Mallorca

Mallorca has a reputation problem, and honestly, it has almost nothing to do with Mallorca. Say the name and a lot of people picture a strip of high-rise hotels. That strip does exist, but it’s about four kilometres long and you can drive past it in six minutes.

Everything else is the island I want you to see: a UNESCO mountain range falling into the sea, stone villages with green shutters and bougainvillea spilling over the walls, an old wooden train, a cathedral Gaudí worked on, and more coves than you could swim in a summer. And it’s only two hours from most of Europe, which still surprises people every time I mention it.

I’ve spent a lot of time here with a camera, and the first thing I’d tell you is to go north and west. Base yourself in the Serra de Tramuntana, hire a car, and treat the beaches as lovely day trips rather than the whole point. Trust me on this one.