Generally, British holidaymakers flock abroad for those few precious days of the year where that mysterious golden ball of flame in the sky actually bothers to show itself on our fair isle. In doing so, they miss out on the one sparkle of sunshine in the whole year that could be equally enjoyed from their back garden.

It’s a sensible idea – economically – to indulge in an off-peak holidays, and double-up on your summer sun bathing. Taking a holiday pre-season, or as the summer ends, can be a fine way of stretching out that heat, and holiday-feel. The Balearics remain a popular sun-spot, long after the clouds roll back to the English sky after the summer months.

A huge amount of tourists seek a holiday to Palma each year, but amongst the very few who actually stay in the city itself. Most leave the city as quickly as possible for the resorts all around Mallorca island, as that is where the majority of the package tours seek to ferry them. If you were to stay in the capital city of the Balearic Islands you would discover a vibrant and beautiful city just bursting with palaces, cathedrals, museums, galleries and parks – and that is before you being to mention the countless restaurants, bars and shops.

Most of Palma's sights are to be seen in its old town: the La Seu Cathedral, French-Gothic in style with an altarpiece and candelabras crafted by Gaudi himself and built, like so many other churches in Spain, on the remains of a mosque. Construction started about 500 years ago and is still not finished.

Moreover, there has never been a better time to travel. The summer is coming in, the recession is keeping prices low and the companies are going out of their way to entice you in. Even phone companies are getting in on the action. Roaming charges, things that used to plague holiday-makers, no matter how far they went, are soon to be rendered as obsolete as the giant plastic monstrosities that used to pass for mobile phones in the 90s. Vodafone are leading the charge, with a mobile phone deals that include an introduction to a brand new tariff that abolishes all roaming costs for good so that your holiday is that bit cheaper again.