Sea & Beach Reviews from Mallorca

A secret was revealed to me this past weekend and I thought long and hard about sharing it with you, readers..

During the summer months there are plenty of opportunities to take boat trips across the calm sea in the North of Mallorca. There is a regular boat service from the popular tourist town of Puerto Pollensa to the beach at Formentor, where the sea is clear blue and the sand is soft.

Cala Sant Vicenç, also known in Spanish as Cala San Vicente is a small beach resort located on the Mallorcan coast between Pollenca and Puerto Pollensa. Tucked away between the Tramuntana Mountains, the clear waters of Cala Sant Vicenc are surrounded by impressive rocky cliffs. There are three magnificent beaches here each boasting views that stretch out across the sea for as far as the eye can see.

It's late October, and still the sun shines in Mallorca. And not just that autumnal sun that provides such wonderful light, but proper hot sunshine. It was a blissful 27 degrees yesterday, and with Northern Europe under the influence of a cold northerly front, we thank our lucky stars that we are here, away from the grey and the damp.

In addition to the smart beach clubs that Mallorca has to offer, there are a number of more relaxed beach bars where you can enjoy food and drink either right on the beach or right next door to the beach.

The Port of Soller is on the North West coast of Mallorca, nestling in the foothills of the Tramuntana mountain range. In my opinion we have got it all here – from the majestic mountains that surround us down to our perfect horse shoe bay. Despite a thirty year association with the place, I would never have envisaged what is happening here today.

The sound of clinking glasses, popping corks and champagne bubbles filled the air around the harbour in Palma this weekend as we celebrated the end of the 2010 Superyacht Cup. The Superyacht Cup, which has been running for 15 years, is a race like no other. Twenty privately owned sailing yachts, which are generally designed for cruising rather than racing, set off in a staggered start with the fastest at the back of the pack and the slowest at the front. Over the course, the boats behind catch the slower vessels out in front so that the finish is close one with all the boats meeting at the line. First one to cross is the winner.

We left our lovely home town of Pollensa and set out for the west of the island. One of the great things about the island is that everywhere is so accessible, within 50 minutes we had traversed the island and arrived at Port d’Andratx for a leisurely walk along the sea front. 

Sailing in Mallorca is big business. In the last few alone decades new marinas have been built at Puerto Portals and Port Adriano to accommodate luxury yachts and Palma has one of the largest harbours in Europe for non commercial vessels.

The Port of Soller is heating up (35 degrees today) and welcoming its visitors for the summer. The Repic beach is the main playground, and the choice of which part of the beach you sit on is a decision of the day. Some of the deckchair vendors are attached to local restaurants and the expectation is that if you sit on their deckchairs you will buy your snacks and lunch from them. 

We arrived 15 minutes late. It would have been considered early if we were meeting Spaniards, however Mark and Chris are proud Yorkshire men. They are also the father and son team who run the yacht charter company in Puerto Soller, on the western coast of Mallorca.

The hot August sun is beating down on Mallorca and it is the perfect time to sit back, relax and give your skin the vitamin D it has been craving all year. This baking sun is an extraordinary 30-33 degrees at the moment and so a day at the beach with it's gentle breeze and gorgeous sea is the perfect way to stay cool.

Can you keep a secret?

During the peak season even the quietest beaches and most secret bays in Mallorca become busy. Finding a space on the beach in Palma or any of the popular beach resorts can become difficult and the water becomes cloudy as hundreds of people stir up the sand.

I drove down to see what Cala Ratjada was like as a friend had suggested I take a look. It is clear when you arrive that the town is another German stronghold on the island, with specials boards outside restaurants written almost exclusively in German, with the odd bit of Spanish and English.

The Sol Wave House Hotel in the Majorca beach resort of Magaluf is part of an plan to bring a bit more class to the resort. The main attraction at the hotel are the two wave machines that make learning to surf and even ride barrels a reality in the flat calm of Mallorca's beaches.

The sheltered bay of Puerto Pollenca features the stunning back drop of the Tramuntana mountains which can be seen from all over the resort. The warm summer evenings are ideal for taking strolls along the pedestrianised promenades along the front which lead towards the famous Pine Walk where you'll also find the D’Albercuix beach running along side.