Mallorca What Is Known For
Fly nonstop on American Airlines from New York (JFK) to Barcelona (BCN). aa.com
Cruise on the Tauck Mediterranean Discovery itinerary aboard Le Ponant, a sleek, three-masted sailing ship, for this 12-day journey. Le Ponant has 32 staterooms with ocean views and a capacity for 60 guests, with a crew ratio of about two to one. The route includes Mallorca and Menorca as well as stops on Spain's Costa Brava, France's southern coast and the island of Porquerolles. The tour ends in Monaco. tauck.com
Stay in Barcelona, right off Las Ramblas, at Le Méridien in the heart of the city, lemeridien.com. On Mallorca, the Palacio Ca Sa Galesa is a beautiful manor house converted into a small, 12-room, five-star hotel in the Gothic district of Palma. The owner's art collection, which includes Miró and contemporary Spanish artists, decorates the walls, palaciocasagalesa.com. In Menorca, stay at the Biniarroca on the outskirts of St. Luis in a 200-year-old farm- house converted into a charming 18-room hotel. biniarroca.com
Eat French cuisine in Le Ponant's formal dining room, called Karu- Kera. Guests can also dine in the outdoor Terrace Restaurant, tauck.com. On land, try Mallorca's oranges, almond ice cream and wine, and Menorca's hallmark queso and mayonnaise. In Palma, La Taberna del Caracol offers grilled seafood, fried goat cheese and a wine of the month, taberna.name. In the foothills of northwest Mallorca, Es Vergeret features outdoor seating with a view of the sea. esvergeret.com
Listen to summer plein-air concerts in several outdoor venues in and around Palma. Also on Mallorca, visit Valldemosa, where composer Frederic Chopin wintered. The annual Chopin Festival will be held there this August. festivalchopin.com
Explore another island on this Tauck itinerary: Porquerolles, just off the French coast. On this carefree and car-free island, find panoramic vistas of the harbor from 12th-century Fort Sainte Agathe. In the Plaza des Armes, enjoy a game of petanque, similar to bocce ball, while beating the heat with local licorice-flavored pastis and chilled rosé.
Learn more at illesbalears.es.