Andrew Montgomery

Western Mallorca

'A sky like turquoise, a sea like lapis lazuli, mountains like emerald, air like heaven', enthused Romantic composer Chopin of his new home Valldemossa in 1838. His words ring true almost two centuries later in western Mallorca.

The Serra de Tramuntana range ripples all along the west coast, surveying the Mediterranean from above. Skirted by olive groves and pine forest, its razorback limestone mountains plunge 1000m down to the sea like the ramparts of some epic island fortress. Whether you hike their highland trails, bike their serpentine roads and steep inclines, or breeze along the cliff-flanked coastline by boat, these mountains will sweep you off your feet with their beauty and drama.

Some of the island's loveliest towns and villages perch high on hilltops and deep in verdant valleys, with grandstand mountains and sea views. Wander their higgledy-piggledy lanes and be smitten, like so many artists, poets and celebrities before you.

Top attractions

These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Western Mallorca.

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Monestir de Lluc
Entered via a cloistered garden, the monastery is a huge complex, dating mostly from the 17th to 18th centuries. Off the imposing central courtyard rises up the grand façade of the late-Renaissance basilica, behind which is a rather gloomy interior and a fine altarpiece by Jaume Blanquer; the Virgin Mary and Infant Jesus statuette is contained in a room behind the altar. The church received an ornate, baroque-style revamp in the early 20th century, based on plans drawn up by Gaudí. The dark effigy of the Virgin Mary and the infant Jesus (holding a book open with the letters alpha and omega inscribed upon the pages) attracts formidable piety from the frequent line of pilgrims who file up the steps to face the statuette in prayer and who often then make a donation in the tray. The statue is known as La Moreneta (the Black Madonna) because of the statuette’s age-darkened complexion. If you're lucky, you might hear the Els Escolanets (also known as Els Blauets, the Little Blues, because of the soutane they wear), the monastery’s boarding-school boys choir. This institution dates to the early 16th century. The museum is well-worth visiting, showcasing prehistoric finds including Talayotic artefacts, folk art and crafts, religious icons and a stash of vibrant paintings by Catalan Impressionist Josep Coll Bardolet. An English-language card detailing the contents of each gallery is available at the museum front desk. The Lluc ticket gives entry to the museum, the extensive Jardí Botànic (botanical garden) and the swimming pool (at the conclusion to the botanical garden, no lifeguard) in the monastery's serene grounds. The monastery also offers, fittingly austere, accommodation (guests are required to make their own bed). The Magnolia Garden, just before the central courtyard, contains four specimens of magnolia grandiflora, which flowers with huge velvety petals in summer.
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Casa Robert Graves
Casa Robert Graves is a fascinating tribute to the British writer and poet who moved to Deià in 1929 and had his house built here three years later. It's a well-presented and rewarding insight into his life and work; on show you'll find period furnishings, a detailed film on his life, love life and writings, and sundry books, pictures and everyday objects that belonged to Graves himself. A prologue to the three-storey stone house, Ca N’Alluny (House in the Distance) is a thorough biographic film shown in a building near the entrance. Graves left hurriedly in 1936 at the outbreak of civil war, entrusting the house to the care of a local. When Spanish authorities allowed him to return 10 years later, he found everything as he had left it. And even now, the whole place is set up as if Graves had just stepped out for a stroll. His voice rings out through the rooms as his reading of his poem The Face in the Mirror is played in a loop of seemingly eternal playback; the effect is curiously powerful. Each room – whether it's the entrada, the kitchen, the printing room, Graves' study (cool in summer and nippy in winter) or the studies of Laura Riding and Beryl Graves – has a plastic-laminated introduction in English. On the 1st floor, several rooms have been converted into a museum, where his works are displayed alongside other ephemera from his life. Famous for such works as I, Claudius, Goodbye to all That and The White Goddess, Robert Graves also wrote reams of verse and a book on his adopted homeland, Mallorca Observed (1965), and the prologue to his The Golden Fleece is set in Deià. A handful of his 146 works is available for sale at the ticket office, and ask there also for the 'Reading Suggestions' information sheet.
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Castell d'Alaró
Perched at an improbable, almost comical angle on a gigantic fist of rock, Castell d'Alaró is one of the most rewarding castle climbs on the island. The ruins are all that remain of the last redoubt of Christian warriors who could only be starved out by Muslim conquerors around 911, eight years after the Moors invaded Mallorca. The astonishing views, from Palma to Badia de Alcúdia, are something special. If the two-hour walk up doesn't appeal, you can cover most of the ascent by car. The first 4.2km to nearby Es Verger restaurant are paved but have their fair share of potholes. The road deteriorates (but should be OK if it hasn't rained – ask at the restaurant for the current state of the road) for a further 1.2km beyond the restaurant to a parking area at the base of a path that leads (in 15 minutes) to the ruins. Once there, you'll see several arched stone doors and wall remnants of what was once clearly a major fortress. Another minute's walk uphill brings you to the Ermita de la Mare de Déu del Refugi, a decrepit 17th-century chapel that locals still visit to give thanks for miraculous events. If you can't bear to leave, bed down at the Hostatgeria Castell d'Alaró.
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Real Cartuja de Valldemossa
This grand old monastery and former royal residence has a chequered history. It was once home to kings, monks and a pair of 19th-century celebrities: composer Frédéric Chopin and George Sand. A series of cells now shows how the monks lived, bound by an oath of silence they could only break for half an hour per week in the library. Various items related to the time Sand and Chopin spent here, including Chopin's pianos, are also displayed. The building's origins date back to 1310 when Jaume II built a palace on the site. After it was abandoned, the Carthusian order took over and converted it into a monastery, which, in 1388, was greatly expanded. The monastery was turned into rental accommodation (mostly for holidaymakers from Palma) after its monks were expelled in 1835. Following the rules of the order, just 13 monks lived in this cavernous space. Entry includes piano recitals (eight times daily in summer) and Jaume II's 14th-century Palau de Rei Sanxo, a muddle of medieval rooms jammed with furniture and hundreds of years of mementos, gathered around a modest cloister.
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Ca'n Prunera – Museu Modernista
One of Mallorca's standout galleries, Ca'n Prunera occupies a landmark modernist mansion along Carrer de Sa Lluna. The list of luminaries here is astonishing – works by Joan Miró, along with single drawings by Toulouse-Lautrec, Picasso, Gauguin, Klimt, Kandinsky, Klee, Man Ray and Cézanne. Also part of the permanent collection is a gallery devoted to Juli Ramis (1909–90), a Sóller native and world-renowned painter who had his studio in the neighbouring village of Biniaraix, plus works by Miquel Barceló, Antoni Tapiès and Eduardo Chillida. It also has the strangely mesmerising Movement (2006) by Francesca Martí, plus a sculpture garden out the back, and a display of dolls from the early 20th century. The building itself complements the eclectic collection. Dating from 1911, the mansion is one of Sóller's edifices designed by Joan Rubió. It's a thorough study in modernist style, from the muted but intriguing stone and wrought-iron facade to the elaborate ceilings and early-20th-century furnishings.
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Sala Picasso & Sala Miró
In two rooms at street level in Sóller's station are two fascinating, introspective and contemplative art exhibitions: the Sala Picasso and Sala Miró. Few train stations boast such a splendid artistic legacy. The Sala Picasso contains more than 50 gently illuminated ceramics from the hands of Picasso from 1948 to 1971, many bearing the artist's trademark subjects: dancers, women, bullfighting. The Sala Miró is beautiful, home to playful, mysterious and beguiling prints from the Catalan master; Miró's maternal grandmother was from Sóller. Check the iconography menu at the door to interpret the symbols in Miró's vibrant works on display here, such as La Poetesse.
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Jardins de Alfàbia
The Jardins de Alfàbia reside in the shadow of the rugged Serra d’Alfàbia mountain range stretching east of Sóller. Here an endearingly faded finca with a baroque facade, which looks like it was stripped from a Florentine basilica, is surrounded by gardens, citrus groves, palm trees and a handful of farmyard animals. The murmur of water gurgling along irrigation canals hints at the place’s past as the residence of an Arab Wāli (viceroy). Little remains of the original Arab house, except for the extraordinary polychromatic coffered ceiling, fashioned from pine and ilex, immediately inside the building’s entrance. It is bordered by inscriptions in Arabic and is thought to have been made around 1170. To the right of the inner courtyard is the tafona (large oil press), a mix of Gothic, Renaissance and baroque styles. The rambling house is laden with period furniture and a 1200-volume library. Within the library is the original Llibre de les Franqueses (Book of Franchise), written by King Jaume I as the basis for all rights in Mallorca after the Christian conquest.
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Cala de Deià
A 3km drive from Deià (take the road towards Sóller), or a slightly shorter walk, is Cala de Deià, one of the most bewitching of the Serra de Tramuntana’s coastal inlets. The enclosed arc of the bay is backed by a handful of houses and the small shingle beach is lapped by crystal-clear water crested with white surf. Competition for a parking spot a few hundred metres back up the road can be intense; get here early. Backing it all up is Can Lluc, a simple oblong bar-eatery that sits sideways on to the sea, while on a rocky platform above the water, you can sit down for fresh fish at the larger Ca’s Patró March. Some fine walks criss-cross the area, such as the gentle Deià Coastal Path to the pleasant hamlet of Lluc Alcari. Three daily buses run from Deià (15-minute trip) from May to October. If walking to the cove, follow the signposted road down from the village, which then becomes a rough path that crosses over the vehicular road at various points. Alternatively, walk down Carrer Felipe Bauzà (where the Village Cafe is) and then follow the road down by the S'hortet Teahouse, which will take you through olive groves to Cala de Deià below.
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Plaça d’Espanya
The communal heart of the village, this gorgeous square is flanked on one side by the magnificent steps up to the church, the side wall of which occupies another flank; the steps continue on up to the top of the village and beyond, forming a delightful clamber for visitors. On a further side of the square, a cafe occupies pole position on the square, alongside a small supermarket. Opposite here stands the principal village fountain, supplying fresh, potable water. A handful of other cafes and bars can be found just beyond the square. One of the bars (the Bar Deportivo) stands across the way from the old Fornalutx jail, which was located in the basement of the building facing the bar.