Palma is packed with bars and dance clubs. Sure, there are some fun hangouts along the island's northern tier, but for a rocking, laser- and strobe-lit club, you'll have to boogie in Palma.
Set directly on the beach, close to a dense concentration of hotels, Tito's, Passeig Marítim (tel. 97-173-00-17; www.titosmallorca.com), charges a cover of 15€ to 18€ ($20-$23), including the first drink. A truly international crowd mingles on a terrace overlooking the Mediterranean. This club is the most popular, panoramic, and appealing disco on Majorca. If you visit only one nightclub during your time on the island, this should be it. Between June and September, it's open every night of the week from 11pm to at least 6am. The rest of the year, it's open Thursday to Sunday 11pm to 6am.
Bar Barcelona, Carrer Apuntadores 5 (tel. 97-171-35-57), a popular jazz club, evokes its namesake city with its spiral staircase and atmospheric, subdued lighting. Despite its location in the heart of Palma's busiest nightlife area, it attracts a predominantly local crowd that comes to enjoy live jazz every night from 11pm to 3am. There is no cover, and drinks are reasonably priced, making this one of Palma's best values for a night out. It's open Sunday to Thursday 8:30pm to 1am, Friday and Saturday 8:30pm to 3am.
B.C.M. Planet Dance, Av. Olivera s/n, Magalluf (tel. 97-113-26-09; www.bcm-planetdance.com), is the busiest and most cosmopolitan disco in Majorca. Boasting high-tech strobe lights and lasers, this sprawling, three-story venue offers a different sound system on each floor, giving you a wide variety of musical styles. If you're young, eager to mingle, and like to dance, this place is for you. The cover charge of 12€ ($16) includes your first drink and entitles you to party till 7am.
Come and enjoy a Caribbean cocktail with one of Palma's more charismatic bar owners, Pasqual, who just might invite you to dance a bit of salsa at Bodeguida del Medio, Carrer Vallseca 18 (tel. 97-171-78-32). The music is Latin-inspired and the crowd is a mix of locals and visitors from almost everywhere. Try their delicious mojito cocktail, more potent than it tastes, costing 4.50€ ($5.85). Inside is rustic in tone; outside is more intimate and romantic, with Chinese lanterns illuminating a garden that overlooks the sea. The bar is open Sunday to Thursday 8pm to 1am, Friday and Saturday 8pm to 3am.
ABACO, Carrer Sant Joan 1 (tel. 97-171-49-39), just might be the most opulently decorated nightclub in Spain -- a cross between a harem and a czarist Russian church. The bar is decorated with a trove of European decorative arts. The place is always packed, with many customers congregating in a beautiful courtyard, which contains exotic caged birds, fountains, more sculpture than the eye can absorb, extravagant bouquets, and hundreds of flickering candles. All this exoticism is enhanced by the lushly romantic music (Ravel's Boléro, at our last visit) piped in through the sound system. Whether you view this as a bar, a museum, or a sociological survey, be sure to go. The bar is open Sunday to Thursday 8pm to 1am, Friday and Saturday 8pm to 3am, from February to December only. Wandering around is free; however, drinks cost a whopping 6€ to 11€ ($7.80-$14).
Casino de Mallorca lies on the harborfront promenade at Av. Gabriel Roca 4 (tel. 97-113-00-00; www.casinodemallorca.com). It's the place to go in search of Lady Luck. You'll need a passport -- plus a shirt and tie -- to enter, and must pay a 4.50€ ($5.85) entrance charge. Inside, you can play American or French roulette, blackjack, or dice, or simply pull the lever on one of the many slot machines. The casino is open daily 5pm to 5am.
Although Majorca is generally a permissive place, it doesn't have the gay scene that Ibiza does.
