Choosing where to stay for a family holiday in Mallorca is about far more than hotel stars or private pools. Walkable beaches, easy parking, independence for tweens and teens, and choosing an area whose pace fits your family rhythm, all shape the success of a holiday. Pick the right base and Mallorca works with you. Pick the wrong one and every day starts with a car or a compromise.
Mallorca has long been a favourite for sun-soaked holidays, but in recent years a different side of the island has come into focus. Village fairs, seasonal fiestas and the Tramuntana Mountains are drawing families beyond the beach, to inland countryside and mountain towns where days slow down and the great outdoors takes centre stage. And while it’s never far from anywhere, the capital, Palma, often surprises families, easy to explore on foot, good for eating with kids in tow, and close enough to the sea to feel like a proper holiday base, especially outside peak summer.
This guide provides a whirlwind tour of the most popular areas families choose to stay, the classic beach resorts, but also the places that work well for different travel styles. From the fly-and-floppers to the adventure-til-you droppers, these are the areas that tend to best fit family holidays in Mallorca.
Alcúdia & the North
Beach-first, baby-friendly holidays
This part of the island is Mallorca at its most straightforward for families. Long, sandy beaches with shallow water, flat terrain, and easily the widest choice of family focused resorts make it especially easy with babies and younger children. Playa de Alcúdia and Playa de Muro run along a long stretch of sand lined with family hotels and aparthotels. For evenings, Alcúdia Old Town adds evening wander appeal with it’s medieval wall, cobbled streets, markets and a bit more atmosphere.
Many areas are purpose-built, but when the priority is easy beach days and low friction, the north delivers.
Why families stay here
- Wide sandy beaches with shallow water
- Promenades that work well with pushchairs and bikes
- Good choice of family-focused resorts, hotels & holiday apartments
Good to know
- Very popular in school holidays
- Some stretches feel practical rather than picturesque
Best for
- Babies to tweens, peak summer, beach-first holidays
Read more: Alcúdia & the North with kids
Capdepera & the East Coast
Space, beaches, caves and a classic family feel
The east coast and inland towns & villages offer easy access to big sandy beaches, caves, castles and a more traditional holiday atmosphere. It’s not the most design-led part of the island, and resorts such as Cala Millor, Cala Bona and Cala Ratjada lean heavily all-inclusive. That said, the countryside is attractive, the resort towns are walkable, and the beaches work very well for families. Capdepera and Artà add culture, castle climbs, markets and fiestas, while Porto Cristo brings harbour life and access to the island’s famous caves.
Why families stay here
- Stunning spacious beaches such as Cala Agulla and Cala Mesquida
- Castles, caves and excellent outdoor adventure activities including coasteering and caving
- easy family beach days for sun soaked holidays
Good to know
- Stylish family stays are limited on the coast, better options inland
- The beach resorts (and many inland hotels) are very popular with German tourists
- A car is a good option if you want to experience markets, culture and coves
Best for
- all-inclusive, value-focused trips
- easy beach days with kids of all ages
Read more: Capdepera & the East Coast with Kids
Palma & the Southwest Coast
Culture, parks, beaches nearby, and a base that works without a car
The island’s capital is compact, cultural and surprisingly great with kids. Easy beach access, flat routes, wide pavements and regular playgrounds and green spaces mean kids can stop, play and reset while parents take in the city’s charming old town, shop and seaside sights at an unhurried pace.
The areas around Palma work well for families who want beach days without losing the city. Playa de Palma to the south is flat, walkable and practical with younger children, while Illetes and Portals Nous in the southwest offer smaller coves, neighbourhood vibes and easy access into Palma for food, parks and culture.
Further along the southwest coast, Palmanova, Andratx, Camp de Mar and Sant Elm each suit families in different ways. Portals gives you yachts, stylish beach clubs and quick access to Palma. Palmanova is the go-to for long sandy beaches, big hotels and plenty of kid-friendly attractions. It’s less scenic but lively, practical, and loved by British families. For something slower, Camp de Mar and Sant Elm offer calm waters, a slower pace and coastal charm.
Why families stay here
- Walkable neighbourhoods and cycling routes in Palma
- Parks, beaches and culture within easy reach
- Year-round energy along most of the coast
Good to know
- Less of a traditional resort feel
- Neighbourhood choice matters more than you think
Best for
- Families who want culture, coast and city buzz.
- Off-season travel, Christmas short breaks
Read more: Palma & surrounds with Kids
Pollença & Port de Pollença
The all-rounder base, with promenade life and easy days
Port de Pollença suits families who want walkable days and minimal reliance on the car. The bay shelves gently, the seaside promenade is flat and mostly traffic-free, and the pretty pine walk behind the beach works brilliantly for an evening wander.
Hire a car for day trips to Formentor beach, with its long sweep of pale sand, shallow water and mountain backdrop, or head to Cala Sant Vicenç for smaller coves and kayaking adventures. Pollença town is around 15 minutes by car, with a lively main square and a weekly market, and works well for evening meals and a more traditional slice of island life.
Why families stay here
- Walkable beach, shops & restaurants in the port
- Safe scooting, easy cycling routes and outdoor family adventures nearby
- Very popular with cyclists (who manage a mountain spin while the kids are still sleeping)
Good to know
- Popular in school holidays, particularly with English tourists
- Parking and traffic build up in peak summer
Best for
- All ages, spring to October,
- families who want the ease of a resort with access to sports and culture
Read more: Pollença & Port de Pollença with Kids
Santanyí & the South Coast
Coves, boats, and flexible summer holidays
The south and southeast are all about turquoise coves, beach-hopping, and charming inland towns. Cala d’Or is buzzy and fun but very ‘resort’, while Portocolom and Porto Petro are more low-key and perfect for harbourside lunches. Es Trenc brings the white sands.
A car helps here. In return, you get swimming coves, boat rides and mornings in charming towns such as Santanyí and Ses Salines, ideal for markets, meals out and a break from the sand. If you’d rather avoid driving, base yourselves in Cala d’Or or Colònia de Sant Jordi, where beaches, restaurants and shops sit within easy walking distance.
Why families stay here
- Pitcure perfect turquoise coves
- Boat trips and snorkelling
- Strong family & apartment villa options
Good to know
- More car reliant than the southwest and northern coast
- fewer family focused hotels
Best for
- Teens will enjoy easy wandering in Cala d’Or
- Brilliant for mini ‘cliff’ jumping (rocky ledges with ladders on most coves)
Read more: Santanyí & the South Coast with Kids
Sóller Valley & the Tramuntana
Mountain scenery, slower days, and excellent eating out
The mountainous northwest brings big views, picture perfect villages, rocky coves and a calmer, more scenic side of Mallorca. Sóller and Port de Sóller work especially well with children thanks to the bustling seaside promenade and vintage tram rattling between the two; genuinely handy as well as a hit with the kids.
Port de Sóller sits on a natural horseshoe bay, sheltered, sandy and ideal for relaxed beach days with younger children. It’s one of the island’s best bases for independent seaside hotels and apartments rather than family-first resorts, with very few kids’ clubs but plenty of excellent places to eat, easy evenings by the water and and space to settle into a slower holiday rhythm. Market mornings and early evening wanderings in Sóller town add variety without needing to plan much at all.
Follow the winding mountain road from soller, and the stone villages of Deià and town of Valldemossa bring full Tramuntana charm and boutique stays, best enjoyed with a private villa with pool as the rocky coves below are picturesque for long lunches but less than ideal for toddlers and young children.
Why families stay here
- Pushchair-friendly seafront in Port de Sóller
- Parent pleasing dining options in all towns and villages
- Gentle hikes, tram spotting, boat trips and mountain exploring.
Good to know
- Limited family hotels, and even fewer with kids’ clubs
- Traffic and parking can be very restrictive in high summer
- Port de Soller is the area’s only sandy family beach, and alternatives are limited to rocky coves best suited to older kids.
Best for
- From parents to toddlers and teens, there’s something for everyone
- Off season stays work as well as summer
- Nature lovers and families wanting a slow-paced scenic escape.
Read more: Sóller Valley & the Tramuntana with kids
Final thoughts
Mallorca is at its best when days are unhurried. The right base leaves space for slow mornings, time to wander, and the freedom to discover the island at your family’s pace. Thinking about where you’ll watch the sun down at 18h, not just where you’ll sleep, often clarifies things quickly.
Still deciding between a few areas?
- Babies and toddlers: look for flat promenades, shallow beaches, minimal driving
- Tweens and teens: walkable centres, cycling paths, places they can roam independently
- No-car holidays: Palma and surrounds, Port de Sóller, Port de Pollença
- Villa or multi-generational trips: Pollença, the Sóller Valley, Santanyí area
- Winter or shoulder season: Palma and Port de Sóller stay lively year-round
If you’d like personalised help choosing where to stay on the island, or support booking of a hotel or villa, find out more about How We Help Families Plan Mallorca Holidays.
