We decided to write down this Mallorca “beach guide” as we lived there in 2019 for about 5 months and people are still asking for our suggestions after seeing our pictures and videos on our Instagram.
So let’s get started:
1. CALA MARMÓLS
Our absolute favourite beach on this island is Cala Marmóls. It is outstandingly beautiful and it has the most turquoise and clearest water we have ever seen. It looked like the water in a swimming pool. The other main reason why we love it is because it’s kind of a hidden gem. We visited it a couple of times and there were never more that 10-15 people. There are not so many people that know about it and the ones that do are usually locals. Maybe if we hadn’t lived in Mallorca we would have never discovered it. Another reason why it’s not so well known and popular is that it’s not so easy to get there. You either have to cross a private area where you have to jump over 2 fences and walk around 30 min down to the beach or you have to hike there from Cala S’Almunia which is around 5 km and, from what we’ve heard, it might take even 2 hours, or the last and probably the most comfortable option would be arriving by boat. You better start choosing which way you want to take because you absolutely MUST visit this beach. There is also one con of this beach: all the times we were there, it was full of jellyfish (and we mean FULL). We had to swim around with the goggles to see where they were, not to get stung. We don’t know if it is always like that but this was our experience.
2. CALA SANTANYÍ
Before we found out about Cala Marmóls, our favourite beach was Cala Santanyí (now it is on the 2nd place). Our first holidays together as a couple, 2,5 years ago, was to Mallorca and this is the first beach we visited and where the hotel we were staying was. We absolutely loved it. It has a beautiful crystal clear water and it is easy to access. There are also a couple of hotels and bars around and it also has a parking. It is suitable for everybody: young people, old people, families with kids etc. There is also a diving school on the corner where you can book your lessons or you can rent a sea bike. Apart from the nice sandy shore, there are a lot of cliffs around this beach which makes it perfect for cliff jumping or cliff climbing. We really enjoyed that part.
3. PLAYA DE FORMENTOR
Very beautiful natural beach in the middle of pine forests overlooking Tramuntana mountains (Sierra de Tramuntana). It is located along the Formentor peninsula, so it is worth it after your day on the beach to continue to Cap de Formentor (the Northernmost point of Mallorca) and watch the sunset from the lighthouse. We have also seen many people coming to the beach with tables and chairs to set up an all day picnic under the pine trees. We can only find one disadvantage, which is the very expensive parking (15 euros per day).
4. CALA VARQUES
Once again if you want a wonderful beach with only a few people on it you have to sweat. To reach this beach you have to walk around 30 min on a dirt road sometimes going up or down hill with stones. Once you get there you get rewarded with one of the best beaches in Mallorca. The other option is to arrive here by boat which is even better as you can go around the bay and also inside its sea caves. You can also do cliff jumping as there are lot of high rock formations around the beach and you can see a beautiful bridge/window created by rocks which is very famous. It’s also perfect for snorkelling as the water is super clear and full of fishes.
5. CALÓ DES MORO
Very famous but not so comfortable beach is Caló des Moro. The beach and the view there are incredible but don’t expect any kind of long sandy shore with palms. The beach is created only by a few big rocks and the area is very small so it gets full right away, therefore we recommend to arrive very early in the morning (somewhere between 8-9 am), because after 10 am it gets very crowded. It is definitely not suitable for families with small kids but perfect for young adventurous people. The crystal clear water makes it perfect for snorkelling.
6. CALA S’ALMUNIA
Right next to Caló des Moro (5 min walk) there is another beach called Cala S’Almunia. There is a very little shore (for maybe max 20 people) and then there is a part where there are a few houses so you kinda just stay and settle there. What we really enjoyed here is that it is full of cliffs and people are jumping into the water from everywhere. Right in the middle, there is a cliff, where you jump right into a hole and you either have to climb back up or swim around all the cliffs to come back. We had so much fun doing that.
7. CALA MESQUIDA
We went to this beach only once, as we “discovered” it pretty late and we are quite sad about it. Once again, very beautiful beach with the crystal clear water, long and shallow shore. There is also actually a nudist part at the very end, so if that’s something you enjoy, you gonna love it. There are a few hotels, resorts, bars and restaurants around this area and it is close to other beautiful beaches. We can highly recommend it.
8. CALA LLOMBARDS
Very similar to Cala Santanyí is Cala Llombards. These two beaches are also very close to each other. Cala Llombards might have a slightly bigger shore but smaller cliffs on the side. The water is the same, turquoise and clear.
9. PORTALS NOUS
This was one of the beaches where we were going the most, specially after work or when we did not have time to drive far (We lived and worked in Palma). It is quite close to Palma but It does not get super crowded and it has a long shore so you can always find a spot. There is even a beach club if you want to enjoy your afternoon having some cocktails. Some people don’t like the fact that the water gets already deep close to the shore, so it is not the best option for families with small kids.
10. ES TRENC
This is a very popular beach, it is one of the biggest as it’s 10km long and it’s part of a Natural Area. There are beautiful white sand dunes and it makes this beach look different from the others. It is perfect for families with kids, that have a lot of space to play and the water is very shallow. One con of this beach is that it’s almost always full of sea weeds that are characteristic for this natural area. There is also a parking fee of 7 euros per day.
11. ILLETES
This is one of the best beaches close to Palma, so if you are staying in the city this is definitely the best option as there is even a bus that takes you there. The only problem is that it is very small and gets crowded really fast.
12. PLAYA DE MURO
Probably one of the best beaches for families with kids or the people that just want to have chilled holidays without visiting many places around. This is a holiday area with many hotels, resorts, restaurants, bars, shops and attractions along the beach. Lot of boat trips, excursions or day trips are organised from here. The water here is super clear, shallow and also warmer.
It was very hard to make this list of only 12 beaches as there are 262 in total and we loved most of them. The island is not so big and the beaches are very close to each other so many of them are almost the same. We would like to name a few more that are worth visiting if you have time: Cala Pí, Cala Mayor, Cala Agulla, Cala Mondragó, Cala D’Or, Sa Calobra, Cala Ratjada, Cala Mitjana, Cala Romantica (and still many more).
We hope this blog post was helpful to you and you are gonna visit at least some of these stunning beaches. For more pictures and videos check our instagram feed from June-October 2019 or story highlights (Mallorca I and Mallorca II). If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to comment bellow or contact us via email or even better via Instagram @borntotraveldiaries Thank you for your time and stay tuned for our next diary page 🙂
