Deià is a small coastal village in the Tramuntana,  located about ten miles south of Soller, known for its literary and musical residents. It is hyped for it's idyllic landscape of orange and olive groves on steep cliffs overlooking the Mediterranean, which has served as a draw for German, English, and American expatriates since the first world war.  Although, the village is unspoiled and quiet, for us it did not quite live up to it's expectations, sprawled as it is along the main road.  However the peace was a welcome change from the crowded Soller. 

The English poet, novelist, and scholar, Robert Graves was one of the first foreigners to settle in the village. 'I Claudius' is one of my favorite books, so I was interested to visit this village.  Graves stayed here till his death in 1985, and is buried in the church. 

Anaïs Nin visited the village in the 1920s, and wrote a short story set on the village's beach. We took the bus from Port Soller (there are several per day) and after coffee dropped down to the pebbly beach of Cala Deià.  It was truly lovely to swim there. 

The town is also the unnamed setting of the Uruguayan novelist, Cristina Peri Rossi's The Ship of Fools (La nave de los locos). The Nicaraguan poet and novelist, Claribel Alegría, lives in Deià today. 

In recent decades, the stars of literature have been eclipsed by the stars of rock and roll. Richard Branson, has a luxury residence in the town, and his label's stars have often visited the village and sometimes jammed at the local bar, Sa Fonda.   Mick Jagger, guitarist Mark Knopfler, and Caroline Corr have played here.  

All in all, it was just a bit too posh for us.