To the north east of Alicante lie the Balearic Islands comprising Minorca, Ibiza, Formentara and, the largest of them, Mallorca (aka Majorca). It is on the island of Mallorca that Drivalia Car Rental is opening a new branch in March 2014.

Just like Alicante and the Costa Blanca on the mainland, since the 1950s Mallorca has developed into a major tourist destination.  Testking CCNA In 1960 the island welcomed around 500,000 visitors: in 2008 that had risen to some 24 million arriving by air and sea.

The island’s history though can be traced back a lot further than the 1950s. Prom Dresses online In fact burial chambers from the Bronze Age have been unearthed here.

The island was occupied by the Romans in 123BC and during their occupation the towns of Pollentia (Alcúdia), and Palmaria (Palma) were founded.

In 534, Mallorca was conquered by the Byzantine Empire and in 902 by the Moors. It remained under Moorish occupation until 1229 when King James I of Aragon annexed the island to the Crown of Aragon. Its position in the Mediterranean Sea did mean however that during the ensuing centuries it was under frequent attack from the Barbary Corsairs of North Africa.

A form of stability came into force when the islands became part of a recently unified Spain in 1716 and today the Balearic Islands is one of Spain’s autonomous communities with Palma (formerly Palmaria) its capital.

Palma is also the capital of Mallorca and it is here that the airport, commonly known as Palma de Mallorca (PMI) has been developed just 8kms (or 5 miles) east of the city. Naturally it is at the airport that Drivalia has made its base on Mallorca just 6 minutes’ drive by complimentary shuttle from the terminal.

Of course we hope that you will use a car hired from Drivalia to enjoy the island but, however you choose to get around, we certainly recommend you explore Mallorca’s many treasures from its ancient history, that I have touched upon here, to its natural beauty and of course its many alluring beaches. We’ll introduce you to some of these treasures over the coming weeks and months but for now you might like to visit the official tourism portal of the Balearic Islands.