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MALLORCA: Back in Fashion!

FILM SET LOCATION

Ahlan! reveals how the sunny Balearic isle could be giving its popular neighbour Ibiza a run for its tourist dollar in 2014

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lifestyle

Mallorca was once popular with the world’s rich and famous, but somewhere along the decades of overdevelopment and inexpensive

travel packages, this Balearic Island’s stellar reputation began to tarnish. But now, as Ibiza’s popularity chips away at its exclusivity, a glut of lavish boutique hotels has started to populate Mallorca’s landscape and the island has risen, phoenix-like, from the cheap shots and fag ash, to emerge resembling an ageless movie star who’s finally able to embrace her maturity. You just need to know where to book…

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PALMA DE MALLORCASpend a day or two in the capital; Palma injects a zest of urban life into an otherwise tranquil holiday. It’s the summer go-to destination for the Spanish royals, with top-notch bars, restaurants and designer shopping around the Avenida Jaime III area. Down the cobble-stoned streets you’ll find the hustle and bustle of La Boveda (www.restaurantelaboveda.com), an authentic tapas bar that requires a reservation. Packed to the rafters every night, this no-fuss restaurant operates like a well-oiled machine, with service taking a backseat to the quality of the food. Expect to see cuts of meat hanging from the ceiling and a staff of old gents preparing dishes they’ve been enjoying since childhood. Try the mussels in tomato sauce or the scrambled eggs with black pudding.

CALA DEIÀ BEACH You can’t deny yourself a Spanish beach. Although Es Trenc in the south is heralded as the best on the island for its well-preserved white sandy shores, the crowds of tourists tend to diminish that remote haven feel. Instead, head north, near Sóller to the veiled inlet that is Cala Deià. A walk

down a winding path will lead you through the rocky cliffs, to where a small-pebbled bay with a beach bar awaits. The sapphire sea cradles the shoreline, creating hidden coves for swimmers to explore, and tiny terraces for painters who have long been attracted to the awesome views.

SENZONE This restaurant in Hotel Hospes Maricel & Spa (see next page) on the southwestern coast of Calvià is known throughout Spain for offering the “best breakfast in the world”, a two-hour experience improvised daily by the chef. The creativity is not limited to the morning rush, however. On a gentle summer’s evening, to the sound of the lapping waves, you can grab a space on the much-sought-after outdoor terrace and dine on white asparagus with a truffle hollandaise sauce and grilled scallops plucked fresh from the ocean.

The tantalising shimmer and shingle of Cala Deià Beach

Senzone

La Boveda

Celeb SpotMichael Douglas &

Catherine Zeta-JonesThe couple owns a Dhs25m mansion

in Deià

PALMA DE MALLORCA

WHAT TO DO

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WALK THE FILM SET Here are some must-see Mallorca movies to prepare you for your trip…

A LONG WAY DOWNThe long-awaited adaptation of Nick Hornby’s novel A Long Way Down stars Pierce Brosnan and Toni Collette. This film tours the isle, starting at Son Sant Joan airport and working its way around to the beaches in Camp de Mar finishing in the Hotel Playa, 10 minutes from the city centre.

CLOUD ATLAS The crème de la crème of Hollywood talent came to the Spanish isle in 2012 for the production of the Wachowski siblings’ Cloud Atlas with Tom Hanks and Halle Berry. Primarily filmed in Sóller and Formentor, this sci-fi drama showcases the majestic landscapes of this Mediterranean paradise.

St Regis MardavallThe St Regis Mardavall – a favourite of The Rolling Stones – is your best choice for New World grandeur on the south side of the island. This opulent complex was given a Dhs11m makeover in 2008, and not a penny was wasted. Guests have access to the Arabella golf courses, a 50,591sq ft spa facility, in-house butler service and Michelin-starred restaurant Es Fum. Enjoy the daily Champagne-sabering ritual in the lobby bar every evening at 7pm, or explore the Puerto Portals, a swanky marina only a 15-minute walk away that’s peppered with trendy restaurants and high-end boutiques. INFO: Carretera Palma-Andratx 19, Costa d’en Blanes, Mallorca 07181, Spain, www.stregismardavall.com

Hospes Maricel & Spa The Hospes Maricel & Spa hotel will help you live out a James Bond lifestyle. A masterpiece of architecture, this luxurious hotel sits on large, peaceful grounds right at the edge of the Mediterranean Sea and has successfully married the original 16th century four-storey mansion with modern majesty. The addition of the annexe across the road, connected to the main building by an ivy-adorned underpass, offers guests the choice of staying in the original house

with stunning seaside views or in the modern eco rooms, each decked out with a small private zen pool on the terrace. Visitors who wish to swim have direct access to the sea via the coves, or the option of a salt-free dip in one of the hotel’s trio of swimming pools. If you visit during the summer months, spoil yourself in the spa facilities, with treatment rooms nestled into the rocky cliffs overlooking the sea. INFO: Crta d’Andratx 11, Cas Catalá (Calvià), 07181, Mallorca, Spain, maricel@hospes.com, www.hospes.com

Hospes Maricel & Spa

The tastefully appointed bedroom

Dive into your private pool

A room with a view

The St Regis Mardavall

St R i M d ll

WHERE TO STAY

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DETAILSCURRENCY: EUR1 = Dhs5.08GETTING AROUND: Mallorca is 70km wide and 100km long, so you can get around on a moped, or in a cab or rental car (try Hasso, www.hasso-rentacar.com, or Pepecar, www.pepecar.com); you can also use boats and water taxis to go from coast to coast. GETTING THERE: Emirates flies from Dubai to Madrid and then codeshares with Iberia Express to Palma de Mallorca for Dhs4,365, all within 9.5 hours.

THE INBETWEENERS MOVIEThe award-winning British sitcom chose infamous Magaluf to masquerade as Malia in Crete for its 2011 movie-length feature. Though Will and co dive into the less glamorous style of holidaymaking favoured in Mallorca’s party capital, it’s a vivid depiction of what dented the island’s reputation in the first place.

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Hotel Can Cera When staying in Palma, there is no guesthouse grander than the palatial 12-room boutique Hotel Can Cera. Proudly standing its grounds since 1232, the hotel is quietly nestled in the labyrinthine old quarter and opens onto a fully restored courtyard with grand archways and sophisticated gardens that catch the attention of city walking tours. The concierge will go to five-star lengths to wrestle your luggage through the city hustle while you relax with a welcome glass of cava in the Renaissance-style courtyard. INFO: C/ San Francisco, 8, E-07001 Palma de Mallorca (Baleares), Mallorca, Spain, www.cancerahotel.com

Jumeirah Port Sóller Mallorca boasts no fewer than 35 five-star hotels, but when the UAE’s Jumeirah brand Port Sóller opened its doors in April 2012 it bestowed upon the island its most luxurious accommodation yet. Embodying the physical surroundings of the UNESCO Heritage Tramuntana mountain range in Puerto de Sóller, this cliffside resort offers views that

span pine forests, the colourful port and the deep blue sea. The on-site fine dining restaurant, Cap Roig, delicately dangles over the water and each terraced guest room offers the attention to detail you’d expect from the great minds behind Burj Al Arab. INFO: CalleBélgica, s/n, 07108 Port de Sóller, Islas Baleares, Spain, www.jumeirah.com/en/hotels-resorts/mallorca/jumeirah-port-soller-hotel-and-spa

DETAILS

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Celeb SpotJames Blunt &

fiancée Sofia Wellesley The couple are said to be

marrying here with Sir Elton John among their

celeb guests

The light and airy bedroom

Wake up to this view over Port de Sóller

The courtyardof Hotel Can Cera

Sundown by the pool