I AM sure like everybody, I get confused with the present-day hype over sustainable tourism, responsible tourism, ethical tourism. Well, I thought, why not agro tourism? After all, what can be wrong with a farm?

Mallorca is a really quite exceptional island. It has great weather, it’s neither too large nor too small and it has a long and tested history in looking after British visitors. Given all that, and the fact that I had never been there before and bearing in mind our record of rain over the past year, I was ready to give it a bash.

Anything to do with farms appeals to me – there is something wholesome and earthy about them – so my first three days were to be in a finca (farm) hotel.

There are quite a number of finca-based hotels in Mallorca and many of them are clearly signposted from the main roads – mine wasn’t, so I decided to ask at a bar. No one had heard of this place and all the locals gathered around me in the little square of Binissalem, each prodding at my map and agreeing that the hotel must be in Palma. Eventually, with the help of a phone call, my hotelier arrived in his pick-up, told all the locals where he was located and escorted me there.

The finca was constructed, but conversion work was still ongoing and there was an air of a work in progress about it. Not quite an artist’s impression, but not the greatest start. But for me, it was a bed at night and I required little else as I would be out throughout the days.

Being in a rural setting meant I did have to rely on car hire rather than public transport, not terribly green, but it also meant I got to see a lot of the island.

The roads are incredibly well built and maintained here and, other than on the motorways, there were many cyclists enjoying the summer sun. I started my exploration by heading up to the top corner and working my way across.

First stop was Alcudia and the coastal road to Pollenca. Alcudia is highly developed and is what I would have thought to be a typical Spanish seaside town. But I found Port de Pollenca and the beaches around it far more to my taste, though it does get very busy in high season.

Then it was up and over the mountainous road onto Soller, although I purposefully didn’t stop here because I’d promised myself a little treat in the coming days. I pass Robert Graves’ house on my left: it was here where he wrote I Claudius in a matter of days to stave off bankruptcy. On to Valldemos, where Chopin lived and loved George Sand, the French romantic novelist. I look round for Annie Lennox and Catherine Zeta-Jones, both locals, but can’t see them today. We continue and edge past the beginnings of Palma and head out to Binissalem again.

Dinner tonight is rustic, bread, cheese, ham, wine, beer. A cat has adopted me, the finca’s version of livestock. He looks adoringly at me as I eat.

Day two is more driving, this time taking in some of the island’s history. We are in Arta and, having parked up, we climb the steps to the top of the village and take in the fabulous views over the Med.

Had we known at the time, we could have visited an amazing cave network which runs from the sea under the town.

Another night at the finca and this time the cat has brought a friend and their collective kittens.

Treat time. I am going into Palma, parking up and taking the historic train to Soller and the tram onward to Port de Soller. This is a magical mystery tour along a predetermined route. Soller is gorgeous and clearly a tourist haven, while the port at the end of the tram ride is idyllic and a place I want to return to.

Having spent three nights at the finca, I am treated to a further stay in a well-established and much loved coastal hotel – the Bonsol in Illetes (just west of Palma). The Bonsol was opened 61 years ago by a hard-working Palma tailor who wanted more for his family. The hotel developed and grew, attracting visitors such as Errol Flynn. Now it is a favourite of many, with a huge amount of return visits. Second-generation owners Martin and Lorraine welcome me like a long-lost friend. There is nothing false, nothing put-on, just pure warmth.

The Bonsol has a little beach of its own and tons of space to stretch out next to a pool, or surrounded by greenery, or you can always take a treatment in their spa.

Given the choice of locations, I don’t have to “finca” very long – the Bonsol wins hands down.

And I still feel I am maintaining my green credentials as Martin and Lorraine have bought 2,000 acres of land on Costa Rica to replant trees and employ locals to help reforest a little bit of the Earth’s surface and in so doing offset the carbon footprint they may have created. If only more were like them.

Travel facts

  • Mallorca is easily reached with direct flights from Newcastle Airport, easyJet operate a regular schedule on a daily basis easyjet.com
  • Newcastle to Palma flight time is two hours 30 minutes
  • Car rental in Mallorca is inexpensive, but beware of the petrol “fiddle” performed by almost every company
  • The historic rail journey to Port de Soller operates several times each day – full adult return 28 euros
  • Further information on the Hotel Bonsol can be found at hotelbonsol.es