Where to stay on the island of Mallorca?

Stay in Palma. Everywhere is within easy drive from there and nowhere on the island is more than 1 1/2 hours drive away.

There are some fantastic villages in the mountains but they can be expensive and sometimes quite exclusive, Deià in particular plus you may not enjoy the twisty, mountainous drive back and forth everyday.

Palma has the best selection of restaurants and there are plenty of sights to see that should occupy several days if you wish. We visit the island every year, sometimes twice as we own a timeshare there. It's definitely our favourite part of Spain. Driving on the island is very easy, less frenetic than the mainland although Palma obviously experiences the busiest traffic but nothing too troublesome. The only difficulty is parking however if you intend on parking in the large car parks along the waterfront there are plenty of 'helpful' people who will direct you to an empty space in return for a 1 euro 'tip'. I would definitely recommend seeking accommodation that provides parking.

September and October are great months for visiting. We tend to go there in late May/early June or late October. October is still warm enough for sun bathing but it does also come with the risk of occasional rain.

Thanks so much.

Palma is pretty big and commercialised but worth a look. We too though have headed for the mountains on the north coast. Valdermossa, Deia, Soller/Puerto de Soller and Pollensa/Puerto de Solensa all have good places to stay.

If it helps we first stayed at Deia and picked up a car from the airport but last time we were on 'Shanks's Pony' so bussed into Palma, crossed the square and caught the old tram up to Soller for lunch before heading back to Palma later the same day to meet our walking group. The next time we got there later in the week as we walked the Tramuntana Traverse we were on foot.

I avoided Mallorca for years, put off by its reputation for being the worst of 'the Brits abroad' which can be very unpleasant, but there's nothing of that up north bar maybe a little in the two 'Puertos' and the scenery is nice too. Safe to say I'm now a fan and 'get it'!

Have a great trip!

Ian

Sorry, that should read Puerto de Pollenca.

I vote Sóller, or the nearby Port de Sóller.
See here: https://www.seemallorca.com/soller
and here: https://www.seemallorca.com/port-de-soller

Palma is too much of a big city for me. yes, the airport is there (or nearby), but it is the capital of the island so the airport would be there. The coast either side of the airport is built up holiday strips, which I would want to keep away from.
Sóller is on the north-west coast over the mountains, and lovely. You would need a hire car. You have lots to see, the mountainous coast is pretty, and anywhere else on the island is still reachable.

I'm sure I'm telling you something you already know, but make sure you do your research. We booked a trip to Mallorca a few years back. We booked a hotel near the beach in Palma (Torre something) without doing enough research. It was a party hotel for European kids - loud, hot and run down. The next day was spent trying to find another hotel to move to. We were novice travelers at the time, and I'm sure you have much more experience than we did at the time. But be aware that these types of places exist and, if that's not your cup of tea, steer clear.