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Attractions and Amenities

Many visitors to Deya may be unaware that the town also has it own small beach known as the Cove Deià, or as it is sometimes called "Cala de Deia", where traditional Mallorcan fishing is still carried out even today. From the centre of Deya it’s just about walkable for the mile or so downhill to the cove, and once there you'll find a small shingle beach, a bar and restaurant, and moorings for around half a dozen small boats. The return journey back uphill to the village at the end of the day is less appealing, but in all fairness, a day on the beach would probably not hold a great appeal to the visitors to Deya anyway.

The Deya Parish Museum is located next to the church in the town. There's a permanent exhibition of local art works and other historic artefacts that have been donated to the museum over the years. The museum is only open on a Saturday from 9am to 7pm.

The Deià Archaeological Museum and Research Centre was founded in 1962 by the American painter and archaeologist Dr William H Waldren. The collection of archaelogical finds are housed in a converted mill, which is believed to be one of the oldest buildings in the village. The museum is only open 2 hours in the evening from 5pm to 7pm, and then only on Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday. Contact details are:
Deià Archaeological Museum and Research Centre
Es Clot
07179
Deià
Majorca
Telephone: +34 971 639 001
Fax: +34 971 639 152

The nearby Monastery of Miramar was founded in 1276 by King Jaime II, and it's original purpose was to train missionary monks in Arabic and other languages. In 1872 monastery was purchased by the Archduke Luís Salvador of Austria, and upon his death in 1915 was bequeathed to the Vives family. The monastery and museum is open to the public every Tuesday to Sunday and admission is quite reasonable at around £2.00 for adults and children under 12 free.

Next to the monastery is the the impressive manor house of Son Marroig, which also now houses the Museum of the Archduke Luis Salvador of Austria. During his period of ownership the Archduke completely refurbished the house, and restored a 16th Century fortified tower to it's former glory. At one end of the gardens he even had built a small neo-classical temple constructed out of Carrara marble. From here on a clear day it affords spectacular views over the coast towards Sa Foradada and sometimes even the island of Sa Dragonera which on the extreme south west coast of Majorca. Again after his death, the property was bequeathed to the Vives family, who opened Son Marroig to the general public in 1928. The museum was opened by Antoni Ribas Prats, and contains many of the Archdukes possessions, along with paintings by Joan Bauçà, and Joaquim Mir. There's also a small collection of pottery and artefacts from the Phoenician, Greek and Roman periods. Since 1978 Son Marroig has also been the venue of the annual Deià International Music Festival, which we will cover in more detail further down this page. Son Marroig is open everyday throughout the year, except Sundays, from around 9:30am and admission is approximately £2.00 each for adults.

As mentioned briefly above, the area of coast now known as Sa Foradada was once a small offshore island, and in 1582 this was the site of a bloody battle where 50 locals defeated an invasion force of 150 North African Moors. This famous victory has now gone down into local history, and is remembered on the 13th of May each year with a re-enactment of the battle of the Moors and Christians. As a consequence of this battle, and other attacks, a series of fortified watchtowers were built along the west coast, the remains of which are still visible today.

Classical music lovers flock to Deya each year for the world famous series of concerts that form the annual Deià International Music Festival, with many of the concerts taking place in the grounds of the Son Marroig manor house. Details and information on the upcoming concerts are published on their web site at www.dimf.com. and ticket reservations can be made by telephone on either +34 971 639 178 or +34 678 989 536

Finally, despite being one of the smaller villages on the island, Deya is still nevertheless proud of it annual fiesta in recognition of their Patron Saint, "Sant Joan Baptista" or St John The Baptist. The actual date of the fiesta is June 24th, but in true Mallorcan tradition, the celebrations usually take place each night on the three days before the 24th.

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