Contents: PORT DE POLLENCA ** - PORT DE SOLLER ** - PORTALS NOUS * - PORTALS VELLS ** - PORTO COLOM *  - PORTO CRISTO * - PORTOL *  - PUIG DE MARIA ** - PUIG DE RANDA *** - PUNTA DE N'AMER *
	PORT DE POLLENCA ** This genteel, old-fashioned resort at the mouth of Pollenca bay is particularly popular with families, and with older visitors in winter. There is also a large community of foreign residents, mostly retired British. The promenade along Passeig Voramar, all whitewashed villas and pine trees leaning into the sea, is perfect for an early evening walk. Look out for the bust of Hermen Anglada-Camarasa, the Catalan painter who spent many years in Pollenca and whose work is displayed in the Fundacio la Caixa in Palma. A favourite walk from Port de Pollenca is the 3-km hike across the Formentor peninsula through the Boquer valley, a paradise for ornithologists and lovers of wild flowers. PORT DE SOLLER ** This small resort, set around a fish shaped natural harbour, has the only beach of any note along the entire north coast. It is the starting point for several boat trips along the coast; the trip to Sa Calobra is one of the few to run throughout the year. Port de Soller is also a good base for walks. A climb of less than an hour brings you to Cap Gros lighthouse for panoramic views of the bay and the mountains behind; a longer path, through rock gardens and olive groves, connects with an old mule track from Deia to Soller. PORTALS NOUS * This is one of the more exclusive resorts in the bay of Palma - not many high-rise hotels here, just rows of private villas and apartments dominating the shoreline. Puerto Portals marina, opened in 1987, is the summer home of the jet-set. King Juan Carlos has been known to moor here, and the younger royals can be seen frequenting the waterfront restaurants and bars. Don't even think about looking in the smart boutiques unless you have a high credit card limit. More ordinary mortals can make do with a visit to Marineland. PORTALS VELLS ** A bumpy track from Magalluf leads through pine woods to this beautiful cove at the southwest tip of Palma bay. In summer it gets crowded, but out of season you could have your own private beach, with golden sand, rocky cliffs and shimmering turquoise water in fact there are two beaches; the smaller one, El Mago, is Mallorca's official nudist beach. From the main beach, hike along the cliffs to the Cove de la Mare de Deu, a rock chapel built by fishermen to give thanks for a safe landing. Back on the road, another 2km brings you to the headland of Cap de Cala Figuera, where you look back at sweeping views of the entire bay of Palma. PORTO COLOM * This fishing village, once the port for Felanitx, was named in honour of Christopher Columbus, who is said - without much evidence to have been born here. Until the late 19th century Porto Colom was busy supplying wine to France; but when phylloxera killed the vines, its role as a post diminished and it has only recently discovered a new life as a tourist resort Popular with Mallorcan and Spanish visitors and set inside a deep natural harbour, it still has the feel of a small fishing port with boats around the quay and pastel-coloured houses lining the Waterfront, each with its own anding-stage. Cala Marcal, 2km south, has a wide sandy beach leading to a narrow rocky cove. PORTO CRISTO * This was one of the main resorts on the east coast until Cala Millor came along so much the better; with bigger and better beaches elsewhere, Porto Cristo has carved out a role as a friendly, family resort, taking advantage of a superb position at the end of a long, sheltered inlet. Once the port for Manacor, Porto Cristo was the only place in Mallorca to be caught up in the Spanish Civil War, when it was briefly captured by Republican forces in 1936. There is not much to do but swim, sunbathe and dine at the terrace restaurants which are perfectly placed to catch the lunchtime sun - but day-trippers come in droves to visit the nearby caves. Other nearby family attractions include an aquarium and a safari park. PORTOL * The neighbouring villages of Portol and Sa Cabaneta, between Palma and Santa Maria del Cami, have become something of an artists colony. Unlike in Deia and Banyalbufar, though, the artists are Mallorcan - potters taking advantage of the rich local soil. The only reason for coming here is to visit the ollerias (workshops), where prices are much lower than in the tourist shops. Good buys include greixoneras (heavy earthenware cooking pots) and ollas (clay storage jars), as well as simple brownglazed plates and plats morenos, glazed bowls painted with symbols (some of the designs go back to Arab times). Several artists specialise in the clay whistles called siurells. PUIG DE MARIA ** Climb for an hour out of Pollenca, or drive up a terrifying potholed road, and you are rewarded with views over Cap de Formentor and the entire northeastern coast - as well as back down over Pollenca. Nuns settled on Puig de Maria ('Mary's mountain') in 1371 and remained for several hundred years, refusing to leave even when the Bishop of Palma ordered them down for their own safety. The convent is still there, on top of the mountain; the chapel smells of incense and the refectory of woodsmoke. You can stay in simple cells in the sanctuary here, but don't expect luxury - you pay extra if you take a shower. The caretaker will ruste up a paella to save you the long walk back to town. PUIG DE RANDA *** This table mountain, rising 543m out of the plain, has been a place of pilgrimage ever since Ramon Llull founded Mallorca's first hermitage here in 1275. He came aged 40, shaken by an incident which caused him to review his way of life. Bent on seduction he chased a married woman through Palma on horseback; unable to shake him off, she lifted her blouse to reveal cancerous breasts. Llull retired in isolation to Puig de Randa to ponder a life of youthful excess. These days pilgrims to Puig de Randa are as likely to be weekend cyclists in search of a challenge as seekers after religious truth. The winding road to the summit leads to three separate hermitages. The lowest, Oratori de Nostra Senyora de Gracia, is perched on a ledge in the cliff above a sheer 200m drop. Funther up is the Santuari de Sant Honorat and finally Santuari de Cura, where Llull lived. The sense of history is somewhat offset by the radio mast on the mountain top and the electric candles in the church, but this is still a special place. Visit the Sala Gramatica to see Llull's original manuscripts and a bottle of 1934 Chartreuse made in the monastery, then look out from the terrace at the views of the plain, with Palma Bay and the isle of Cabrera in the distance. Simple rooms are available in a modern pilgrims' block. PUNTA DE N'AMER * This 200-hectare nature reserve on a headland jutting out from the east coast is an oasis of peace amid a desert of high rise apartments and hotels. Once the whole coast was like this - thankfully, environmentalists have saved this small section from development. Walk south from Cala Millor, or north from Sa Coma, on a well-defined 1.5km track, Eventually you reach the Castell de n'Amer, a 17th-century watchtower. Have a drink at the summit and look down at what you have left behind.