Mallorca has the Tramuntana mountains, hundreds of coves, Palma with its cathedral and its restaurants, and a property market that runs from Deià farmhouses to Port d’Andratx villas above the sea. It is the island people fly to for a weekend and end up living on.
Stay
- Cap Rocat, Cala Blava
- Belmond La Residencia, Deià
- Son Bunyola, Banyalbufar
- Castillo Hotel Son Vida and Sant Francesc, Palma
Do
- A boat day to Cala Deià and Sa Calobra
- Lunch at Ca’s Patró March above the water in Deià
- Palma’s Passeig del Born and the Santa Catalina market
- Port Adriano and Puerto Portals for the yachts
- The Tramuntana road from Valldemossa to Sóller
Gavalia’s rules
- The Balearic transfer tax runs on a sliding scale to 13 percent above 2 million euros; budget accordingly.
- Building licences are slow and strict; a villa with a valid licence and a certificate of habitability is worth the premium.
- Palma airport is a two-hour flight from most of Europe; the island works as a year-round base.
The south-west
Port d’Andratx is the island’s most expensive harbour, with villas stacked above the sea; Camp de Mar and Bendinat follow; Son Vida above Palma is the gated estate with the golf courses and the castle hotel. Puerto Portals and Port Adriano are the marinas. This is where the German and Scandinavian money bought first and where prices have doubled since 2015.
The Tramuntana
Deià, Valldemossa, Sóller and Fornalutx sit in the mountains above the western coast: stone villages, olive terraces, La Residencia, the artists’ tradition. Property here is fincas and townhouses, protected by planning and prized for it. Cala Deià and the coast road are the summer.
Palma
The capital has become a city to live in: the cathedral, the Born, the Santa Catalina market, restaurants with stars, Sant Francesc and Can Bordoy as hotels. Old-town palaces have been converted into apartments that sell to buyers who want a city with a beach.
The property market
The south-west (Port d’Andratx, Camp de Mar, Bendinat, Son Vida) and the Tramuntana villages (Deià, Valldemossa, Sóller) hold value best, at 10,000 to 20,000 euros per square metre for prime villas; Palma’s old town apartments trade at 8,000 to 15,000.
Try it yourself
Villa Cost CalculatorPurchase price and country: taxes, fees, annual running costs and the ten-year total, with rental income if you let it.Destination MatcherMonth, mood and budget: the three countries or regions that fit, with the season and the hotels.Questions people ask
Where is the best place to buy in Mallorca?
Port d’Andratx and the south-west for sea-view villas, Deià and the Tramuntana for character, Palma’s old town for a city home. All three have held value through every cycle.
How expensive is Mallorca property?
Prime villas trade at 10,000 to 20,000 euros per square metre, with the best Port d’Andratx houses from 10 to 40 million euros.
When is the best time to visit Mallorca?
May, June, September and October for warm weather without the peak-season crowds; the island is mild and quiet in winter.
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