Known for its party reputation, Mallorca (alternatively known as Majorca) actually has much more to offer its many millions of annual visitors with beautiful natural areas and wonderful historic sites to tempt even the most tame of holidaymakers. The island, one of Spain's Balearic chain (Menorca and Ibiza are also popular party-holiday islands), is situated in the Mediterranean Sea to the east of Spain, west of Sardinia and north of Algeria. Mallorca's capital, Palma de Mallorca, is home to the famous Banys Arabs baths as well as the beautiful Catedral de Mallorca which dominates the city (and harbour's) skyline. Other places of interest include S'Albufera National Park, the house of Robert Graves (in Deia), the centre of Cala Ratjada, the mountains of Soller, the Old Town of Alcudia, the monastery of La Cartuja and the hill of Puig de Pollenca.
Mallorca is an easy destination to get to from most capital cities within Europe (and some international locations too). Ferry links to the Spanish mainland (Valencia, Barcelona and Denia) and to the other Balearic Islands are frequent, as are the cruise-ship stopovers to the island. Arriving by air, however, is the most common method of getting to Mallorca, with Son Sant Joan Airport (Palma de Mallorca International) ranking as one of the busiest in Spain (let alone Europe). Airlines such as British Airways, Futura, Jet2.com, Flyglobespan, bmi, Ryanair, Jet2.com, XL Airways and Thomas Cook Airways visit the island regularly, whilst the islands of Menorca and Ibiza also busy airports. Exploring the island is made easier by the car rental companies such as Hertz, National-Atesa, Avis and Auriga Crown situated at the major transportation hubs.
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