The Balearic Islands |
The Balearic Islands sit in the Mediterranean, between the coasts of Spain, France and the islands of Corsica and Sardinia. Although many islanders are native Catalan speakers, and thus related to residents of Barcelona, the islands first became connected to Spain as we know it today in 1239, when King James I of Aragon conquered them and annexed them to his crown. When Ferdinand of Aragon married Isabella of Castile in 1476, the islands passed into what became modern Spain. The British first started visiting the Balearics in the 18th Century, when the island of Minorca became a British possession and naval base. Those days are long since over, but that was the beginning of the sunny Mediterranean reputation enjoyed by the Balearics in the minds of many British, and thus the beginning of its standing as a magnet for European tourism.
 Arguably the most famous Balearic Island is Ibizia, so much so that many people around the world have heard of Ibizia without knowing it is even part of the Balearic Islands. As one of the great party islands of the Mediterranean, Ibizia is the sort of place where visitors soak up the sun and surf during the day, turn in for a brief rest after sunset, and then go out for dinner and dancing at a suitably late Spanish hour (like midnight). However, it is possible to visit the island and completely avoid the throbbing club scene, as the interior is dominated by a lovely pine forest and there are a number of holiday cottages and boutique hotels that take full advantage of the green scenery. Minorca, or Menorca, still retains a prominent sign of its former role as the Royal Navy's base in the central Mediterranean in the form of Minorican gin. The Xoriguer Gin Distillery produces a distinctively tasty gin that blends the London notion of gin with a very Mediterranean idea of spirits. Like its neighbours, Minorca is also blessed with beautiful beaches, as well as a lovely collection of art and artefacts of the Roman, Byzantine and Muslim eras of the island at the Museum of Minorca, housed in a former the 15th Century monastery. Mallorca is the largest island in the chain, and a major tourist magnet in its own right, seeing over 8 million visitors annually during the summer high season. The island has beautiful beaches, eighteen separate golf courses, trails in the rugged mountainous interior for hiking and biking, and a beautiful old city in Palma de Mallorca. Balearic cuisine is an interesting melange, in that it owes much to Catalan cooking, but has drawn influences from just about every other cuisine in the West Mediterranean. There is coca, a pizza-like dish without the cheese, and often made with a salad of roasted peppers, onions and tomato. Visitors can try a simple picnic lunch of local bread and sobrassada, a raw, cured pork sausage seasoned with paprika and salt and other spices. Seafood dishes include lobster stew, baked grouper and fish rice. The Balearic Islands are well-connected to Europe by regular, budget and charter airlines. It is just as easy to fly to Ibizia or Mallorca from London or Frankfurt as it is from Madrid or Barcelona. |
| Our hotel accommodation in Ibiza can be found HERE |
| Our hotel accommodation in Minorca can be found HERE |
| Our hotel accommodation in Mallorca can be found HERE |
| Tours of The Balearic Islands |
Michelin Starred Chef" 
Deluxe Cooking Holiday on Mallorca Island Spain with a Michelin Starred Chef
Private Driver Chauffeur Car Services and Transfers in Palma de Mallorca Balearic Islands
Short Break Golf Holiday in Mallorca
Luxury Honeymoon Vacation in Mallorca
Post-Tour Extension to Palma de Mallorca from Barcelona
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