For people who live in the colder climate Alcudia offers everything you need to banish the cold grey to a distant memory.

The farm of Ma. Antonier Siquier fills the valley of St. Miguel. The hillsides are dry and rocky, and dotted with olive orchards. But the bottom of the valley, irrigated by traditional wind mill pumps, is lush with crops and almond trees.

Antonier's father bought the farm and built a farmhouse of dressed stone for his family. A fine traditional house, he planted trees for shade and bougainvillaea to cover his trellises. More than thirty years on you can enjoy the fruits of his labour as you wait and enjoy the view - not only of the top of the farm, but also the underneath as well, because under the valley of St Miguel lies the unique Caves de Campanet.

The island of Mallorca, with its karst landscape has many caves to visit, but I chose the Caves of Campanet for their scenic location and also because they are one of Mallorca's best kept secrets. There was a group of about 10, waiting for the half hourly tour - a mix of Spanish, German and British. Our guide, Maria was a large blond woman. She was trilingual, and, although Spanish, spoke English with a slight German accent. "Welcome to the Caves de Campanet," Maria said, in Spanish, then English, then German, and we followed her inside.

Steps led down, fifteen in all, each step taking us to a lower temperature till we reached a comfortable cool 15° C. "The temperature in the caves is constant," Maria assured us, and led us into the first chamber, called the Palm Tree Chamber. The cavern was discreetly lit with hidden lights, and the effect of thousands of years of nature had turned all the surfaces smooth - like the whole place had been bathed in dripping white chocolate.

The chocolate had formed stalactites and stalagmites, that continued their centuries-long effort to meet. One pair had - joining in a long kiss in the middle of floor and ceiling.

Maria told us how the caves had been discovered, purely by accident in 1945, when research was being conducted on the local water resources. Some children noticed a draft coming out of a small hole in the ground, the hole was widened and a well decorated cavern was discovered. In 1948 the caves were adapted for tourism, and there have been a select few people discovering the delights inside the caves ever since. Maria took us in to see one of the two marvels of the caves. "Vat I like to call the spaghetti room," Maria told us. "These stalactites are the finest of all Europe - being only 4mm thick. They grow at a rate of 1cm³/hundred years.

They are hollow inside, like macaroni. To the left is the chapel of Mary - the figure of the Madonna and Child, and two candles to either side." There were collective gasps of surprise as everyone suddenly saw what Maria had described - as if she had created the picture before our eyes. "And next to them is the Buddha. I think he's sweet, but I don't know what he's doing with Mary," Maria laughed. "He's sweet," she repeated. "I like my Buddha."

The crowning glory of the caves Maria saved until last. "The largest and finest stalactite in the world," Maria said, pointing up to a long white straw of calcium. "Its is nearly four metres long, 4mm thick and it took 150,000 years to grow."

We took photos, although it wasn't really allowed. "I won't see you if you want to take pictures," Maria declared with a toss of her head. Then she sat down and let everyone wander around freely, exploring for themselves. "Is there anything else you think I should know about the caves?" I asked Maria. "Yes," she said without a moment's thought. "Tell them," Maria's laughter echoed for a moment, "that I am the best guide in Mallorca." I would have done that anyway!