Lazareto and Tagomago, the Balearics' lesser-known islands

TO PREVENT contagion, authorities sent suspected cases to quarantine on one of the Balearic Islands, including any arrivals from countries with a high incidence of infection. Whilst there, they could visit the 'Tower of Whispers', the panoramic viewing point and the museum, then after they were restored to health or disease-free, they were allowed to continue on their journey.

All this sounds very much like a review of summer package holidays in 2020 – but was actually a snapshot from the late 18th century, which shows history has an eerie habit of repeating itself.

The poetic-sounding Lazareto Island was purpose-built for isolating contagious conditions in 1794, and 227 years on, is now a major tourist attraction just outside the port of Mahón, or Maó, the capital town of Menorca.

Although the name, in translation, is far less beautiful: From the Italian Lazzaretto, sometimes referred to by the French Lazarette, it in fact means 'quarantine station' or 'leprosy unit'.

To this end, other walled-off outposts for quarantining patients with bubonic plague, leprosy, yellow fever, typhus, cholera and similar diseases elsewhere in Spain are known as lazaretos.

But you cannot always judge an island by its title. Lazareto is a lush green haven with an elegant sandstone fortress in its centre and splendid Baroque and neo-classical architecture, and an official national heritage site.

Nowadays, it is used for global conferences, political meetings, and the site of a university-level summer school in science subjects – as well as regular guided tours, given that it is one of the Balearic Islands' most popular visitor attractions.

Created by order of King Carlos III's minister, the Count of Floridablanca, referred to in the Balearic languages – of which menorquín is one – as a Llatzeret, this stunning, verdant corner of paradise was still owned by Spain's national health authorities until 2015 when it was handed over to Menorca's island council, or Consell Insular.

Before and since, it has been a backdrop for screen productions – the most recent being the episode of MasterChef aired today (Monday, October 18).

Lazareto Island's location is no accident – being the easternmost point of Spain, Menorca and the port in its capital was a key gateway to the country and to the wider continent of Europe from the Middle East, Far East and Africa, used heavily for goods traffic and general long-distance travel.

Given Mahón's close contact with the rest of the world, it could also be a major entry point for any infectious or contagious diseases doing the rounds outside Spain's borders – social distancing on board ship in those days was not easy, meaning the entire crew could end up catching whatever conditions were circulating.

Once ships docked in Mahón, anyone who was known to be suffering from a fast-spreading illness or who had been in contact with someone affected would be given bed and board inside the Lazareto fortress, where medical workers were on site to care for those who needed it.

Inside, it's a long way from the grim, grey and soulless sanatorium you'd expect; bright white walls, huge windows, pointed arches and a network of columns, gardens with wells and palm trees, open grassy areas, semi-covered patios, cobbled squares and, in short, such a visually-attractive design that, if you were dropped there out of the sky and nobody told you what it was, you might have thought it was a monastery, a collegiate, a palace, or a stately home.

It's a pity it doesn't have the right facilities for quarantining any more, since travellers to the Balearic Islands would probably not have minded at all if, during their compulsory post-arrival isolation in times of Covid-19, they had to stay in this unique and beautiful enclave.

More than two-and-a-quarter centuries after it was built, you don't have to have been diagnosed with a contagious illness to enter – actually, if you did test positive for Covid, you wouldn't be allowed in at all and, as the pandemic is not over yet (albeit drastically improved thanks to the vaccine roll-out), you still need to wear a mask when visiting outside as well as inside parts, use the hand-sanitiser at the entrance, and make sure you keep a safe distance from others not in your household or family and friend group.

Number limitations on the island are not thought to be in place, since it is only accessible by the regular catamaran connection from Cales Fonts in Menorca, meaning crowd sizes will never be able to exceed the maximum passenger numbers per once-daily crossing.

A round trip, including a guided tour and the short boat ride, takes about two-and-a-half hours and costs €18 per head at full fee.

Children aged eight to 15 inclusive get in half-price, at €9, whilst pensioners and the over-65s are entitled to a 25% discount, paying just €12.

Kids under eight years old can enter free of charge.

Booking is advisable to make sure you are not left on the shore hanging around for the next crossing, but during off-peak times, you may simply be able to turn up – those wanting to make the trip should be at Cales Fonts (Es Castell) 15 minutes before scheduled set-off time.

Trips are organised from June 19 to October 31 inclusive, when boats run on Tuesdays and Sundays from 17.00 – or from 16.00 during October – and on Saturdays from 10.00.

Physical sale points for tickets are the tourist information offices in Mahón port and in Ciutadella, or at Viatges Magon travel agents'; online outlets include the latter's website, Viatgesmagon.com.

Celebrity playground and pop video filming location

Lazareto is somewhat cheaper to visit than the other, heavily-frequented but little-known island in the Balearic archipelago.

But if you think the entry fee to get onto Tagomago, about 800 metres (half a mile) off the coast of Ibiza, is 'dead money', you might consider buying it instead and charging for tickets yourself.

That said, if you can spare the €150 million Tagomago is up for sale for, you probably wouldn't have to save up too hard to pay the price to rent it for the night - €20,000.

Perhaps this is not as outrageous as it may sound to the average earner: If you have a very large extended family and social circle and are planning a wedding or milestone birthday party, you might be able to drum up 1,000 guests and convince them to pay €20 each, or 2,000 guests and ask them all to chip in a tenner.

They wouldn't all be able to stay the night there, though, as the staffed luxury villa, Can Domingo (complete with butler, chef, the works), with its huge outdoor pool and jacuzzi and spacious dining hall and lounge, only has five double bedrooms – admittedly, each with an en suite bathroom, spa area and sea views.

But you could use it for an all-day party with guests coming in shifts of X hours each, contributing their €10 or €20 a head for their visit, and then stay the night yourself.

Has anyone already splashed out the (literally, in some parts of Spain) house-sized fee to spend the night on Tagomago?

Of course they have. Welsh footballer Gareth Bale proposed to his now-wife Emma Rhys-Jones there; former Real Madrid ace Cristiano Ronaldo has held parties there before, and in general, it's hugely sought-after by wealthy celebrities because, as well as being spacious enough for your 2,000-strong wedding reception – at a total of 148 acres – on Tagomago, you can completely guarantee privacy, so you're safe from the prying camera lenses of the paparazzi and know there's no danger of embarrassing pictures of you appearing in all tomorrow's glossies around the globe if you overdo the cocktails and pass out in the pool.

Tagomago has been a popular hang-out for the stars for generations – long before Ronaldo and Bale were born.

The Rolling Stones, The Police, and the late reggae legend Bob Marley have all used it either for social and family gatherings or as a location for their record videos.

You've probably already seen Tagomago on TV without realising it, in fact.

The catchy, universally-recognised Lambada – frequently known by its Portuguese title Chorando se foi or by what is thought to be its original Spanish title of Llorando se fue – exploded onto the chart scene practically everywhere on Planet Earth in 1989 and, it seems, has never stopped being played since, with even the grandchildren of the original young adults who bopped to it in its release year recognising it instantly.

Although its origins are much disputed, the version that is arguably the most famous to date is by the predominantly-Brazilian band Kaoma on the eve of the 1990s – but its video wasn't filmed in Brazil, or even in the native countries of its bassist (Martinique) or its guitarist (Guadeloupe Française). The entire clip, with those dance moves we've been trying to imitate for the last 32 years, was shot on Tagomago.

Currently managed by German millionaire Matthias Kühn – partner of 11 years of Spanish actress and TV presenter Norma Duval – and up for sale for a nine-figure sum, contact details for hiring what is described as Europe's most exclusive private enclave are given on Tagomago-island.com.