"My Favorite Island": Emily Ratajkowski Back on Mallorca

"My Favorite Island": Emily Ratajkowski Back on Mallorca

A beach, a seafood dinner and a slice of island summer

When on an early summer afternoon the engines of the small boats in the bay of Deià fall quiet and the clatter of plates drifts over from the sea, you notice: the season is here. This June the actress and model Emily Ratajkowski spent time on the island again. On her Instagram account she wrote briefly "Back on my favorite island (Mallorca!)" and shared pictures showing beach, sun and sea.

The photos were taken, among other places, at the narrow, rocky shoreline of Cala Deià. There, where the few parking spaces on the MA-10 are already scarce in the morning and hikers from the Serra de Tramuntana pass by with dusty shoes, visitors like to sit close to the water. For lunch Ratajkowski chose a restaurant that has advertised sea views for decades and whose tables seem almost to be caressed by the surf: squid and octopus were on her plate — simple dishes that here often have everything to do with fresh fish and a decades-long tradition.

She stayed in the mountain world of the Tramuntana, at the well-known Belmond La Residencia. The hotel gardens there smell of bougainvillea and citrus, and the silence is broken only by distant mule hooves and the occasional creak of an olive-tree ladder. Such hotels are among the few addresses guests look for when they want peace and privacy — and they create jobs for local service providers, craftsmen and cooks.

The model's connection to the island reportedly goes back a long way. As a teenager she spent summers in Sant Joan; after years away she returned in 2019 and has since repeatedly stayed on Mallorca, also with her children. This is not just a private story: when well-known people praise places, interest often grows in supposedly "small" communities. Sant Joan, Cala Deià, the narrow alleys and the little bodegas then suddenly appear on travel wish lists of people from far away, a development seen with other famous visitors as well, including When Glamour Anchors: Kylie Jenner, Influencer Events and Mallorca's Balancing Act and Beckhams on Board: A Quiet Family Break off Mallorca.

For everyday life on Mallorca this development brings two sides: on the positive side is the additional visibility. Restaurants with a steady clientele gain new guests, and small hotels and craft businesses benefit from bookings. On plaza corners and in village shops you can already hear the usual summer noises again — the ringing of bicycle bells, voices in Catalan and German, delivery vans in the early morning.

At the same time, the island's atmosphere remains important: local everyday life in Deià, in the shadow of the cliffs, feels different from the brief flash visits of the social media world. There are also low-key visits, for example Ed Sheeran Completely Relaxed in Santa Catalina: A Neighborly Lunch. For locals the places along the sea are workplaces, family spots, retreats. When celebrities are photographed here, a mixture of pride and respect for what must be preserved arises: paths, water quality and quiet periods.

A small piece of advice to visitors: those who want to experience the Mallorca Ratajkowski clearly values should not just tick off the photo spots. A breakfast in a village bakery, an evening walk along the MA-10, a chat with the boat renter in Port de Sóller — these are what make a place. And: those who arrive early have the best chance of seeing the narrow bay of Cala Deià without crowds and experiencing a real, unstaged piece of the island.

When the late afternoon sun turns the cliff edge reddish and the guests' voices grow quieter, the same insight remains: Mallorca is a place with many faces. A photo of a familiar face brings attention; the right use of that attention can help the small villages and businesses on the island. A little more space, a few local purchases, and the summer remains a benefit for everyone.

And yes — on a hot day like today, when Palma shows 33 °C and a light wisp of cloud lies over the bay, strolling along the Passeig you still hear the sea the loudest.