5 must-see Balearic bays for an off-season cruise

Speaking of boating vacations when one says Spain one inevitably thinks of the Balearic Islands. In fact, it is the largest archipelago in the Western Mediterranean Sea and consists of the four main, and all of them beautiful for sailors, islands of Majorca, Menorca, Ibiza, and Formentera, as well as from several smaller islands, the most famous of which is Cabrera. To boaters, the Balearic Islands offer not only a unique and unspoiled natural landscape but also a nice mix of entertainment and nightlife. We have chosen five ideal bays for you to discover the charms of this archipelago.

1. Cala Pi 39°22′ 00N – 02°50′ 00E Majorca, Balearic Islands.
This is one of the best known bays on the southern coast of Mallorca and is characterized by being surrounded by rocky cliffs. It is located 2 miles E of Cap Blanco and can also be recognized from the sea by the presence of a tower located SE of the entrance. In its interior, it moors in 2 to 5-meter depths on sand and seaweed. Just W of the entrance to Cala Pi is then an even smaller, sheltered cove called Cala Beltran.

2. Cala Caragol 39°17′ 00N – 03°02′ 00E Majorca, Balearic Islands.
Truly fascinating bay, Cala Caragol is enclosed by a beach and enclosed between the rocky Punta Negra and the eponymous islet of Caragol. Conspicuous, for those arriving from the sea, are a pine forest and an old bunker located right in the middle of the bay. Naturists often meet there in summer. You can give bottom in 4/5 meters of water on sand. Also not far away are two lidos: the beautiful Playa de sa Roquetas and the wild Cala Enturgores.

3. Cala En Porter 39°52′ 00N – 04°08′ 00E Menorca, Balearic Islands.
A panoramic fjord about 300 meters deep and enclosed between high cliffs, it also houses villas, hotels, restaurants and clubs on its E side. Conspicuous at the entrance is the Torre Nova, an ancient building erected so that it is clearly visible right on the edge of the cliff, less than a mile ONO from the entrance. You can bottom out in the center of the cove about 150 meters from the beach in 3 to 5 meters of water on sand.

4. Cala S’Escala 40°02′ 80N – 03°55′ 00E Menorca, Balearic Islands.
On the NO corner of the island is a vast inlet in which are even three bays, all beautiful to visit. The first one encountered coming from O is just Cala S’Escala, in which it is possible to give bottom in front of the pebble beach on sand and pebbles bottom. A little further E is Cala Fontanelles, a delightful anchorage surrounded by hills and a sand and pebble beach. It is well recognizable because in front of the entrance, at O, is the islet Escull de Ses Ginjoles. Largest of the three is finally Cala de Algayerens, a bay enclosed by two beaches, divided by a rounded rock. Be careful entering or leaving: in front of Punta Rotja, which borders the bay to the E, there are dangerous rocks at the water’s edge.

5. Cala Codola 39°57′ 00N – 01°14′ 00E Ibiza, Balearic Islands.
Many boaters consider it the most beautiful bay in Ibiza: located in the SO corner of the coast, it is open to the SO, but falls back into the coast for about 250 meters, providing good shelter. Its E end is hemmed in by a beach surrounded by pine trees. The seabed, 11 meters deep at the entrance, gently decreases toward the bottom of the inlet. Halfway down the cove, on kelp bottom, you can drop anchor in 6 meters of water. Or you can go up to 100 meters from the beach and then drop anchor in 3 meters of water on sand.