Cala Comtesa

Cala Comtesa is the little beach Palma families head for in Ses Illetes (Calvià), a stone's throw from Illetes beach: a small crescent of fine white sand at the bottom of a slope, between pines and low rock shelves, with water that's still and glassy first thing. About 200 m out sits a rocky islet you can swim to, and the swim is good snorkelling – fish, the odd octopus, rocky ground on either side. What makes it different is that it's half an hour from Palma and has everything: sunbeds and parasols to hire, a lifeguard, showers, a beach bar with a terrace under the pines (pa amb oli, fish, drinks – pricey for what it is, almost everyone agrees) and a small coffee bar up by the road, where there are also coin-operated toilets. Palma's city bus runs to the end of the line, close to the cove. The price of all that is the crowd: it's tiny, and in summer – August Sundays above all – there's no room for a towel, the water clouds over by mid-morning and people complain about litter, pigeons and the occasional theft. The car park at the bottom is small and pay-and-display; there's free parking further away, but uphill. If you want calm, head for the rocks at the sides, where a ladder takes you into the water and there's shade most of the day, or keep walking along the coast to quieter pebbly coves. Good for small children thanks to the sand and still water, but twice as nice outside July and August.

Reviewed in November 2026