Mallorca Boat Trips and Charters from the Southwest: A Complete Guide

Mallorca boat trips from the southwest of the island open up a version of the coastline that simply does not exist from the land. The stretch of coast between Illetes in the east and Sa Dragonera in the west contains some of the most beautiful coves, sea caves and clear water anchorages in the Mediterranean — and the majority of them are either impossible to reach on foot or so awkward to access that they remain effectively empty even in peak season. A car gets you to the beach. A boat gets you somewhere else entirely. For residents and property owners in Santa Ponsa, Portals Nous and the surrounding area, having access to a boat — whether your own, chartered by the day or rented by the hour — is one of those decisions that fundamentally changes what Mallorca means to you as a place to live. This guide covers the full range: the coves worth visiting, the charter and rental options operating from the southwest's two main marinas, the day trips and excursions available, and what to consider if you are thinking about a longer passage to the other Balearic islands.

The Coves That Only a Boat Reaches

The southwest coast of Mallorca between Portals Nous and Andratx is studded with coves and anchorages that the road system never connects to. Some have a path of sorts — a scramble down pine-covered cliffs that arrives at a patch of sand with no facilities and no crowds — but the straightforward approach is from the sea, and the reward is water that is notably cleaner, clearer and emptier than anything accessible by car.

Portals Vells is one of the most celebrated of these. A deeply sheltered inlet with three small beaches — Platja de Portals Vells, Cala Mago and El Mago — set into tall sandstone cliffs south of Magaluf, Portals Vells is famous for the sea caves carved into its eastern cliff by medieval stonecutters who used the rock to build Palma Cathedral. The caves extend several metres into the cliff and are large enough to swim through at low tide. Anchoring off Portals Vells for lunch is one of the classic southwest Mallorca days on the water.

Cala Blanca, just west of Cala Vinyes, is a calm, shallow cove with gin-clear water and good holding for anchoring. It is far less visited than the main resort beaches a short distance away, and on a weekday in early June or September it is effectively private. Cala Fornells, with La Gran Tortuga restaurant perched above it since 1974, is a natural lunch stop on any westward passage — anchor below, swim in, eat well, continue. Camp de Mar, a small bay east of Andratx with a pier restaurant famously accessible by stepping stones across the water, is another obvious waypoint. The coves around the Andratx headland — Cala Llamp, Cala Egos — are worth the extra miles for their seclusion and depth of colour.

Illetes, in the other direction east toward Palma, is one of the finest small beaches in Europe by any measure — consistently ranked among the best on the continent for water clarity and the quality of the setting. From the sea the approach reveals why: a narrow inlet of shallow turquoise water between low rocky headlands, with almost no development visible from the water. Arriving by boat rather than by road removes the parking question and puts you in the water faster.

Sa Dragonera — The Island Worth the Passage

Sa Dragonera is a small uninhabited island four kilometres long and one kilometre wide, lying just off the coast at Sant Elm, declared a Natural Park in 1995. It takes its name from its dragon-like profile seen from the sea, and it has been a protected nature reserve long enough that the wildlife has recovered to remarkable levels — Eleonora's falcons nest on the northwest cliffs, around 400 breeding pairs of the rare Balearic shearwater live on the island, and an endemic subspecies of the Balearic lizard has developed here found nowhere else in the world. Three lighthouses stand at intervals along the island's rocky spine, and the western cliffs rise over 350 metres above the sea.

From Santa Ponsa by boat the passage to Sa Dragonera runs along the full length of the southwest coast — past Cala Blanca, Cala Fornells, Camp de Mar, Port d'Andratx and Sant Elm — and takes between two and three hours at a comfortable cruising speed depending on conditions. The journey is as good as the destination, with the Serra de Tramuntana mountains rising behind the coast as you move west and the water changing character as the open Mediterranean opens beyond Andratx. Boats can anchor at the small natural harbour on the eastern side of the island, known as Cala Lladoner or Robber's Bay, and passengers go ashore at the dock from April to October. A ranger station near the dock gives an overview of the island's ecology, guided hikes are available, and the walk to the highest point at Na Popia (353 metres) takes around three hours return.

Organised day trips to Sa Dragonera depart from Santa Ponsa and Peguera by catamaran — Sunbonoo operates a three-hour tour around the island with swimming stops and views of the Serra de Tramuntana, departing from the Club Nautico Santa Ponsa. Sa Calma Boats runs full-day trips from Port d'Andratx with snorkelling equipment and lunch included from 39 euros per person. For those chartering independently, Sa Dragonera is the natural western limit of a day passage from the southwest, combining the coastal coves on the outward leg with the island visit and a direct return east in the afternoon.

Charter and Rental from Santa Ponsa and Puerto Portals

Both Club Nautico Santa Ponsa and Puerto Portals marina are active charter and rental bases, with options suited to every level of experience and every budget from a two-hour self-drive to a week-long skippered passage.

Club Nautico Santa Ponsa, at Cala Sa Caleta with 522 moorings for vessels between 7 and 20 metres, is the larger of the two marinas and the more active charter base for day trips. Small motorboats are available to rent without a licence for two, four or six hours from the marina, with recommended routes including the Malgrats Islands, Cala Blanca and the coastline west toward Peguera. For those with a nautical licence, larger RIBs and motorboats can be chartered bareboat — Mallorcanautic operates from Santa Ponsa with a fleet ranging from smaller day boats to vessels suitable for overnight coastal passages, with daily rates from approximately 850 euros for smaller craft. The Sun and Sea crew operates the Branquita II, a 2021 Italian-built RIB with a Suzuki 115hp engine, available for eight-hour licensed charters from the Santa Ponsa base.

Puerto Portals is the natural base for a more curated charter experience. Lemon Tours operates private boat charters from Puerto Portals on a 9-metre vessel with a professional captain, accommodating up to nine people for four or eight-hour trips. The itinerary is flexible and can include Illetes, Cala Comtesa and Cala Fornells, with paddle surfing, snorkelling and optional water skiing and wakeboarding included. Cava, fruit and snacks are provided on board. Fuel is charged separately at around 300 euros per day. Mallorcanautic also operates from Puerto Portals, with a selection of vessels from day motorboats to larger craft suitable for longer coastal passages.

For those who want a skipper but a larger vessel, the bareboat and skippered charter market operating from Palma covers southwest departures readily — most operators will position a boat at Club Nautico Santa Ponsa or Puerto Portals for an agreed additional fee, and the passage from Palma to either marina is under an hour. Sailogy and other charter platforms list dozens of options for the southwest, from a Sun Odyssey 419 sailing yacht at around 1,800 euros per week to motor yachts capable of covering the island in a weekend.

No Licence Required

A boat licence is not required to hire the smaller motorboats available at Club Nautico Santa Ponsa — vessels under a certain engine power classification can be operated by anyone over 16. These boats, typically 4 to 5 metres with outboard engines of around 15 to 30 horsepower, are suitable for exploring the immediate coastline — the Malgrats Islands, Cala Blanca, the bays around Santa Ponsa — and represent an accessible first step onto the water for residents who have not yet considered boating. The general rule is that these vessels stay within two nautical miles of the coast and are not used for extended coastal passages, but for a morning's exploration of the coves directly accessible from Santa Ponsa they are perfectly suited.

Longer Passages — Menorca, Ibiza and the Other Baleares

For owners or charterers with proper sailing or motor yacht experience, the southwest of Mallorca is an excellent departure point for passages to the other Balearic Islands. Menorca lies approximately 180 kilometres northeast — an overnight passage on a sailing yacht or a day run on a fast motor cruiser. Ibiza is around 100 kilometres southwest, a manageable day passage in settled conditions. Formentera, the smallest of the main Balearics, is an additional 10 kilometres south of Ibiza. The summer passage windows across the Balearic Sea — broadly late May through September — are reliable if not entirely predictable, and the advice for anyone undertaking a first inter-island passage is to monitor the AEMET (Spanish meteorological agency) forecasts and plan for an early morning departure to avoid the afternoon thermal winds that build over the islands from midday. The Club Nautico Santa Ponsa harbourmaster's office maintains weather information and is a useful first stop for passage planning.

Owning a Boat in Mallorca

The question of buying a boat in Mallorca follows a similar logic to the property question: ownership involves upfront cost, annual maintenance and mooring fees, but delivers a quality of access and spontaneity that chartering cannot match. Mooring fees at Club Nautico Santa Ponsa for a vessel of 8 to 10 metres are approximately 3,000 to 6,000 euros per year depending on the berth position and length of contract. Puerto Portals mooring fees are higher, reflecting the premium marina position, and waiting lists for permanent berths at both marinas are significant — many owners keep vessels at Palma's larger marinas and use them for day passages to the southwest. The market for second-hand boats in Mallorca is active and well-developed, with reliable brokers operating from both marinas and from Palma, and the strong seasonal demand for charter means that an owner willing to put their vessel into a managed charter programme can offset a meaningful proportion of the annual running costs.

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