I recently travelled to Majorca expecting water guns to be shot in my face, protestors marching on the beach, and locals unhappy with my general presence as a Brit abroad. I'd booked the trip before the protests really ramped up in Palma, and I wasn't quite sure how it would play out.

During my taxi journey from the airport, the driver told me about the rising accommodation costs, and how Majorca was much more expensive than the mainland. They had moved from Cadiz eight years ago to find job opportunities offered by tourism, however, they acknowledged it was a double-edged sword because, without controls on the number of tourists, they said the prices meant locals could not afford what visitors could.

The country has been gripped with anti-tourism protests, and most recently on Sunday, June 15, tourists were surrounded and jeered at by protestors in Palma, reported the Majorca Daily Bulletin.

Even though a Balearic government spokesperson, Toni Costa, said the government regretted the incidents and condemned and rejected the "minority that insulted tourists", we decided to avoid the capital.

We hired a car to travel around the island instead, so we could explore quieter places where we might be safe from water guns.

I was taken aback by how peacefully quiet some destinations were. It was easily one of the most relaxing holidays I have been on in recent years.

The quaint towns on the West coast were rugged and mountainous, with rocky beaches and stunning hikes, while some towns in the North-east had sprawling plazas that reminded me of Italy.

We drove around the island clockwise from Palma, and the presence of tourists became more obvious as we worked our way back towards the capital and hit the beaches in the South-east.

However, it wasn't overwhelming, and on one particular hike in the north, we only spotted a handful of people over three hours.

We actually struggled to find bars open after 12pm and begun researching where we could find more nightlife; a problem neither of us had anticipated. Having associated the island with countless reports of tourists being disrupted, I was so happily surprised.

I can't speak for Palma, but if you do go to Majorca and prefer a quieter retreat, hire a car so you're free to roam the island instead.