Cala Petita

Cala Petita is exactly what the name says: a cove less than 20 metres wide at the end of a narrow, finger-like inlet, under a kilometre from Porto Cristo, between rock walls and scrub. What there is to lie on is a little sand mixed with stones plus the rocks on either side, so it fills up fast. There are two ways in: on foot from Porto Cristo along the coastal path, 15 to 30 minutes depending on where you start, through prickly bushes, roots and pitted rock with hardly any signs; or by following your satnav, which ends at a private house where the owner charges a few euros to park on his land and points you down the track, then it's just five minutes. Thanks to the shape of the inlet the water is usually still and, on good days, a turquoise you can see from the clifftop; it's good for snorkelling along the walls, and some people jump from the rocks and an old bunker. The downsides come up again and again in reviews from 2023 to 2026: the shoreline gathers posidonia and, worse, plastic and rubbish washed in by the sea, sometimes a lot of it; boats come in to anchor; there's no shade and no facilities at all. It has a naturist tradition, mixed in practice. Good for couples and snorkellers who go early; not for pushchairs or small children, nor for a full day.

Reviewed in November 2026