Mediterranean Sea Archives

Mallorca Beach Guide

Mallorca is one of the most legendary sun, sea, and sand destinations in the world. Not only a Spanish favourite, Majorca has consistently been a top holiday destination for Europeans for more than five decades. The draw? Well, we think it’s related to the turquoise waters and the rugged beach coves. Clever huh!?

MALLORCA, SPAIN
Area: 3,640 km² (1,405 sq. mi.)
Location: Balearic Islands, Mediterranean
Population: 870,000 Mallorcans
Language: Spanish
Capital: Palma
Highest Point: 1,445 m (4,741 ft.)
Weather: Temperate subtropical
Coastline: From rocky to sandy, long sandy beaches and small coves

While Mallorca has great options for shopping, eating, sleeping, cycling, and hiking, we will direct our focus on the beaches. Whether you want beaches with shower facilities, lifeguards, white sand, rocks, watersports, sunbeds, party vibes, shade, and/or goats (yes of course), Mallorca has it.

What it doesn’t have is a beach for you and only you. The island’s beaches, coves, and bays have already been discovered long ago.

Especially if you are visiting during the beach friendly months of May to October, the most accessible and impressive beaches will be rather packed with people. Don’t let that put you off; take in the lively scenes and enjoy it!

Mallorca’s Top Beaches

We thought (and explored) hard, and came up with the following categories for Mallorcan beaches to guide you on your beach quest:

Mallorca’s Most Adventurous Beach

Playa Coll Baix

This beach is not easy to get, unless you cheat and take a boat. Well, that’s okay too, but you would miss the feeling of accomplishment of getting there on foot. The hike to the beach takes around 45 minutes. The route is not always apparent, and it involves some zig-zagging down a slopy hillside and some crawling on the rocks before reaching there.

The bay is stunning, especially as you approach it from afar. The beach mostly consists of dark pebbles that tend to get rather warm in the baking sun, so it’s not one of the most comfortable beaches to play around on.

This beach is considered a “hidden beach” by locals, and you will find a lot less people here than most of Mallorca’s beaches. You may, however, find yourself in the company of a few goats.

Mallorca’s Most Charming Beach

Cala Deià

Deià is a charming village situated in the western end of the Tramuntana mountain range. From here there is a very steep and curvy dead end road down towards the shore.

Despite not having a sandy beach, visitors flock to this rocky bay because of great snorkelling and an overdose of deep turquoise water. On top of that, Cala Deià has two restaurants offering spectacular views. If we were to chose a place for a romantic dinner, this would be it – although we wouldn’t recommend driving this road in the dark.

Mallorca’s Most Spectacular Beach

Caló des Moro

The setting of this beach is absolutely magnificent. It is squeezed in between two parallel flanks of steep rocks, which gives you the feeling that you are swimming in a canyon river. There are large flat rocks at the shore, but otherwise the seabed is soft and sandy.

A steep path from a rock plateau leads you down to the beach. The beach itself is only around 40 meters wide and it has a backdrop of various rock formations. Getting to Caló des Moro is not so simple, but it is without question worth the effort. The area has a strict residents only car zone, so you have to park the car at a nearby parking lot and walk 20 minutes from there.

The crowds at the beach are predominantly locals, but the reputation of the spot has widely spread. In the high season, we recommend that you come before 10 AM if you want to secure a good spot on the beach.

Mallorca’s Best Beaches for Watersport

Bahia de Pollensa

On a windy day, you’ll be met with a colourful array of kites at Bahia de Pollensa. This is the kite surfing hub of the island, and you will find a handful of rental services along the beach. The beach itself is narrow and filled with seaweed. The seabed is also rather mushy which makes this beach less suitable for regular swimming and tanning.

If you are here to kite surf, that is all the better, because you won’t have to navigate through crowds of people enjoying the sea. The depth of the sea stays shallow for a long stretch as you walk out, which makes it ideal for kite surfing. Windsurfing is also available here, but less practiced. On days with limited wind, you can rent a SUP board instead.

Bahia de Pollensa is located in the northeastern corner of Mallorca, easily accessible by road. The road runs along the beach with ample parking opportunities on the opposite side of the beach.

Playa de Muro

A short half hour drive south of Bahia de Pollensa, you will reach Playa de Muro. The beach stretches as far as the eye can see. The beach is separated into several sections, and a couple of these have either windsurfing, kitesurfing or SUP boarding courses and rentals.

On top of that, the beach here is very nice with fine sand and a very child friendly shore. The first 50 meters out are shallow, so it’s a great place to let your kids play. Contrary to Bahia de Pollensa this beach has a lot of visitors and the hotels are lined up behind it.

Mallorca’s Most Family Friendly Beach

Playa de Formentor

Speaking of family friendly, our top recommendation is Playa de Formentor. The road to there is a cozy forest road leading you through some nice pine forest. There is paid parking near the beach. A strip of pine forest along the beach provides plenty opportunities for shade.

At the beach there are opportunities to get something to eat and facilities such as a beach shower and toilets. The water is crystal clear, and again you can walk far out from the beach with the water not reaching your belly button. Formentor is actually a bay, and it’s protectedness make the water very calm at most times.

Behind the beach are the lush gardens of Formentor, a Royal Hideaway Hotel. This is a classic five-star resort with a rich history of accommodating celebreties such as Grace Kelly, Charlie Chaplin, and Winston Churchill. This is one of Mallorca’s most iconic hotels.

Mallorca’s Best Beach

Cala Torta

Among the many superb beaches of Mallorca, selecting the best one is both challenging and dependent on what you are looking for in a beach experience. That still doesn’t stop us from selecting Cala Torta.

Could this be the widest beach ever? A canyon full of fine sand for approximately 200 meters leads you down to the shoreline. So even though the beach can get crowded, there is always an opportunity to find an empty spot.

The beach is equipped with a beach bar serving food and drinks. During the high season there are lifeguards here, as the waters can get rowdy with strong currents and relatively big waves. If you like fighting waves this could be your favourite too.

Getting to Cala Torta is a bit of an adventure, since the road leading to the beach is an ill-maintained gravel road. Perhaps this is why the beach, despite its popularity, is still not as crowded as some of Mallorca’s other popular beaches.

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Resources for Exploring Mallorca’s Beaches

There are plenty of good reviews of the beaches of Mallorca. Here is a list of resources that we think are useful and informative in case you want to research further.

abcMallorca’s Best beaches in Majorca

SeeMallorca.com’s Best Beaches in Mallorca

Charles Marlow’s Mallorca’s ten best hidden beaches and calas

Mallorca Spotlight’s Mallorca’s best beaches

For more Mediterranean beaches, don’t forget to check our overview of the beaches of Crete Island in Greece.

Guest post by Cal Bailey, Mountain Leon.

Crete is the largest of the Greek islands. You can find it between the northern side of the Libyan Sea and the southern side of Aegean Sea. Crete has a coastline that stretches across more than a thousand kilometers (650 miles), along which there is an abundance of magnificent beaches.

Crete’s beaches are world famous, so as you might expect the island can get pretty busy during peak season.

Greek traditional town overlooking the sea

Exploring the island’s beaches is almost a given if you visit, and as all are well looked after and clean, you’ll find surprisingly untarnished scenes: white sands, sparkling blue waters, impressive cliffs and forests. People travel great distances to appreciate the amazing beaches, the relaxed Greek lifestyle and the stunning scenery in and around the island.

Whether you prefer bustling, lively beaches with lots of entertainment, or peaceful, relaxing beaches, Crete is a safe bet. Each of its beaches is unique, so check out our guide to find the perfect beaches for your trip:

Best of the Busy Beaches

Matala Beach

Matala beach is a firm favourite with those looking to indulge in the romantic side of life. That’s so easy here simply because it’s totally beautiful! The beach does attract a lot of tourists because of this fact, but the atmosphere is great and you couldn’t get bored if you tried.

Matala beach is lively and fun, and there is plenty to see and do. The views are gorgeous – especially if you go over the hill to the Red Beach, a stunning one-time hippie spot that has now been claimed by tourists.

Elafonisi Beach

Photo credits: Incrediblecrete.gr

Elafonisi Beach is one of Crete’s most famous beaches. Not many beaches are dubbed ‘heaven on earth’, so the clue is in the name! Sands here are pinkish-white, soft as can be and lined with fragrant cedar trees. Elafonisi is incredibly beautiful and inviting, so you won’t be alone there – especially in peak season.

It’s a well-organised beach with plenty of cantinas, snack bars, showers and changing rooms, and if you want to stay there overnight, you can camp. When you want shade, relax under an umbrella. Families particularly like this beach as the water reaches only 1 metre in height, so it’s safer for younger kids. Lifeguards patrol the beach regardless.

Best of the Relaxing Beaches

Istro Beach

If busy beaches aren’t your thing, consider the crystal blue waters and soft white sands of Istro beach. It is a very large beach, so there are plenty of sun-loungers and umbrellas waiting for those who want to spend their day lounging in front of the ocean with a good book.

The atmosphere is truly peaceful, with everyone keeping themselves to themselves. There are private spots for when you wish to be (more or less) alone! When you’re hungry, pop over to one of the tavernas close by. You can sample some of the islands’ finest seafood and other tasty local dishes.

Rodakino Beach

Photo credits: Incrediblecrete.gr

Rodakino beach is located on the south side of Rethymno, and isn’t far from the village of Plakias, so it’s worth visiting both on the same day if you have time. Rodakino is a sizeable beach with sands and waters typical of this exceptional island.

It has a decent number of sunbeds, if you want to recline in the sun. Although it is organized, it has also been left alone to a certain extent. You can expect a calm atmosphere here; there are likely to be families and couples making use of this partly secluded beach. If you want to stay nearby you can rent an apartment, and there are plenty of decent tavernas close by too.

Beaches with Watersports

Voulisma Beach

Photo credits: Cretanbeaches.com

For some, a holiday wouldn’t be a holiday without a few watersports thrown in. Voulisma beach is as a good a beach as any for that. It has been affectionately nicknamed ‘golden beach’, which indicates its level of beauty. White sands and turquoise-blue waters combine to make the kind of postcard-worthy scene that inspires people to visit.

Voulisma is a very carefully organised beach, so although it is busy, you should always find a sun lounger, and an umbrella when you need shade. Voulisma has ‘Blue Flag’ status, meaning that the sea is mostly calm. Water sports are one of the biggest draws of this beach, but it’s also great for just chilling out and taking in the sights.

Falassarna Beach

Photo credits: Destinationcrete.gr

Falassarna Beach in Chania Town is the go-to beach for windsurf lovers, as it has a windsurfing station throughout the summer. Falassarna has a reputation for being one of the cleanest beaches in Greece; it was also awarded status as one of Crete’s best beaches and is considered to be one of Europe’s top ten.

Families tend to like this beach as it has great facilities, several tavernas and places to stay close by, but it appeals to all kinds of people. It’s worth visiting just to see the old Roman ruins of the ancient city Falassarna.

Beaches with a Difference

Glyka Nera Beach

Photo credits: Cretanbeaches.com

Glyka Nera means ‘sweet water’ and with its deep blue colour, you can see how it earned its name. There are many pebbles here, which makes it quite a striking sight; one of the most interesting features of Glyka Nera Beach is the water that bubbles up from the springs below the pebbles. The water is clean enough to drink… it’s cool, refreshing and natural.

The beach is accessible only by boat, but it is well served by a tavern on a rock. You won’t need to buy water thanks to the abundant spring water, and the tamarisk trees around the beach provide plenty of shade. Don’t forget to check out the cave and its shrine, and bear in mind that there are no toilets anywhere here… there are plenty of naturists, however!

Balos Beach

Another Chania Town beach, Balos, is one of Crete’s most loved beaches. Looking down from the hilltops, it will seem that you’re beholding a beautiful blue lagoon. The waters here are shimmering and clear, warm and shallow; the sand is soft and white, with a pinkish tinge.

During July and August it can get pretty crowded, so it may be smart to arrive in the morning before the boats roll in. Snorkeling is popular at Balos Beach, and you might even see monk seals and loggerhead turtles. Look out for the rocky island called Gramvoussa, which has a Venetian castle and excellent sea views.

A Cretan Beach for Everyone

Whether you’re in Crete for the relaxation, the watersports or even the skinny-dipping opportunities, there is a beach for you. The entire island is beautiful, but we wouldn’t mind betting you’ll spend most of your time on these idyllic beaches!