To Mallorca – with stars in our eyes

Gillian Thornton’s family kept up with the Zeta Joneses – or at least a Coronation Street star – in a luxury country villa near the island’s unspoilt east coast

Stretched out on sun loungers around the softly lit pool, we watched as a trio of bats traced circles over the shimmering water, deftly devouring moths as they went.

“Good shot!” my husband shouted appreciatively as another winged snack went down in a bat-sized gulp. He took a sip of wine then lay back to look at the star-splattered sky.

The soothing sound of sheep bells drifted up from the almond groves beyond the garden wall, and water lapped at the pool steps.  But then the evening calm was shattered by a unanimous shriek as we all dived for cover – a ghostly white owl had skimmed silently over our heads, scattering the bats and disappearing into the dark. It was a spine-tingling start to our Mallorcan country holiday, but a magical memory which lingers long after the tan has faded.

Our shopping list for the family summer holiday was simple enough. With four young adults of 18 and 22 in tow, we wanted a villa for six with our own pool and plenty of chill-out space. And while the main aim for all was relaxation, we wanted some low-key attractions that would occupy us if we felt restless, but which wouldn’t make us feel guilty if we opted out.

Having missed out on Mallorca in the seventies boom years, our family had somehow never got round to visiting the island. But enthusiastic reports from trusted friends persuaded us to give it a try, so we booked a property through Mallorca Farmhouses, which specialises in upmarket country properties, old and new.

Villa Es Serral proved a dream home, a honey-coloured house with traditional green shutters, set in its own almond grove off a quiet lane near S’Horta. The east coast resorts of Cala d’Or and Porto Colom were a short drive away, Palma airport under an hour. With tiled floors and teak fittings throughout, our holiday home had four spacious bedrooms – two with shared balcony – and an equal number of bath or shower rooms, so there was no arguing over accommodation. A huge kitchen and living room led out to the pool terrace and garden with its Mediterranean views, and a covered outdoor dining area with a brick-built barbecue set the style for our evening meals.

Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta Jones are just two of the A-list celebrities who have bought homes in Mallorca and as we opened the doors to reveal room after elegant room, we joked that this was like being in Hello! magazine. But it turned out it wasn’t a joke. When our friendly representative arrived next morning, she told us that Hello! had in fact done a shoot the year before – not with Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones, it has to be said, but with a Coronation Street actress, who’d been pictured beside the pool and beneath the bougainvillaea. Not exactly Hollywood, but it’s a start.

For a family not generally good at doing nothing, we found it surprisingly easy to do very little in such comfortable, peaceful surroundings. The nearby village of S’Horta had a couple of small grocery stores, but we had only to drive into Cala d’Or to stock up on the essentials of holiday catering at the big Caprabo supermarket. There are weekly markets, too, in most local towns.

This eastern side of Mallorca is largely agricultural – mile after mile of orchards sheltered by low hills. Most are planted with almond trees, but the swathes of pale green foliage are dotted with the darker silhouettes of carob and fig. Beneath their branches, sheep wander freely through holes in the old stone walls, their wool tinged russet and orange by the dusty earth – a scene which has probably changed little in centuries.