The best beaches in Mallorca
The biggest Balearic practically invented beach tourism, and there’s a good reason why: among its 50km of fine white sand and rocky coves are to be found some of the best beaches in Europe. The island’s beaches have personality in bucketloads and diversity in spades. Some are perfect for families; others cater for water-sporty types, naturalists or nudists. Mallorca doesn’t do party beaches in the Ibiza style, preferring the gentler pleasures of daytime beach clubs with drinks, music and a chilled seaside vibe. Whether you’re looking to take your ease on a sun-lounger with a Cosmopolitan in hand, feast on grilled fish at a feet-in-the-sand chiringuito or pick your way through the sun-warmed pinewoods to a magical cala, there’s something here for every beach goer.
Getty ImagesCala Deià
A winding single-lane road leads from the village of Deià to a pretty pebble beach sheltered by wooded escarpments. Once a tiny fishing port, this idyllic cala is now patronised by a footloose international crowd of fashion and music-industry folk, Instagrammers and floating Deià residents. A couple of rustic chiringuitos serve up simple rice dishes and grilled fish at un-simple prices; Ca’s Patró, up on the left as you approach the beach, is the nicer of the two. Parking at the beach is a nightmare in high season – consider a short hike from the village down a footpath (it’s signposted) among olive groves and orchards.
Getty ImagesCala Mondragó
Set like a jewel among the woods and crags of a nature reserve just outside the south-eastern town of Santanyí, this cala (also known as Sa Font de NAlis) strikes a balance between user-friendliness and natural beauty. Still blessedly free of high-rise hotels and villas, it nevertheless offers a few basic mod cons from a beach-bar chiringuito to a parasol and hammock rental service. A car park lies just six minutes’ walk from the sand. Its easy accessibility is a double-edged sword, however, and it can be heaving on summer weekends (also on Wednesdays after the popular market in Santanyí). Need more peace and quiet? Walk the 400m along the coast to the less-frequented but equally beautiful Cala S’Amarador.
Getty ImagesCala Torta
This is the real thing: the secret unspoiled beach that locals would rather you didn’t know about. Protected by its out-of-the-way location in the island’s less-traversed north-east corner, the cala is a romantic sweep of sand best visited on a calm day with no wind (it being somewhat exposed to the notorious Serra de Tramuntana). Head north out of Artá, park as close as you dare and walk the last few hundred metres. The basic chiringuito has closed as it fell foul of environmental regulations, so bring everything you’re likely to need. The dazzling blue water hides a steep drop to sudden depth: children should be supervised.
Getty ImagesPlatja de Alcúdia
This gently curving 3km stretch of sand beside the medieval town of Alcúdia is not only beautiful and well-maintained but ticks all the boxes for a family beach day. The shallow warm and impeccably clear water is a dream for small children, and the fine white sand is, according to experts in the field, ideal for sandcastle building. Showers, changing rooms and loos are provided; kayaks and pedalos are available for hire; there’s even a playground. A wooden boardwalk leads to restaurants and bars, but this is no party beach; there’s a pleasantly low-key atmosphere even on high-summer days, and the generous expanse of sand means it almost never feels crowded.
Getty ImagesPortitxol
A former fishing port, the half-moon curve of Portixol has in recent years become one of Palma’s most desirable barrios. And with good reason: this charming enclave with its seafront of fishermen’s houses lies just minutes by car (or a 10-minute stroll along the Paseo Maritimo) from the centre of town. The beach, mostly used by local residents, is lovely for a quiet evening dip before dinner at one of the innumerable restaurants that have sprung up along the strip (Sa Roqueta is a classic for fish).
Getty ImagesEs Trenc
The island’s famous ‘virgin’ beach, saved from the threat of development in 2008 after three decades of protest, stretches languidly along the south coast between Colònia de Sant Jordi and Sa Ràpita, backed by pinewoods where cicadas whirr in the midday heat. Expect white sand as fine as caster sugar and shallow waters of a phenomenal Caribbean blue – but don’t indulge any Robinson Crusoe fantasies; the fame of Es Trenc has spread far and wide. Bear in mind that the beach has no loos, showers or other installations, and you’ll need to bring your own sunshade. When the beach day ends, check out the nearby saltworks with their charming shack-like shop and café.
Getty ImagesPlatja d’es Carbó
True beach connoisseurs know that the harder it is to get to, the more pristine and paradisiacal the playa. Es Carbó is a fine example. Access is on foot from the south-coast town of Colònia de Sant Jordi – it’s a pleasant 3km walk along the coast, stopping for a dip at Platja d’es Dolç – but even this is too much for many trippers. It’s their loss: Es Carbó’s glassy waters of forget-me-not blue are a match for anywhere in the Med. The usual advice applies to this extra virgin beach: you’ll need to bring shade, food and drink, the whole kit.
Getty ImagesMagaluf
Its name lives in the annals of tabloid infamy, a byword for debauchery and bad behaviour by Brits. In fact, Magaluf has much more going for it than Sun readers might imagine. The beach itself is a classic, a sheltered southern bay with mirror-calm, crystal-clear water. An official campaign of smartening up is clearing out the drunks and transforming the resort’s 1970s hotels into retro-chic marvels such as the four-star Meliá South Beach (whose chic beachside Pez Playa restaurant does a mean arroz negro — rice with cuttlefish ink). Further proof of Magaluf’s upmarket ambitions can be gleaned at the Mallorcan branch of Nikki Beach – good for a sunset glass of Veuve, a boogie and a laugh.
Getty ImagesCala Formentor
The wild and woolly Formentor peninsula juts into the Mediterranean on the island’s far north tip. But nothing is truly remote on Mallorca, and Formentor is an easy (and spectacular) 10km drive on the Ma-2210 road from Port de Pollença. The legendary Formentor hotel, built by an Argentine millionaire in 1928 and a celebrity magnet for decades thereafter, overlooks a delicious little straggle of a beach, with narrow sands and gin-clear water. Behind the strip of sand are forests of oaks and ancient Aleppo pines – find your spot and snooze away the afternoon.
Getty ImagesCala Varques
Among the swathes of tourist development along Mallorca’s east coast lie coves, like this one outside Manacor, that have miraculously escaped the curse of urbanización. Set in a coastal landscape smelling of pine forest and sun-warmed herbs, Cala Varques is easily accessible (by car from Porto Cristo) but still feels tucked away, unspoiled and intimate. This is one of the island’s few beaches with an Ibiza-style hippy vibe: nudism is a thing, and barefoot bohos sell jewellery and bottled water. No sunbeds, no facilities, no water sports, no noise, but plenty of good pottering to be done in the cala’s grottoes and natural stone arch.
Getty ImagesCaló des Moro
This hidden (geographically, at least) beach on Mallorca's southeast coast is folded between cliffs and backed by scrubby greenery. No longer a secret, in the summer months, it's a popular spot for tourists and locals to pitch up on the slim strip of sand and slip into the gin-clear waters, so don't expect to sink into a sun lounger on the sand – you may well be perching on the rocks. But it's worth it, as we named this beach one of the prettiest places in Mallorca.
Getty ImagesCala Fornells
Cala Fornells's glistering waters, sugary sand, lush trees and widescreen views make this not only one of the best stretches of sand in Mallorca, but one of the best beaches in Spain as a whole. You can park for free nearby, and there's a little beach bar here for refreshments after an afternoon soaking up rays or swimming in the calm waters.
Sophie KnightCa's Patró March
Ca's Patró March is certainly not the most comfortable beach in Mallorca – more rocky than sandy. It's also not the easiest to find – the sharp turning can be easily missed after a very bendy drive down from Deià. Once you arrive, though, you're rewarded with one of the island's prettiest restaurants which peeks out over the sea. “As tables are snapped up quickly, put your name down on the waiting list and snooze in the sun while you wait for your spot,” Sophie Knight advises in our guide to the prettiest places in Mallorca.