Palma

I would like to thank the tourist team promoting Britain's favourite holiday island for producing a street map that made the capital's roads look like a packet of broken biscuits.

Yes, I am seriously very grateful. Because the colourful, if bizarre, free offering was so badly drawn that whichever direction you follow in Palma was sure to be a surprise.

But, if you want to wring every last drop out of this gloriously understated city, using the map is the only way to travel.

So here are my suggestions to fill a complete day during your holiday or short break. And, who knows, if you follow the map's directions, you could even bump into the island's most famous residents - Catherine Zeta-Jones and her mega-star husband Michael Douglas.

1 10am: Have a holy awakening with a visit to the majestic cathedral. It took 500 years to build and is so big you won't need the map to find it. It's a confusingly grand mixture of styles from Gothic to Gaudi. He left a rather stark spiky wrought-iron work to commemorate Christ's crown of thorns.

2 10.30 am: March into the Balearics military headquarters opposite the cathedral entrance in the Palau de L'Almudaina, originally the regal stronghold of the Moorish governors.

3 11am: Try some caf culture in the new waterside area which has been developed near the cathedral's moat. You reach them by walking along the top of the newly-restored city's walls. Expect to pay a couple of euros for a beaker of great coffee and a sugar-dusted doughnut.

4 11.30 am: Take a trip down memory lane to the city's Old Town - and prepare to be lost. Narrows streets and lanes run off at impossible angles - just like those drawn on the map. Here, haughty but inviting mansions hide behind ornate wooden doors which, if opened, reveal stunning tiled courtyards with potted palms. If you are not completely lost by now, pop in to the Museum of Majorca or the Arab Baths with their cool, tepid and warm chambers.

5 1pm: Time for a real taste of Spain. It you want an appetising but light lunch, wander the famous tapas bars where, at just a couple of pounds a head, you can sample a lip-smacking variety of dishes. Some of the best are off the Passeig Des Born but they get thronged try one of their famous dry sherries while you wait 6 3pm: Palma goes into snooze mode, so it's a good time to brush up on the city's past with a visit to the Castell del Bellver. This striking 14th century fortress is now a museum of classical art and paints a marvellous tapestry of Palma's history. Surrounded by fragrant pine woods, it's an ideal place to cool your heels.

7 5pm: Take a blast of real retail therapy in the city's cool stores. Nothing flash here, you understand, but shops with serious labels that make a purchase well worthwhile.

8 9pm: Head off for a meal at the award-winning Hotel BonSol just a one euro bus ride from the centre. Excellent food try the fish dishes taken in a lovely open-air restaurant on its own private beach overlooking the Bay of Palma. Sublime!

9 10pm: By Spanish standards it's early, so it's time to party. Head off into the labyrinth of back streets near the port. For something really over the top, chill out with a cocktail at Abaco located in a former Renaissance mansion. Fresh fruit cascades down stone-flagged stairs, caged birds sing in colourful indoor gardens but the price of drinks will keep you sober!

10 Early hours: Head back to your hotel stopping off in one of the late night cafes for a lamumba - a hot sweet chocolate drink laced with strong Spanish brandy.

I guarantee you'll forget all about map reading!

Information: Ken Bennett flew to Palma with Monarch Scheduled which flies daily from Manchester until October with return deal in prices, including tax, starting from £65 a head. A complementary hot meal and drinks, free newspaper and use of headsets are included in the price. To book call: 08700-406300 or click on: www.flymonarch.com For information and prices for The Hotel BonSol, Illetas, Majorca, click on: bonmsol@hoelbonsol.es