Mallorca, the laid-back Balearic Island off the coast of Spain, has long been a vacation hot spot for summer seekers around the world.
The hottest, in fact.
In August, the island’s picturesque, turquoise Mediterranean waters hit a temperature just shy of 89 degrees — the warmest water ever recorded by Spain’s Port Authority.
If today's headline-making heat has you sweating about summer plans, keep your cool and shift your attention to the quieter (and crisper) enclaves off the Atlantic, including: Cap Ferret, a beach enclave in France that wouldn't look out of place on the breezy coasts of Northern California; San Sebastián, a surf town turned emerging art capital of Basque Country; and Santander, a city overflowing with Romanesque riches and seaside escapism found nowhere else but the northern Spanish region of Cantabria.
In short, those summer destinations that awaken your senses and refresh your mind — not unlike a dip in the Atlantic.
Got questions about your summer travel? Contact the travel team at PRIOR.
Cap Ferret's NoCal Summer
A discreet, 11-mile-long wisp of coastal headland in France, Cap Ferret is not to be confused with Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, the far-splashier seaside village on the Cote d'Azur.
Rather, the cyclist-friendly nature reserves, humble fishing boats and sandy seafood shacks (and private ranch-style villas) of Cap Ferret offer a secenic serenity more reminiscent of Northern California's breezy seashore enclaves like Big Sur or Monterey Bay. (Or Cape Cod, for an East Coast comparison.)
