The Mediterranean art of doing nothing

Some travellers arrive in Mallorca with an endless list of things to see.

Coves.
Viewpoints.
Restaurants.
Markets.
Villages.
Excursions.

And, without realising it, they end up rushing around the island.

But there is another way to experience Mallorca.

A much more Mediterranean way.

Here, for centuries, life has revolved around something very simple: time.
Or rather, our relationship with time.

The midday heat forced us to stop.
Conversations would drag on.
Dinners would start late.
And often the best plan for the day was simply to be.

To be in the shade.
To listen to the wind.
To watch the light change on the stone.
Or to let the hours slip by by the pool whilst the cicadas fill the silence.

Perhaps that is why so many people feel something special when they spend a few days in Mallorca.

Because the island still has corners where you can slow down.

And that, these days, has almost become a luxury.

At Ítaca House, we’re big believers in this way of travelling.

You don’t have to fill every minute.
You don’t have to turn your holiday into a race.

Sometimes it’s enough just to have breakfast without watching the clock.
Read a few pages in the sunshine.
Buy some bread in the village.
Open a bottle of wine at sunset.

And realise that, perhaps, the best holidays aren’t the ones where we do the most things.

But rather those where we finally manage to slow down.