Cuevas del Drach – Majorca – Balearics Attractions
There are a few caves to visit on Majorca, but the most popular is this particular network, with its smashing underground lake. There are loads of dangly bits of rock, some totally white and very fragile looking. The chamber of the lake in the middle seats 1000 for concerts, which are put on daily.
Now, we might well have caves of our own in the UK, but they aren’t the same. The Caves of Drach are uniquely beautiful and unequalled in most of the world. The Chislehurst caves (near Bromley, Sarf East Larnden) have hosted concerts by Jimi Hendrix and The Beatles in the past, but they’ve gone a bit down the tubes since then, so to speak. The beauty and wonder of the Caves of Drach endures still. You aren’t going to go to Majorca and not visit them are you? Surely not!
Marineland – Majorca – Attractions tickets Balearics
Go to Marineland for the largest collection of sharks in Europe, with performing dolphins, exotic birds, aquarium, crocodiles and a reptile zoo thrown into the bargain that contains, unfortunately, some extremely large snakes. Perhaps if they got the exterminators in and got rid of some of those snakes they’d get a few more visitors. Either way, it’s a respected marine research centre and looks after its dolphins well. The dolphins here have been successfully bred, which is unusual, and they rarely complain about the conditions or treatment so the keepers here must be doing something right.
Placa Major – Majorca – Balearics Attractions
This is a big pedestrian square with an abundance of shops and restaurants and a good starting point for a day spent wandering around and taking in the atmosphere. Head up to Placa Olivar to move away from the more touristy crafts, and pick a tapas bar to while away a few authentically Spanish hours in.
Majorca Harbour – Majorca – Attractions in the Balearics
Palma harbour is full of yachts and fishing related activity. You can hop on a ferry to any of the other islands or the Spanish mainland from here too. Come here in the day for some great fresh fish at one of the restaurants, or it’s the place to spend your evenings, just enjoying being in trendy bars near the harbour; which after all is what being on holiday is all about!
Es Vedrá Rock – Ibiza – Balearics Attractions
This is a sort-of Mediterranean version of Ayres rock, which is the big lump sticking up in the middle of Australia somewhere of course. The Ibiza equivalent is almost as big too. Ayres rock (or Uluru, as the locals call it – the locals in Australia that is, not Ibiza) is about 1,114 feet high, where as the Es Vedra rock reaches some 1,300 feet, which technically speaking is higher.
A ‘hermit’ used to live on Es Vedra. He was apparently a priest. At Beat the Brochure we are trying to find out at which point you change from being a priest, train driver, call centre shift supervisor and so on, into a ‘hermit’. We imagine there’s a complex hermit algorithm somewhere, for instance: beard length x days since last wash x time spent on rock/in cave/in forest/under that canal bridge that’s two minutes walk from ‘Bargain Booze’ = your hermitology weighting. Anyway, it’s a nice rock.
Cova d'es Culleram – Ibiza – Attractions in the Balearics
Cova d'es Culleram was a temple to the goddess Tanoit over 1000 years ago. Various bits were discovered that are now in the museum (Museo Arqueológic in Ibiza town). If you do make it to a few historical sites, you’ll be reading about the Carthaginians. The Carthaginians started Ibiza town, after discovering the island about 2600 years ago. Carthage was a North African City that spread out across the Mediterranean. The Carthaginians were great rivals of the Romans and had more than a few battles with them, eventually losing completely after the third Punic War – so called because the Roman’s name for Carthage was Punici. There, you’re now fully informed. Collect your Mediterranean History GCSE at the front desk please
Paseo Vara de Rey – Ibiza – Balearics Attractions
General Vara de Rey, who fought against the Carlists was born here in 1840. We don’t know what Carlists are, but are pretty sure they’re persecutors of anyone called Carl, so we are right behind the general on that one. We’ll not have anyone persecuted here at Beat the Brochure, even if they are called Carl. You can discuss this at length in any of the many bars and restaurants around the Paseo Vara de Rey. Paseo means Passage, and the General’s passage is indeed a popular place.