Cala Portals Vells

Western Mallorca


The fairest of the beaches known as Portals Vells is Cala Portals Vells. Turquoise waters lap the platja, whose sands stretch back beneath rows of straw umbrellas. To the south, a walking trail leads to caves that honeycomb the rock walls, one of them containing the rudiments of a chapel, where the altar has been hewn from the rock. According to local lore, Genoese sailors built it in the 15th century to give thanks for their lives being spared in a shipwreck.

Allow around three hours for a 10km circuit walk from Cala Portals Vells to the lighthouse-dotted Cap de Figuera cape, which commands sweeping views across the Badia de Palma. The gentle and mostly flat coastal hike takes you along cliff tops and to small bays.