After spending some time in Madrid and southern Italy, we've decided Majorca may be a good choice. We would arrive mid july for 10 days. What is the best city to fly into from Florida. How about the weather and crowds this time of year? any suggestions on places to stay with great views and easy access to sites. Would like to have easy access to local life and shopping. Thanks for any and all information.

If you are flying to Majorca from the USA, you will fly into Palma, probably via Madrid. Palma is the only airport on Majorca (or Mallorca as it is known in Spain).<BR>July will be hot and crowded but the island copes with crowds very well. It is, however, essential to book a hotel in advance for July and August. Many of the hotels are booked by package holiday companies so this may be difficult at this stage.<BR>For shopping etc. Palma is the place to go, so make sure that you can visit easily from whereever you stay.<BR>Quick rundown of a few places:<BR>Magaluff - party resort, lots of bars,discos etc. ie. think Daytona / Panama City at spring break<BR>Palma Nova - near Magaluff, similar but a bit quieter<BR>North West of island - quiet, pretty, more refined<BR>Alcudia, North - long, long beach, popular with families<BR>East - mainly families, quite a long drive to Palma<BR>Basically, look at a map and pick somewhere not too far from Palma, look the place up on the web and go from there.<BR>Hotels - if you have difficulty, take a look at Octopus Travel which can be accessed through the easyjet site under hotels. They usually offer the most reasonable prices you are likely to find. I used them for Athens and everything went well.<BR>carolina

July is VERY hot there. We were there twice, once in July and once in the beginning of October. Much preferred the latter to avoid crowds and heat. It is beautiful though. Maybe you'll see Michael Douglas as he owns a home there.

Hi Carolina, have a look at the Mallorca section on www.i-escape.com where I have reviewed my favourite small hotels with character on the island. i've been going there 20+ years and my parents live there etc. so I know it pretty well! Please avoid Magaluf, Arenal and much of the south west coast unless you want to meet up with package tourists and lager louts - there is nightlife but zero charm! For the best views head for the North West coast - where the prettiest towns are tucked in the mountains and the spectacular cliffs plunge into the sea. The island is not that big so you could easily base yourself in one place and get to anywhere within an hour (2 max). Alternatively, spend the first few nights in Palma and then head out for the rest of the trip. I've been going in July for years - the weather is good about 80-85F and the evenings warm. The villages of Deia and Fornalutx never get that overrun because there is only limited accommodation.

I just came back from Fornalutx. I also recommend eastern part of the island. Also lovely agroturismo places on the central plains (Es Pla). But book hotels VERY EARLY for July. That means NOW. After all, Mallorca is Europe´s most popular package tourist destination.

I have reservations for Mallorca in May and tried to add a day with no luck, all full in Deia. You can fly into Barcelona and take Iberia to Mallorca.