Canyamel

01Luxurious retreat

Canyamel beach, between Cap Vermell and Cap des Pinar, is about 300 metres long. There are several hotels here. When it comes to accommodation in Canyamel, however, the star is the Cap Vermell Grand Hotel, with its 126 rooms and 16 suites. If you want to be completely apart, you can book into one of their separate luxury villas, which has hotel service too of course. And the spa area , the Serenitas Spa , leaves nothing to be desired.

Built in the style of a Majorcan mountain village, this plush resort features a village square, narrow alleyways, a bell tower and several restaurants. You can stop in for a bite to eat at the Balearic Restaurant, the Tapas Bar or the Asia Restaurant, but the flagship restaurant is Voro, with chef Álvaro Salazar at the helm. He has earned a Michelin star for this fine-dining restaurant, confirming his place as one of the best chefs on the island. The gastro-paradise of Majorca has nine gleaming Michelin stars in total.

02Golf with wild spectators

The 18-hole golf course in Canyamel will be much appreciated by adept and experienced players as it's one of the more challenging courses on the sunny island. When creating the course at the end of the 1980s, golf course architect José Gancedo aimed for minimum interference with nature, respecting the natural environment. The result , fairways with sloping greens; shade-giving palms, almond trees and fig trees; greens with sea views. At the 4th hole, for example, in good weather you can even see Majorca's small neighbouring island of Minorca. Players may even occasionally have visits from wildlife, as there are Mediterranean turtles out and about on the course. In fact, a turtle graces the logo of Canyamel Golf.

03Suckling pig, Majorcan-style

If you're a good walker and keen on history, an uphill walk of 30 minutes or so from the golf course brings you to the Talayot settlement of Es Claper des Gegants. Even though now only a couple of foundation walls remain, it's impressive every time to see remnants of this Megalithic culture dating back to between the 2nd century BC and the 13th century BC.

After such an excursion back into the island's history, you may be ready to stop for some proper sustenance. If you like hearty cuisine in a rustic ambience, you can't go wrong in the restaurant Porxada de Sa Torre. The house speciality is the suckling pig, which is cooked over a wood fire. The islanders call it "Porcella" and it is a Majorcan delicacy. The restaurant, 5 kilometres along the Artà-Canyamel road, is impossible to miss, because it has a mighty neighbour crowned with battlements , the medieval Torre de Canyamel.

04The Queen of Columns

The Coves d'Artà are stalactite caves full of fairy-tale formations. In spite of their name, they are located a lot closer to Canyamel. The name dates back to a time when Canyamel still belonged to the municipality of Artà, but it is now part of the municipality of Capdepera. The Coves d’Artà are situated about 50 metres from the sea , a bizarre, fantastical world of stalactites and stalagmites. In the hall of the "Queen of Columns" or ""Reina de las Columnas", for example, the "Queen" soars majestically to a lofty height of 22 metres.