Take in stunning scenery

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Lavender is a very well know plant with thirty nine known species across the world from which there are currently four hundred varieties. Many of these are the purple-hued colours which lavender is so well known for but there are other types such as pink, blue and even pink varieties. Whatever the colour, the fragrance these popular lavender plants produce is nothing short of fantastic.

The geography of Majorca includes many rocky areas, including two mountainous regions which span over seventy kilometres. This, alongside the many other areas of natural beauty makes the island an idea one for those who like to walk or hike. Hiking and walk has become increasingly popular in recent years as people are realising that walking is not only a great way to increase exercise and improve health but can also be an extremely enjoyable pass-time.

There are many companies that offer guided walking holidays across Majorca’s varied landscape, enabling visitors to enjoy the island’s mountains, cliffs and coastlines while taking on board the beautiful scenery, including the many lavender plants. Lavender is largely self-supporting and as such wild flower seeds can spread and grow without aid, why means that rather than linear and planned planting, the lavender across the island is wild and as such for many is even more beautiful.

The guided walks that are available around the island are suitable for walkers of all abilities, from complete beginners to more challenging ones for the experienced hikers. Regardless of ability the one thing all walkers would benefit from taking with them on their walks would be a camera, in order to capture the beauty of the lavender strewn areas grown from wild lavender seeds and the many other natural sights.

Lavender itself is well known for being a plant that is used for relaxation, de-stressing and as a mood up-lifter. Exercise is known to produce endorphins which can also enhance a person’s mood. It stands to reason that a walking holiday in the beautiful and lavender filled areas of Majorca can be nothing if not enjoyable. For those who are looking for something different to the clubs and pubs or fancy a more active family holiday, the walking holidays around Majorca tick all the boxes.

A traditional Majorca village

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Whether you decide to stay in one of the island’s top luxury hotels or enjoy more down to earth accommodation with the many camping sites and parks which offer excellent facilities, a walking holiday in Majorca can be guaranteed to be an experience not to be missed.

Majorca is one of the Balearic Islands and a close neighbour of Formentera, Ibiza and Minorca. It has been popular since the 1960s, especially with the Germans, but still has a lot to offer. Whereas in the 1970s holidaymakers were more interested in lazing under the sun on sandy beaches, in recent years a more sophisticated brand of modern traveller is instead interested in local traditions and culture. Responding to market pressures, Majorca like many other popular destinations such as Benidorm has been dusting down its heritage and rediscovering aspects of its history that even the locals had started to forget.

Majorca played its part in the endless flux of invasion and counter-invasion that marked the history of the Iberian Peninsula for much of the Middle Ages as Christian armies in the north fought against Moorish forces in the south, before the eventual conquest of Granada in 1492 and the end of the Moorish caliphate that had lasted over 700 years. In 1229 the island was captured by James I of Aragon, one of the northern Christian kingdoms, from the Moors.

Majorca’s capital is Palma de Mallorca. It has a distinctly Spanish atmosphere and makes for a great holiday destination in its own right. One of the highlights is the vast Gothic cathedral. The Spanish seem to have vied with the Germans on who could erect the most dramatic cathedrals on the Continent. Germany’s tend to be more solid and massive, with squat flying buttresses at ground level and spires like grim rockets targeting Heaven. Spain has always gone for the more flamboyant approach, with elegant buttressing even on the upper levels clustering around the central arrangement like huge stone petals, and dark interiors cluttered with all the paraphernalia of ascetic Catholicism. The cathedral of Le Seu in Palma is no exception, and it presents a fantastic outline especially in the evening when approaching it from the sea.

The house of the late English poet, novelist, historian and expatriate Robert Graves at Deia is also well worth a visit. The author of I, Claudius spent a large chunk of his life here in splendid semi-isolation and much of his furniture still occupies its rooms. To keep the creative juices flowing he had his own private beach where he would go for a dip each morning before settling down at the typewriter.

For a glimpse of traditional Spanish rural life, take the old wooden train to Soller. This picturesque route takes you through tunnels in the Tramuntana mountain range and a stunning landscape characterised by vineyards, citrus fields and pine forests. Farmers used the same line more than a century ago to bring their produce into town. Nowadays Soller is full of arts and crafts shops, and there are also some interesting Art Nouveau houses to explore. It has an attractive harbour and beach for refreshments and the whole trip makes an ideal day out. It’s also perfectly feasible to make the trip by car.

John has enjoyed travelling since he was a young boy when his parents first took him to visit family overseas. Since leaving home, John has tracked down family all over the world and regularly jets off to faraway lands to see distant relatives.

Majorca is a truly stunning destination and there is much to explore here and with most areas of the island being around the hour to hour and a half mark to reach by road, its a great place to visit. Whether you want to head to the mountains of the North or visit the amazing beaches that the South has to offer you can be sure of a coastal car hire pick-up or drop off location that will suit you.

If you are coming in by air the easiest place to pick up your car rental is from is the airport. The airport has a range of hire car companies operating from it, but to ensure the beast deals, we advise that you book online first and in advance as this means you will gain the most savings and also during the busy months car hire is extremely busy, so it is extra piece of mind nothing you have this holiday essential ticked off the list.

If you are coming in by boat to Palma port you will find you can hire a car easily in the city centre, but again book online in advance for the best deals.

If you are visiting on holiday and decide that you want to explore more of the island, virtually all the major resorts offer a pick up and drop off point – which means that you can hire a car for a shorter period of time and drop off at your resort too if you are looking for only a few days hire.

Some must see places that are easier to get to by car include – Soller, Deia and Formentor. Happy holidays!

Malaga is one of the few places along the south coast of Spain that will provide holidaymakers with the chance to experience the countries real traditions. You will find historic landmarks and modern events are two ways in which you can explore the Spanish lifestyle.

Historic sites, such as the Cathedral of Malaga, are a great way to explore the heart of the city whilst visiting a popular landmark for tourists. Another popular attraction is the Alcazaba of Malaga which is a fortification built in the 11th century and has its own Roman theatre within the ruins.

The scenery surrounding Malaga is another great aspect to holidays in the city. In the north the Monte de Malaga fills the skyline and in the south you have the two fresh water rivers Guadalmedina and Guadalhorce. Its places like those that easily explain where native Pablo Picasso got much of his inspiration from.

The culture of today lends itself to many festivals which occur throughout the year such as the Malaga Fair and Holy Week. Festivals in Spain are greeted with live street shows and flamenco dancing, perhaps the best way to submerge yourself in Spanish life during your time away.

Another modern interest in the city is sport, football in particular. Malaga CF, the city’s main team, has benefitted from recent investment and now is attracting big players in an attempt to mix it with the likes of Barcelona and Real Madrid. Although, sport along the coast is just as popular with tourists as shores on the Mediterranean Sea open up a variety of water based excursions.

Moving away from the city you will find various nearby towns and holiday resorts in the Costa del Sol. Malaga care hire opportunities are aplenty and with this you can enjoy a day trip to popular destinations nearby such as Torremolinos and Fuengirola.

The beauty and history of Malaga provides tourists with more than average attractions that modern day resorts offer and those are the reasons we enjoy travelling to new destination in the first place.

Majorca is an island off the East coast of Spain which is one of the Balearic Islands. The island offers a wide variety of things to see and do. The capital is Palma which is a top holiday destination for many around Europe. You could have a look around the old town or sample the wonderful beaches.

There is plenty to do around the island; you can take a boat ride and see the coast line, have a look round the old castles and cathedrals or have a look at some of the museums if you want a cultural experience. Whatever your taste there will be something for you to do that will cater for everyone.

It is important to think careful about what you are looking for when it comes to your accommodation, different people will have different needs. For example some people like to be close to the beach, some like to be close to the nightlife or you may have a combination of different requirements for your accommodation. Keeping this all in mind you should be able to find the perfect place for you and have the perfect holiday.

Situated in the south west of the island of Mallorca, Palma is popular amongst British holidaymakers due to the hot weather, easy & cheap flights, along with the variety of things to do that are on offer whilst you’re there, such as canyoning, submarine trips and helicopter tours to name a few.

Read on to discover what else is on offer in Palma that you couldn’t normally do at home:

Canyoning

For the outdoor enthusiasts, the canyoning trips are based in the Sierra de Tramuntana mountain range; involving climbing, abseiling, jumping into small pools of water and battling your way through waterfalls alongside mountaineering and climbing instructors. To see what canyoning is all about, check out the video below:

There are also caving, hiking and walking excursions available from Mondaventura.com

Submarine tours

The Nemo Submarine tours are a great way to explore the Mediterranean Sea as it plunges below the water and embarks on a 50 minute journey to allow you to see fish, marine life and even a shipwreck before divers put on a show and feed the fish outside the sub itself. Nemo submarine tours also offer free transport from everywhere on the island, simply ask at your hotel reception to arrange a trip.

Palma Helicopter tours

What better way to see the island than from a helicopter? There are various different packages available; including sightseeing tours where you will be flown over the more popular places on the island, celebrity’s houses, and along the magnificent coastline of Mallorca.

There’s also the opportunity to be dropped off in a secluded location with a romantic picnic containing champagne, strawberries and chocolates if you’re celebrating an anniversary or special occasion.

Kayaking

Sea kayaking trips are available around Palma, where you can see the many caves and grottos with a kayaking instructor. Trips last on average around 3 hours and cost around 30€. If you pay little bit more, you can dock the kayak in a floating boat base, and have a swim in the turquoise waters.

Mallorca Medieval show

The Medieval show in Palmanyola is an evening of entertainment featuring knights, horses, battles and a 3 course medieval banquet. There are also musical and dance performances throughout the night. Below is a video previewing the evening’s events:

Western Water Park

Western water park is in Magaluf, just outside Palma, but is definitely worth the 15 minute journey, with 14 attractions to keep everyone happy, depending on how brave you’re feeling.

The main slide is “The Beast”; a 30 metre high kamikaze slide that isn’t for the faint hearted. There are various other slides and rides including the mega slide – the longest slide in Mallorca using a raft to make your way down, a black hole, racing slides and wave pools. There’s also a synchronised diving show and diving competition if you want some time away from the slides in the park.

Scuba Diving

Scuba diving trips and tuition are available all around the island, and the prices can often be negotiated on quiet days, so if someone approaches you offering a trip, try and haggle the price down as you could save yourself some money.

Introductory diving sessions will teach you about the equipment, along with a dive in quiet waters to get you accustomed to diving and the equipment properly, before you will be taken to see the underwater caves, shipwrecks and fish.

It just goes to show that there’s more to holidays than lazing around on the beach or by the pool all day, so get out and enjoy yourself properly whilst you’re away!

Written by travelsupermarket.com

There are quite a number of different resorts to choose from, some are aimed more at families, while others are better for adults travelling without kids. One thing all of them have in common is that there is always plenty to do if you want to, and the relaxed and cheerful atmosphere everywhere makes for a great holiday.
Travelling from Heathrow, London to Palma, Majorca takes about 2 hours 20 minutes which is quite a nice quick flight time, and transfers from Palma airport to the various resorts are fairly quick too because Majorca is a reasonably small island. Unfortunately this doesn’t include the time you need to spend in the airport booking in etc. or the time travelling from home to the airport, and many people find that it’s this initial travel where they are worried about not missing their flight which is the most stressful part of the journey.

One of the best ways to avoid the travel being very long and stressful is to pre-book your Heathrow airport parking and include a night’s stay in a hotel when you do. This might sound like an expensive option, but actually many of the pre-bookable hotel/parking combinations are almost as cheap as just booking your airport parking on its own, and by pre-booking you can keep the cost down even more too sometimes saving up to 60% on the cost if you pay on the day.

The simple idea is that instead of travelling to the airport on the day of your flight, you travel up one day earlier, and enjoy a relaxed stay in a hotel over night. If your flight leaves early in the morning this means you don’t have to get up at some ridiculous hour, and regardless of what time it leaves there’s no worry about hold ups on the roads because you’re already there and all you need to do is hop on to your transfer bus which will take you from your hotel directly to the airport terminal where you need to be.

The stress is taken away and you can relax and enjoy the feeling of being on holiday right from the beginning instead of arriving feeling stressed and tired. An added bonus is that if you have a few hours to spare on the day of your arrival at Heathrow there are plenty of local attractions that you can enjoy while there – from Legoland with the kids, to a peaceful look round Windsor castle. For more details visit Holiday Extras

There are two major alternatives for budget holidays here.  The first is to go for an all inclusive holiday.  These do cost a bit more generally, but if everything is paid for including your food and drinks and many of the activities you want to do, then you won’t have to worry about overspending on these things, and if you pick your timing carefully, these can often be picked up off season or at short notice very cheaply.  The alternative is to look for a private apartment or studio to rent.  This means you can go self catering and keep your expenses to a minimum.  Both options are very feasible in Majorca.

One of the best resorts to head to when you’re budgeting carefully is Alcudia.  This area has a wonderful wealth of activities on offer, as well as offering a number of cheap locations to stay.  There are lots of beaches here, and the atmosphere is great for families too.  The old town of Alcudia offers lots for simple sight seeing, and hiring a bike here is a good way to get around cheaply as they can be had for around £4 per day.  Sticking to local food will help your budget as well, and that’s not hard to do in a place where good food is the norm.

Puerto Pollensa is another alternative for a budget holiday.  There are quite a lot of villas available here so if there are a number of you travelling together this can often be a great affordable way of holidaying.  Puerto Pollensa is a quieter area than Alcudia, but it offers some fabulous scenic walks, as well as having a wonderful large beach with shallow waters that is surrounded by many bars and pavement cafes that look out over the sea.  The old port and marina is famous for watersports, and in the town there are lots of cobbled streets where you can see a good number of 17th and 18th century buildings as well as plenty of shopping, and an interesting fountain adorned with a cockerel.

There are of course plenty of other places across Majorca where you can stay, and if you do your research well, and pick carefully, many of them can offer you a very good deal on a holiday price. It’s all about taking your time and sourcing your place to stay, flight, and where you eat etc. carefully before hand, and then having a fantastic time when you get there.

In Scotland, you can fly from Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow and in England you can choose between Bristol, Doncaster, Durham Tees Valley, East Midlands, Exeter, Gatwick, Humberside, Leeds Bradford, Luton, Manchester, Newcastle, Norwich, or Stansted. There are also flights from Cardiff in Wales and Belfast Airport in Northern Ireland too.

And if you are driving to any of these airports parking is exteremely easy, you can get excellent deals on Gatwick Parking, Heathrow Parking and Stansted Parking by booking in advance.

Flying to Majorca takes about two hours from the UK, and all flights into Majorca will land at Palma de Mallorca Airport (formally Son Sant Joan Airport) which is about eight kilometres from the island’s capital city of Palma de Mallorca. The airport is the third largest Spanish airport, and one of the busiest in Europe during the summertime. With Majorca being such a popular holiday destination, many thousands of people fly into this airport before transferring to the various resorts around the island many of which are no more than one hour away.
Thomas Cook is one of the leading airlines who fly to Majorca and they offer a variety of features to help make the travel side of your holiday as fun as the rest of it. You can choose a special treat such as a children’s pack with chocolates and teddy bear, or a champagne toast to enjoy while on your flight. They also allow you to pre-book your seats so that you know you’ll be sitting with your family, and there are TV and audio channels that screen popular TV and music to your headphones. Children’s activity packs and in flight magazines can help make the journey go faster, and you can also take advantage of tax free alcoholic drinks, gifts and perfume.

With such a wide variety of airports and airlines to choose from, a short flight time and short transfers to your resort destination, as well as wonderful atmosphere and plenty of sunshine, sea, sand and things to do, it’s not really any wonder that Majorca is such a popular option for thousands of holiday makers every year.

Sailing

For a relaxing day in the sun, consider a sail around the coast waters aboard a catamaran.  Lay anchor and enjoy a swim or snorkel in the beautiful blue waters or simply lounge around and top up your tan.  Prices for a catamaran sailing adventure are approximately £45 for adults and £25 for children.

For those interested in sailing courses, prices range from €130 to €250 (£110 to £215), while a basic catamaran sailing course cost around €220 (£190), with wetsuit included.  Sailing certificates are €24 (£20) for adults and €15 (£13) for children.

Scuba Diving

Scuba diving is one of Majorca’s most popular water sports on offer, with tourists, enthusiasts, and professionals taking advantage of the calm waters and magnificent sea depths at Alcudia, Pollensa, and Calviá on Malgrats Islands.  For those interested in scuba diving courses, there are several schools to choose from, with special deals that include “Dive 6 Pay 5” and 20% off a full course.

Wind Surfing and Kite Surfing

Many of the larger resorts offer wind surfing and kite surfing schools as well as equipment that can be hired without tuition.  A few of the beaches which offer wind surfing include:

• Cala Millor
• Cala d’Or
• Can Picafort
• Formentor
• Magaluf
• Palma Nova
• Perguera
• Port de Pollensa
• Port de Soller
• Portals
• Santa Marina

Son Serra de Marina is another favoured wind and kite surfing location.  Located on the north east coast, just five miles east of Can Picafort, here you will find unspoilt beaches, a wealth of natural beauty, and the popular El Sol Sunshine beach bar, which is open all year long.
Windsurfing courses include basic, intermediate, for children, and mini-courses, with prices ranging from €120 to €250 (£100 to £215).  Windsurfing certificates are about €25 (£21) for adults and €15 (£13) for children.  Surfing suit is included.

Water Skiing

For water skiing, some of the favoured beaches include Cala Millor, Can Picafort, Formetor, Magaluf, Palma Noval, and Santa Ponsa.  All of the major beaches offer water skiing equipment for hire.

Pedal Boats

Most of the bigger resorts offer pedal boats for hire; this includes Cala Millor, Cala d’Or, and Porto Cristo on the east coast as well as all of the resorts in the Bay of Palma.

Package Holiday Offers

Package holiday offers are available through several holiday tour operators. Look for cheap package holidays offering excursions on rented yachts which are able to port at key locations including Port Náutico de Santa Ponsa, Port Adriano, Puerto Portals, and Club Náutico Arenal.

Special Equipment and Insurance

Water sport equipment is available for hire at locations throughout Majorca as well as all of the major holiday resorts.  Prices for lessons generally include equipment and suit.  As for travel insurance, be sure to check with your provider to ensure that your coverage includes water sport activities.