the Balearics have long been classics in the farniente

"K2T Wisata"

Flung into the Mediterranean like four very unequal pearls, the Balearics have long been classics in the farniente – ships, sailing and maritime – stakes. At the most, activity involves grabbing a tiller, unfurling the sails and heading for a cove. Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza and its afterthought, Formentera, form this idyllic group, each one different in nature, history and culture. From Mallorca’s moody, mountainous backbone, coves and literary associations to Menorca’s emeralds-green pastures and prehistoric relics, from the hopping nightlife of Ibiza to tiny Formentera’s omnipresent turquoise sea, they are all equally enchanting.

What binds them together – apart from sensational beaches and clear, calm sea – is a sense of a separate identity to Catalonia and, more generally, to Spain. The Balearic language may be derived from Catalan, but it preserves ancient roots, and the mentality is certainly more laidback, some would say less pretentious, than in mainland Catalonia. These are, after all, islands where, until a few decades ago, agriculture was the mainstay – with commerce, fishing and shoe-manufacturing close behind. Today, although sun, sea and sand rule the economy, each island claims its own stimulating features.  Take  the plunge … into the ultramarine Cala Figuera at Mallorca’s Cap de Formentor, the ever-increasingly popular northern haunt of the island.