot. Walking along the streets of Peguera you'll find all kinds of delicious restaurants and pretty cafés that invite passers-by to take a relaxing break in the sun. Much of the town is situated on steep slopes, which combined with hundreds of hotels make it a perfect base for those who want to go hiking while staying on the island.

Map of Mallorca

Mallorca also offers some fantastic activities, from hiking along its mountain trails and taking part in one of the many water sports, to a round of golf. The island's cuisine has also developed over the years and now boasts numerous Michelin-starred restaurants. There is much more to Mallorca than meets the eye; Mallorca's cuisine, sweet beaches and blue sea await you to discover them. Here are the most famous towns to help you decide where to stay in Mallorca: