"Comprising an archipelago to the east of the Spanish mainland, the four chief Balearic islands - Ibiza, Formentera, Mallorca and Menorca - maintain a character distinct from the rest of Spain and from each other. Ibiza , firmly established among Europe's trendiest resorts, is wholly unique with an intense, outrageous street life and a floating summer population that seems to include every club-going Spaniard from Sevilla to Barcelona. It can be fun, if this sounds like your idea of a good time, and above all if you're gay - Ibiza is a very tolerant place. Formentera , small and a little desolate, is something of a beach-annexe to Ibiza, though it struggles to present its own alternative image of reclusive artists and "in the know" tourists. Mallorca , the largest and best-known Balearic, also battles with its image, popularly reckoned as little more than sun, booze and high-rise hotels. In reality you'll find all the clichés, most of them crammed into the mega-resorts of the Bay of Palma and the east coast, but there's lots more besides: mountains, lovely old towns, some beautiful coves and the Balearics' one real city, Palma. Mallorca is in fact the one island in the group you might come to other than for beaches and nightlife, with scope to explore, walk and travel about. And last, to the east, there's Menorca - more subdued in its clientele, and here, at least, the grim modern resorts are kept at a safe distance from the two main towns, the capital Maó, and the highly scenic, pocket-sized port of Ciutadella".