Arturo Rhodes has a large goldfish on his head. On other days, he tells me, he might wear a violin. They are hats, of course, huge headpieces that the artist makes for the opening of his exhibitions.

In 1981 Rhodes, then Arthur, was living in a London bedsit and working in the antiques trade. Following an interest in Salvador Dalí, he visited the artist's home in Figueras, northeast Spain, and fell in with an arty crowd. “They told me about Deià, which was then a hang-out for hippies,” he said. “I came for a weekend, and stayed.”

I met Rhodes during a tour of Deià with Frances Graves, daughter-in-law of Robert Graves, one of the village's best-known residents. A Graves museum, which opened in 2006, has brought many new visitors to this pretty hamlet, clinging to the side of a steep hill in the Tramuntana mountain range of northwest Mallorca.

But today Frances and I are visiting some of Deià's artistic community, on a walking tour she offers to guests at La Residencia, the biggest hotel in the village and one of the best known on the island.

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Dave Templeton had been in Deià for a couple of years when Arthur arrived. Now the figurative artist has a studio opposite La Residencia, where he sometimes teaches guests, and where several of his works hang on the walls.

“I grew up in a poor, small town in the North of England in a supportive community, with a great feeling of togetherness,” he said. “When I reached Deià, there was something similar. It has lost some of its intimacy, but there are still enough friends here and good times.”

There is now so much to do off-season in Majorca that I have started to wonder why anyone comes in high summer, when temperatures are fierce and Palma's vast airport is frantic. During an October weekend I packed in the Deià artists' tour, a long walk, spa treatments, several swims and some memorable meals.

And I found that the northwest of the island - around Deià, Sóller and Port de Sóller, backed by the Tramuntana mountains - is the area to focus on since it has the best walking and a clutch of stylish new hotels.

The day after my tour with Frances, I joined friends on a walk from Deià to Sóller, a three-hour tramp along a pretty mountain trail, past orange and lemon trees, with sea views for most of the way. Brilliantly positioned half-way along was an old farmhouse B&B, where the owner sold glasses of fresh orange juice - northwest Majorca is famed for its oranges - and slices of apple tart. La Residencia's detailed route notes kept us on track and in Sóller we rewarded ourselves with a delicious late lunch of seafood and rosé wine at Cas Carretas restaurant.

Over the next few days I saw dozens of walkers setting off from Sóller's pretty town square. I decamped to the new Hotel La Vila on Plaça Constitució, and from a table on the square I watched the action over a café con leche. The hotel's owner, Toni Oliver, 31, explained that walkers were among his most important guests. “They appreciate good food, and want to get away from mass tourism,” he said.

Ten minutes away in Port de Sóller, I checked into another stylish spot, the Espléndido Hotel, recently refurbished to bring out the building's Fifties' flair. Port de Sóller, once reached only by a vertiginous switchback through the mountains, is finally having its moment in the sun, thanks to two tunnels that have made it more accessible. Nowhere on the island is now more than a 45-minute drive from Palma airport.

On my last morning, a bright and sunny day, I swam across the bay at Port de Sóller. After half an hour in the water, I was still warm. A few sun-worshippers watched from the beach. All the fun, but none of the crowds - I'm a convert to the island's off-season charms.

NEED TO KNOW

Bmi (0870 6070555, www.flybmi.com) flies from Heathrow to Palma from £78 return.

EasyJet (0905 8210905, www.easyjet.com) flies from ten UK airports to Palma from £50 return.

La Residencia (00 34 971 639011, www.hotellaresidencia.com); doubles from £184.

Hotel La Vila (00 34 971 634641, www.lavilahotel.com); doubles from £78.

Hotel L'Avenida (00 34 971 634075, www.avenida-hotel.com); from £520pp for two nights' B&B and activities.

Espléndido Hotel (00 34 971 631850, www.esplendido hotel.com); doubles from £104) Information www.infomallorca.net

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