Coves & Calas by Boat — Es Trenc, Caló des Moro & the Southeast

Why It’s Worth Your Time

Mallorca's best beaches in the south and southeast are victims of their own beauty — Caló des Moro (the most photographed cove in Spain, tiny, turquoise, with dramatic rock formations) and Es Trenc (6km of Caribbean-white sand in a protected natural park) are both accessible by road but suffer from car-park queues, crowds from 10am, and the general misery of popular beaches in July. The solution is boats: day charters from Colònia de Sant Jordi (the small fishing harbor nearest Es Trenc) or rental dinghies from Portopetro allow access to these beaches from the water, with the boat as a floating sunbed and cooler box. The Cabrera Archipelago National Park (13 uninhabited islands 10km south of Colònia de Sant Jordi, accessible only by authorized day-trip boat) is the single finest nature destination in the Balearics: flamingos in the wetlands, crystal water of extraordinary clarity, a Blue Cave with bioluminescent plankton, WWII French prisoner-of-war castle, and the quality of an island group that hasn't had a permanent resident since the 1940s. Day trips include guided snorkeling and lunch; book at least a week ahead in season.

What Stands Out

• Caló des Moro by boat: the most photographed cove in Spain, accessible without the car-park queue and mid-morning crowd
• Es Trenc by boat: 6km of white sand in a protected natural park — the floating sunbed approach to the best beach in Mallorca
• Cabrera Archipelago National Park: uninhabited islands, Blue Cave, WWII history, clearest water in the Balearics — the finest nature destination
• Day charters from Colònia de Sant Jordi: the practical approach to accessing southeast Mallorca's finest coastline
• Book Cabrera at least a week ahead in summer: the daily authorized visitor limit fills quickly