I have just spent three days in Cala Santanyi and I wanted to write a post for anyone thinking of doing the same thing. It is a gorgeous little beach villa about 40 minutes from Palma De Mallorca airport, with bright blue water and white, soft sand. Without further ado, let’s chat all things Cala Santanyi.

Cala Santanyi

The beach is a relatively small beach in a cove. You can approach the beach from the back (Carrer Sa Costa Dets Etics is the street name) and there is parking there. You can also park your car on Carrer De Sa Torre Nova and walk down a relatively steep but short hill to the beach. Finally, you can park on the other side (Carrer De La Dosta D’en Nofre) and walk down a steep set of steps to get to the beach.

In terms of accessibility, I would say it is a bit difficult to get to if you have mobility constraints and come from the sides of the beach. Your best bet is to park at the back of the beach (Carrer Sa Costa Dets Etics).

The beach

The beach itself has white, soft sand and gentle waves. You can rent a beach chair and umbrella as well as kayaks and what not nearby. I am not an expert on the needs of children but I would say this is a family friendly beach. There are toilets, showers, shade and plenty of shallow water. It is not a super wavy or exposed beach, being a cove, so the flat calm water is suitable for kids.

The beach itself extends back a fair way which leaves plenty of sand for people to sit on. I’d say it had quite a decent capacity in terms of accomodating lots of people.

The water (as it is a cove) extends out far enough that you can swim in the depths while remaining in the cove. Boats moored in the cove and people swam out to meet them.

ABC Mallorca writes that there are shower and toilet facilities on the beach, although I am not sure if they are connected to a restaurant (which might mean you have to pay).

Restaurants

There aren’t a huge number of restaurants in the area compared to other beach resorts in Mallorca. I assume this is partly because a lot of the accomodation is housing or apartments with kitchens. Cafe Drac is arguably the most well known and sits alongside the beach with a stunning view. It is open from 12pm and serves everything from coffee to burgers to tapas to sangria.

There is another bistro and bar on the beach called Bistro Bar Bonavista. I didn’t go here so I can’t vouch for the food but it is another option. There is also a restaurant to the right of Bistro Bar Bonavista called Hostal Playa Cala Santanyi. I didn’t eat here but there was lots of seating, unlike Cafe Drac which is quite small.

At the back of the beach near the car park is S’ona beach, which I didn’t eat at either. There are mixed reviews online, mostly in regards to the service (but take TripAdvisor with an absolute grain of salt).

Up the stairs on the Carrer de la Costa D’en Nofre side of the beach, there is Voramar. This is not only a mini supermarket but also a restaurant. The supermarket is very handy and sells all the basics. There is a bakery inside (I didn’t see if they sold coffee) and you can get fruit, veg and anything you need for a short stay. Their website says the supermarket opens at 8.30am.

Voramar also has a restaurant which is located above the supermarket. It has gorgeous views of Cala Santanyi and the food is probably the best I had in Cala Santanyi.

Just down the road from Voramar is Es Points Bar y Cervecería. I wanted to eat here but as I found a little blind stray cat in Cala Santanyi I ran out of time. This restaurant looked nice and casual and gets good reviews online.

Things to do

Aside from lounging about in your accomodation (which likely overlooks the water) or lounging on the beach, there are plenty of things to do here.

Firstly, you can rent kayaks and explore the water and coastline in your own time.

You can also walk the coast on foot on the Carrer De Sa Torre Nova side – if you follow the rocky cliff face there are plenty of opportunities for jumping into the water.

Cala Santanyi is a 36 minute walk from Cala Llombards, if you’re in the mood for a stroll. I would recommend not going in the heat of the day in summer as it gets very hot and humid. I drove to Cala Llombards after visiting Calo Des Moro as they are all quite close to each other.

In the opposite direction, Cala Figuera is approximately a 45 minute walk. My air bnb host said that you can walk along the cliff side but I didn’t get time to do this.

Mirador de Es Pontas, which is a landmark, is a 10-15 minute walk. This is a natural arch in the ocean made from limestone.

Of course, you can also drive into Santanyi itself. It is only a 7 minute drive from the beach and has a gorgeous selection of cafes and restaurants. There is a market on Wednesday and Saturday which is well worth checking out.

I also used Cala Santanyi as my base for visiting Calo Des Moro And Cala S’Almunia. Cala Pi is a 40 minute drive away, so you could also visit Cala Pi (and Es Trenc) if you’re in the mood for a day trip from Cala Santanyi.

Where to stay in Cala Santanyi

There are lots of options for accomodation in Cala Santanyi if you book early enough. There is a gorgeous fishermen’s cottage on the water called Cal Tio Miquel which would be absolutely stunning if you manage to snag a reservation.

Aside from that, pretty much the whole cove on either side is accomodation. I stayed in a villa on the Carrer De Sa Torre Nova which was stunning but very extravagant (I booked when I thought someone was coming with me but I ended up on a solo trip). I liked this side of the beach as it was ‘residential’ and quiet. There are also lots of lovely houses to snoop.

I would recommend getting in very early, particularly for the summer season. If you leave booking hotels to the last minute in Mallorca, the best ones are long gone.

Parking and driving in Cala Santanyi

As someone who drives on the opposite side back home, I was quite nervous about the driving and parking situation. I drove straight from Palma airport to Cala Santanyi, so I can only speak to this route.

Driving was straightforward enough, although the roads do get quite thin as you get close to the beach. I was lucky enough that I didn’t encounter any cars coming in the opposite direction, but I’m sure it would be manageable if you did.

Because my accomodation was off to the side of the beach, I didn’t have to use the beach carpark (at the back of the beach). That car park is paid, while other areas are free.

Parking on Carrer De Sa Torre Nova, where I stayed, was achievable but busy. Cars come and go but it was a bit of a tight fit in places. In the middle of a hot summer day it would be difficult (but not impossible) to park.

If you plan to stay for a few days, I would recommend finding accomodation with a car park, leaving your car in one spot or being open to moving it around.

Tips

Get to the beach early! This is a tip for pretty much everywhere in the high season in Mallorca but worth mentioning. I could see the beach from my accomodation and it was empty at 8am, but jam packed at 3pm. Getting there early will make it easier to park and easier to get a lounger.

Getting to beaches early and leaving early also means you avoid any hairy driving situations on the skinny roads. There were some beaches I went to that I absolutely wouldn’t have wanted to encounter cars (or worse, buses) on the road.

If you are travelling with someone with limited mobility, use the back car park (Carrer Sa Costa Dets Etics). This probably also applies if you have kids.

Although I didn’t stay up late enough to know, I wouldn’t say this is a party area. There are a few hostels around but not many (if any) late night bars. The vibe is focused on the beach and water activities.

If you are a coffee person, make sure you have some at your accomodation. Although Voramar might have a coffee machine, no cafes were open in the morning. I walked down to the beach at 8am and everything was closed.

Best view spots in Cala Santanyi

If you’re only here for an afternoon, here are the best view spots I found.

• Cafe Drac at one of the beachside seats. A view of the bright blue water while you eat, what could be better?
• On the cliffs of the Carrer De Sa Torre Nova side, overlooking the fishermen huts. You can walk around the cliff from the beach if you walk slightly up the hill and then take the stairs down in front of the accomodation on the hillside. They wind around the front of the accomodation and onto a bush track style path.
• Near the fishermen huts on the Carrer De La Costa D’en Nofre side. Walk up from the beach and take a left before going up the stairs.
• The stairs going up to the Carrer De La Costa D’en Nofre are also a nice vantage point.