Because it is far more than its package-holiday reputation — the largest and most varied of the Balearic Islands, with a handsome capital in Palma, a UNESCO mountain range in the Serra de Tramuntana, hundreds of beaches and coves, and a real food and wine culture of its own. Beyond the resorts, which are easily avoided, it offers stone villages, cliff drives, Roman towns and turquoise calas, all on one island you can criss-cross in a day.

What is the best area to stay in Majorca?

It depends on the trip. Palma suits those wanting a city, culture and dining with easy day trips in every direction; the Tramuntana villages of Deià, Sóller and Valldemossa are best for mountain scenery and slow evenings; the north around Alcúdia and Pollença for long sandy beaches; and the southeast for cala-hopping. The island is compact, so pick a base close to your main interest and minimise the driving.

Is Majorca just for package holidays?

No — that is the island's biggest misconception. The large resorts occupy only a few bays and are easy to avoid entirely; most of Majorca is mountains, farmland, historic towns and quiet coves. Palma is a genuine cultural capital, the Serra de Tramuntana is among Europe's finest walking and driving country, and the calas of the south and east are as lovely as any in the Mediterranean. Choose your base well and it is a sophisticated island.

How do you get around Majorca?

A hire car is much the best way to explore, as the mountain villages, coves and viewpoints are scattered and the Tramuntana drive is a highlight in itself. Palma is walkable, and the historic wooden train to Sóller is a lovely trip, but buses are limited once you leave the main routes. The island is small — nowhere is more than about ninety minutes' drive — so a car opens up the whole of it with ease.

Is Majorca or Ibiza better to visit?

They suit different trips. Majorca is much larger and more varied, with mountains, a grand capital, Roman towns and a longer touring holiday in it; Ibiza is smaller and split between famous nightlife and a serene bohemian north. For range, landscape, culture and family touring, Majorca; for the scene, the coves and a small island you can know well, Ibiza. Many island-lovers come to prefer Majorca for a longer, slower stay.

Boutique Hotels in Majorca, Spain

Where to go in Majorca

Start in Palma, the island's handsome, underrated capital, gathered behind the great sandstone cathedral of La Seu — a Gothic giant on the waterfront, with Gaudí's hand in its interior. The old town behind it is a maze of patrician courtyards, the Arab Baths and good independent shops; Santa Catalina is the market-and-restaurant quarter; and Bellver Castle, a rare round castle, looks down over the bay. It is a real city, not a resort, and the best base for the south and east.

The island's soul, though, is the Serra de Tramuntana, the UNESCO-listed mountain range along the northwest coast. The Ma-10 road that threads it is one of the great drives in Europe, linking the stone villages that draw the island's artists and writers: Valldemossa, where Chopin and George Sand spent the winter of 1838 in the Charterhouse; Deià, the cliffside village of Robert Graves, with its tiny sea cove; and Sóller in its valley of orange groves, reached best by the wooden train that has run from Palma since 1912. North lie the walled town of Alcúdia on its Roman foundations, the long beaches of the bays, and the dramatic lighthouse road out to Cap de Formentor; the southeast keeps the loveliest calas, turquoise coves like Caló des Moro and Cala Figuera.

Eating, the coast and where to stay

Majorca eats far better than its reputation, on an island proud of its own food. The local table runs to ensaïmada, the coiled breakfast pastry; sobrassada, the soft cured sausage; tumbet, the layered summer vegetables; and pa amb oli, bread rubbed with tomato and oil, eaten with everything. The Tramuntana villages and Santa Catalina market in Palma are the places to find it done well, alongside the island's growing list of serious restaurants and its own wines from the interior, and there are long seafood lunches by every harbour. Eat in the hills for the soul of the island, by the sea for the view.

For where to stay, the club's choice is in the heart of the capital: Can Alomar, an adults-only design hotel in a converted nineteenth-century palace on Palma's smart Passeig des Born, steps from the cathedral and the old town with a rooftop pool over the rooftops. Central, calm and walkable, it makes an ideal base for the city and for the day drives into the mountains and out to the coast.

When to go

Majorca's season runs spring to autumn, and the shoulder months are the prize. May, June, September and early October bring warm days, a swimmable sea and the island at its most comfortable, with the Tramuntana green in spring and the light long in autumn, well before and after the summer crush. July and August are hot and busy, the beaches and the famous coves crowded and the resorts at full tilt — high summer if you want it, hard work if you don't. Winter and early spring are quiet and mild, the time for walking and cycling the mountains and for the almond blossom that whitens the island in February. For the beaches and the villages at their best, come in late spring or September.