Where to stay in the Balearic Islands: the best islands and resorts

Palma is the only real city in the Balearics and one of the most enjoyable in Spain. The Gothic cathedral, La Seu, rises straight up from the seafront, the old town behind it is a warren of courtyards, tapas bars and boutiques, and the marina is packed with yachts. Beaches are a short ride away, and so is the airport.

Can Bordoy, a 24-suite grand house with a garden, hides behind a modest facade in the old quarter. The Hotel Victoria Gran Meliá looks out over the bay from the seafront. Up in the hills above town, the Castillo Hotel Son Vida is a castle-style retreat with indoor and outdoor pools, and GPRO Valparaíso Palace has a 3,000 m² spa and gardens overlooking the city.

Beyond Palma, Majorca is ringed with resorts. Playa de Palma, a long sandy beach next to the airport, is packed with hotels, many of them adults-only, such as the Iberostar Selection Llaut Palma. Paguera, in the pine-backed south-west, has three sandy beaches and suits both families, at the Valentin Grand Park with its slides, and couples, at the adults-only Secrets Mallorca Villamil.

Cala Ratjada, on the far north-east coast, is a fishing port turned resort with golden sand and coves nearby; the Serrano Palace sits just 50 metres from the beach. Elsewhere, the Serra de Tramuntana mountains, the honey-stone villages of the north-west and the big sandy bays of Alcúdia and Pollença in the north are all worth a look.

Menorca is the Balearics with the volume turned down. The whole island is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, its coast scattered with turquoise coves backed by pine trees, and an old coastal path loops all the way round. There are no superclubs here, just tavernas, fishing harbours and long, lazy beach days.

Ciutadella, in the west, is the old capital, with a pretty harbour and the Faustino Gran Relais & Châteaux spread across three historic palaces. Mahón, the capital, sits on a huge natural harbour, with the adults-only Sindic Hotel in its centre. On the south coast, Santo Tomás has the island's first grand luxury hotel, Villa Le Blanc, while Cala'n Bosch suits families, with Carema Beach right on the sand.

Ibiza has two personalities, and the east coast is the gentle one. Santa Eulalia is a relaxed town with a palm-lined promenade, a marina and good restaurants, and nearby there are coves, hippy markets and whitewashed villages. Ibiza Town, with its walled old quarter of Dalt Vila, is about 20 minutes' drive away.

This is where Ibiza's hotels get really stylish. ME Ibiza and W Ibiza bring big-name glamour and spas to Santa Eulalia; Aguas de Ibiza is an eco-minded boutique hotel near the harbour; and Hotel Mongibello channels the dolce far niente of an Italian summer by the sea.

San Antonio is Ibiza's party town, a big bay famous for its sunset bars, with the island's superclubs within easy reach. Young groups pack its streets all summer. But the west coast around it is beautiful, with coves like Cala Gració, Cala Conta and Cala Bassa, and views of the island of Es Vedrà.

OKU Ibiza is a bohemian retreat by Cala Gració with the island's largest swimming pool; Bonito Ibiza brings barefoot style to San Antonio Bay; Innside Ibiza Beach sits right on Punta Pinet beach; and 7Pines Resort, part of Destination by Hyatt, is an all-suite clifftop resort between Cala Conta and Cala Codolar.