S
cattered up to 100 miles off the Spanish mainland, the Balearic
Islands have some of the best cruising in the Mediterranean,
particularly for fast motor boats that can cover miles quickly
along the wonderful stretches of rugged coast.
Mallorca has been a popular package holiday destination
since the 1960s, yet despite its mass tourism the island
charm remains. The climate is often pretty hot in high season, but sea breezes keep
life comfortable under a bimini or awning.
The capital Palma commands the head of a grand bay with its magnifi cent, golden
stone cathedral as a focal point. There are smart marinas in and around the city,
and plenty of smaller yacht harbours elsewhere, but you can still anchor in the many
beautiful rocky inlets around Mallorca known as calas, which dramatically indent
the whole coastline. In the north, there are remote villages hardly touched by tourism,
where simple rural traditions carry on regardless.
The smaller islands of Menorca and Ibiza are also well endowed with calas, especially
quieter Menorca, which I much prefer. Ibiza has a reputation for glitzy clubbing
nightlife, but clear of the main town you can always get away from it all by boat – the
fi nest form of independent travel ever invented.
In this article I have chosen my ten favourite calas in the Balearics, mostly around
Mallorca, which is the hub of motorboat activity and berthing, and a few from Menorca
and Ibiza. Picking ten from such a wealth of stunning inlets has certainly not been easy!
This is a very personal selection, which tends to refl ect my cruising preferences for peace
and seclusion wherever possible.
Many anchorages around the Balearics are only suitable as daytime stops in fair
weather, but several in my ten are perfect for overnighting. Local boat owners will
have their own special haunts, but these are mine and I hope you enjoy visiting them.
CRUISING