Manacor

Manacors narrow streets radiate randomly from its large, central Gothic-style church, whose spires soar above the surrounding low-rise buildings and tree-lined streets and squares. Manacor is famous for its pearl factory and, more locally, for its good-quality wooden furniture.

Manacor is lively and restless, but accessible and rapidly growing. A great centre for sports activities, shopping, industry and culture - including art - and is a commercial and industrial town.

It is surrounded by a diversity of landscapes and a countryside where large manor houses with defence towers dominate the horizon, former refuges for those fleeing pirate attacks. Today several of such towers have been reconverted into establishments catering for agricultural and rural tourism.

Manacor offers a wealth of historical remains including important prehistoric sites from as far back as the Talaiotic era (1,200 to 900 BC). Unearthed treasures can be viewed in Manacors Municipal Archaeological Museum, situated in the Tower of the Enagistes.

Manacor has recently experienced a great boom in tourism and the nearby beaches are well attended in the summer. The recent boom has encouraged an increase in the number of hotels, restaurants and tourist attractions. It has also enabled the area to become more organised. Most of Manacors beaches have been awarded the Blue Flag for safety and facilities.

Places to stay in Manacor

• La Reserva Rotana