Kerry Katona: I just love Majorca

Enjoy sun, sea and sangria on the Spanish island

'Majorca is the best place for holidays,' says the singer. 'I rent a villa with friends "

The charm of Mallorca

Whether they call it Majorca or Mallorca, visitors have been in love with this beautiful island off the coast of Spain for more than a century. In 1905 the local tourist office was set up, and by the 60s its efforts had been so successful that mass tourism threatened to spoil the laid-back paradise. It got so bad that a decade ago the El Arenal resort was named one of the worst holiday spots in the world.

Yet what most visitors didn't realise was that the high-rise horrors and over-development were confined mainly to a few areas in the southwest corner of the island. Away from these teeming, traffic-choked towns (now much improved), Mallorca retains its old charm, enticing celebrities such as Michael Douglas and Antonio Banderas to purchase holiday
homes on the island.

They come back year after year to enjoy the wonderful coastline, fantastic scenery and varied landscape – from the mountainous north to the rolling meadows and sandy shores of the south. Whether you prefer rugged cliffs or wild dunes, Mallorca's got the holiday for you.

Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta Jones have a £4million castle-style mansion on a secluded hillside near Deya in Mallorca. Michael says: 'The splendour of the landscape and history of the island bewitched me.'

Southern Mallorca

Why go there?
With its narrow coves and long runs of golden beaches, Mallorca's flat southern coast has a quiet, open beauty. Inland, the region is dotted with windmills and a scattering of pretty cycle paths that lead to uncrowded beaches.

Beaches
The famous beach of Es Trenc, near Colonia de Saint Jordi, is a fabulous long and undeveloped stretch of fine white sand backed by wild dunes, while Cala Pi on the headland of Cap Blanc is a beautiful sheltered cove beach that rarely gets crowded. If you prefer something a little less rugged, Cala d'Or offers the best stretch of beaches, and Cala Gran, just to the north, is pretty but not as developed.

Caves Del Drac (Dragon's Caves) Porto Cristo Mallorca
Close to the attractive resort of Porto Cristo, these four vast limestone caves are one of Mallorca's most popular tourist sights. Guides shepherd visitors along the dark, slippery paths, pointing out atmospherically lit stalactite formations. The tour ends with a floating, floodlit violin concert on Lake Martel, Europe's largest underground lake. Afterwards, you can return by boat across the lake. Visit Porto Cristo Town and then lead down and Take in the pretty Harbour and Marina its a lovely place.

part of original article by Kerry Katona in NOW magazine,..