Mallorca was the chosen setting for the villa featuring in the hit British reality TV series, Love Island, this summer, yet it’s had a long association with romance and high-profile weddings.
It was helped by some savvy marketing during the 1950s, when Mallorca launched its honeymoon campaign featuring two love birds en route to a nest in an almond tree with Palma’s emblematic cathedral.
But there was also the island’s wild beauty that helped persuade couples to consider Mallorca as a romantic destination. They included the 1965 newlyweds Prince Rainier and Princess Grace of Monaco who spend part of their honeymoon on their yacht off Formentor. Actually, their classic yacht, Moonbeam IV, has just this summer been moored in Mallorca again.
The northern tip of the island where the Tramuntana Mountains dip down into the sea has a serenity that has entranced visitors since the 1930s. But the beautiful Hollywood star managed to entrance a local businessman so much that he named a biscuit after her, the Quely - Mallorca’s leading brand today.
Another Hollywood actor who honeymooned there was Errol Flynn - with his third wife Patrice Wymore (also on a yacht), and Beatle John Lennon spent a ‘secret’ holiday there with his wife Cynthia in 1965.
Possibly one of the most romantic spots in Mallorca is Deià, perched high in a steep valley in the Tramuntana with its charming shuttered houses and pretty “cala”. Escaping her disastrous love affair with the singer, Frank Sinatra, the arrival of actress Ava Gardner on Mallorca caused a sensation where she took refuge in Deià as the guest of the poet, Robert Graves.
Princess Diana enjoyed a stay at its famous La Residencia hotel, as did the singer Robbie Williams and his girlfriend just before their wedding, whilst singers Caroline Corr and Pixie Geldof both got married there.
In recent years Mallorca has certainly become a favourite destination for weddings. In 2014 singer James Blunt married Sofia Wellesley in the pretty, authentic town of Campanet just 15 minutes from Pollensa. Just five minutes from the popular old town of Pollensa, there’s a beautiful country house for sale for €920,000. Some of these celebrities own homes nearby on Mallorca too and there are plenty more beautiful properties easy to fall in love with. Take this stunning, luxury four-bedroom finca property near Andratx. It offers absolute privacy, with a pool set in stunning gardens.
But maybe a contemporary style of property floats your boat? This designer property with vineyard in San Lorenzo is an oasis of well-being. Finally, returning to that beautiful tourism poster with the love birds heading towards Palma’s historic old town, this unique three-bedroom property in a historic building offers one of the oldest courtyards in Palma. Distinctly Mallorcan and full of romantic promise.
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