Camp De Mar
Camp de Mar, Majorca
The holiday resort of Camp de Mar is situated near the westernmost point of the island of Majorca, in the Andratx district south-west of the capital Palma. The town has largely escaped the attention of package tour operators, and is mainly popular with independent travellers and expatriates who have holiday homes in the area. Camp de Mar carefully maintains the image of a small and exclusive beach resort, and most of its hotels are four- or five-star establishments catering mainly to German, Spanish and British guests. Over the years the elegant seclusion of Camp de Mar has attracted the attention of the rich and famous, and today celebrities such as Tom Cruise and Claudia Schiffer own property nearby.
One of the main attractions of Camp de Mar may be its lack of commercial tourist development, compared to other resorts on this coast. The main hotels, bars and restaurants offer live entertainment and dance music in the evenings, but Camp de Mar is not the sort of resort where you expect to dance the night away. Visitors looking for more excitement are just a short taxi ride away from the more conventional resorts at Paguera and Santa Ponsa to the west, and a slightly longer drive from the major nightlife scenes in Magaluf and Palmanova to the east.
The neighbouring resorts also offer more opportunities for shopping and family activities than the somewhat limited choices available in Camp de Mar. Golfers, however, will not be disappointed - there are no less than six championship class golf courses in the nearby area, including Majorca's newest course, Golf de Andratx, beside the Royal Dorint Hotel. The nearby port town of Puerto de Andratx boasts one of the best marinas on the island, which is often teeming with luxury cruisers and yachts visiting from all parts of the Mediterranean.
Camp de Mar does have one of the best sandy beaches in the area, set at the head of a peaceful and sheltered bay. Beach-lovers looking for more adventures can also visit the small island of Sa Dragonera by boat from Puerto Andratx, or from the Sant Elm on the western point of the island. Sa Dragonera is now protected as a wilderness reserve, but it was once the haunt of pirates and smugglers. Today visitors can take a number of easy walking routes around the island, including a climb to the lighthouse on its highest peak that affords a stunning view of the Majorcan coastline and mountains.
The regional centre of Andratx is an elegant inland market town, distinguished by the fortress-like mediaeval church of Santa Maria that towers over the town, and the remains of a large defensive wall that once protected it from pirate attacks. The newly-built Centro Cultural in Andratx includes one of Europe's largest private galleries of contemporary art, as well as a restaurant, bookshop, and several artists' studios. Andratx also hosts a local market every Wednesday in the centre of the town, with a good selection of fruit, vegetables and crafts on offer.