Balearic Islands Yacht Charter

The week starts in Palma. Fifteen minutes by road from PMI airport, the city's three main yacht facilities — Marina Port de Mallorca, Real Club Náutico de Palma, and STP — sit along the western arc of Palma Bay under the Cathedral La Seu. Your crew meets you at the slip with cold drinks and the chart briefing. The galley is already stocked, the steward settles your luggage into cabins, and the chef walks you through the welcome plate while the captain readies the boat to leave.

By late afternoon the captain is slipping lines. A twenty-two-nautical-mile run west around the headland past Magaluf and Santa Ponsa to Port d'Andratx — the working fishing harbor at the western tip of Mallorca, the staging port for any Tramuntana week. The anchorage in front of the harbor sits in 8 to 15 meters of sand; the captain anchors offshore or picks up a stern-to mooring inside the harbor depending on availability. Tender ashore for dinner — the quay-side restaurants along the Andratx waterfront run from working sailors' grills to the gastronomy of Restaurante Layn at the end of the breakwater. The first night is the captain's call; the rhythm of the week starts here.

A morning's reach west to Sa Dragonera, the uninhabited islet that's been a Natural Park . Visitor cap on the island is ~150 at a time; charter yacht parties tender ashore at the official dock at Cala Lladó for a walk to Far de Llebeig — the SW lighthouse, on a four-kilometer round-trip path — or just a swim in the strait between the islet and Mallorca's coast. Sa Dragonera takes its name from the silhouette: from the mainland the islet looks like a sleeping dragon along the horizon.

By midafternoon the captain points the bow north along the Tramuntana coast — twenty-five nautical miles of granite-and-limestone cliffs falling six hundred meters into the water under Puig Major. The cliffs are the protected mountain coast; the cruising-coast view of them is the half of Mallorca most visitors don't get to see. Sa Foradada sits roughly halfway up — the L-shaped peninsula with its famous through-hole near the tip, the open paella restaurant on the cliff above (operational status varies — verify with your captain before counting on the day-of dinner ashore), reachable by tender from the cove or by a forty-five-minute hike up to the Ma-10 coast road. Anchor in the cove, swim under the through-hole, dinner ashore or on board depending on what the captain finds open.

A short run north and east to Cala Deià, the rocky cove below the village of Deià where Robert Graves lived and the literary expat circle of the 1960s settled. Anchor in the cove (the captain reads the swell — the cove is exposed to NW so on settled days only); tender ashore for lunch at Ca's Patró March, the cliff-top restaurant the same family has run for three generations. Fish of the day comes up directly from the catch boat moored below; the tables sit at the cliff-edge under awnings; the captain books the table the morning of arrival.

By midafternoon the captain repositions the yacht ten nautical miles north into Port de Sóller — the only natural harbor on the entire Tramuntana coast, 605 berths, the Tren de Sóller wooden train running up to the village square through the orange groves . Stern-to in the marina or anchored in the outer bay. Sóller's town square hasn't changed character since the 1920s; dinner is at one of the quay-side restaurants or up in the village. The town is the operational base for the entire Tramuntana week; the captain refuels and re-provisions if needed before the next day's run north.

A twelve-nautical-mile run east-northeast under the highest stretch of the Tramuntana — Puig Major's 1,445-meter summit (closed military zone) and Puig de Massanella's 1,364-meter accessible peak both rising directly off the bow. Sa Calobra sits at the foot of the cliffs — the stone-and-sand cove where the Torrent de Pareis ravine debouches into the sea. The ravine is a Spanish Natural Monument designated 2003, three kilometers of limestone slot through the Tramuntana, hiked in from the beach (scrambling and sometimes wading) for guests who want it.

By midafternoon the captain repositions a short hop west into Cala Tuent — the quieter sister cove on the other side of the Morro de sa Vaca headland, sheltered from the NW swell, deeper water for anchoring (8 to 11 meters on a rock-and-sand bottom). Cala Tuent has a small chapel above the cove (Ermita de Sant Llorenç, founded 1230) reachable on a half-hour walk from the beach. Dinner is on board — there's no taverna on Cala Tuent, no quay, no village — just the cove and the cliffs and whatever the chef has put together from the morning's market stop in Sóller.

A thirty-nautical-mile run east along the Tramuntana coast to Cap Formentor — the northernmost point of Mallorca, the lighthouse built in 1863, the eastern terminus of the Sierra de Tramuntana. The cape projects into the open Mediterranean like a knife; the cruising-water view of the cliffs from below is genuinely different from the famous overlook road view from above. The captain reads conditions before committing — Cap Formentor takes the full force of any northerly weather, and the lee side at Cala Figuera (the small protected cove on the SW face) is the standard overnight in any condition that isn't dead-calm.

Cala Figuera below the cape is a deep, dramatic cliff-rimmed anchorage in 15 to 30 meters of water — the kind of bay where the yacht swings on a long scope and the swimming is straight off the swim platform into very deep blue. Overnight here on settled days; alternatively the captain runs another six nautical miles into Pollença Bay for the larger sheltered anchorage at Puerto de Pollensa, with quay-side restaurants in the town and an easier early-morning departure for the next day's southern run.

The longest day of the week. A fifty-five-nautical-mile run south down Mallorca's east coast — the captain reads the morning wind and decides whether to round the coast inside or jump offshore. Cabrera National Park sits seven nautical miles south of Mallorca's south coast; the permit anchorage opens at 18:00 on the day of arrival and the captain has booked the buoy twenty days in advance through https://www.caib.es/rescabfront/. The reservation system caps fifty boats per day across the three mooring fields at Port de Cabrera, Es Burrí, and Sa Coveta Roja, and the park enforces a limited charter quota when oversubscribed — peak July/August Saturdays carry a twenty-boat waitlist in practice.

The afternoon at Cabrera is the marquee yacht-only-access moment of the week. Tender ashore to the dock at the harbor, then a short walk up to the medieval watchtower on the eastern headland — free, self-guided, climbed for the panoramic view. Swim in the harbor basin in water that looks like the Mediterranean did fifty years ago. Dinner is on board at anchor. The island has no shops, no fuel, no restaurants. Cabrera's silhouette under stars is the kind of view that stays with people.

An early start. The captain pulls off the buoy before breakfast and runs the tender or repositions the mother yacht three nautical miles north to the Cova Blava — the forty-meter sea-cave on Cabrera's west coast, the visual money shot of any Balearic charter. The cave entrance is six meters high; inside the natural arch climbs to twenty meters and the noon-hour light comes in through the opening to turn the water electric blue. Visit windows run typically before 11:00 to beat the commercial day-boat surge from Colònia de Sant Jordi.

By midmorning the captain points the bow north for the forty-five-nautical-mile run back to Palma. The afternoon is the long, slow re-entry into the bay — the Cathedral La Seu growing from the horizon, the marina taking the boat back at the slip mid-afternoon. Disembarkation is typically 09:00 Saturday morning, but guests who want one more night on board can extend at anchor in Palma Bay, with the captain returning the boat to the marina the morning of departure. The week ends with the chef's last plate and a final aft-deck sundowner on Mallorca's southern bay.

The week starts at Ibiza Town. Fifteen minutes by road from IBZ airport, the harbor splits into two marinas across the bay from each other — Marina Ibiza on the south side (425 berths, yachts up to 110 meters, the city-side superyacht hub with the historic-quarter view) and Marina Botafoch on the north side (428 berths, yachts up to 30 meters, the boutique-tier and F&B-adjacent berth). Your captain has booked one of them based on your yacht's size; if your yacht is anchored offshore for the day, both marinas offer tender access.

Crew meet at the slip with cold drinks and the chart briefing. The galley is stocked, the steward settles luggage into cabins, and the chef walks the welcome plate while the old walled town sits across the harbor.

Dinner is ashore. The captain books one of the restaurants on Marina Botafoch or up in the hills — Mediterranean kitchens that run late into the evening. The first night is the captain's call based on the group's appetite; the rhythm of the week starts here.

A morning's twelve-nautical-mile run west and south around Es Cubells to Cala Jondal — the south-coast premier beach-club anchorage. The cove holds 8 to 15 meters of water over sand and the captain anchors offshore; tender straight to the beach where Blue Marlin Ibiza's daybeds run from sand-level cabanas to elevated VIP terraces. The kitchen runs Mediterranean — fresh fish, fresh truffle pasta in season, the seafood plateaus that match what's coming out of the Ibiza market that morning.

Daybeds carry the minimum spends typical of high-end beach clubs. The DJ sets build through the afternoon and crest at the sundowner. Guests tender back to the yacht for the swim platform's last hour of light. Dinner is on board at anchor; the cove holds the sundowner mood as the day thins out.

An alternative — or a second-night anchorage — is Cala Bassa Beach Club on Ibiza's west coast: a quieter cove with sand-bottom anchorage and a less DJ-driven daytime. Captains book either based on the week's wind and the group's preference.

A short ten-nautical-mile hop west and south from Cala Jondal around Cap Llentrisca to Cala d'Hort. The afternoon is slow — a swim off the swim platform in the deep blue water between Cala d'Hort and Es Vedrà, the 413-meter limestone cliff-stack that's been the iconic Ibiza shot since the 1970s. The islet is uninhabited and part of the Cala d'Hort nature reserve; local folklore attributes magnetic anomalies and Phoenician-goddess myths to it, none of which is provable but all of which is local color.

By late afternoon the captain has positioned the yacht for the sunset — the sun drops behind Es Vedrà around 21:00 in July and August, around 20:00 in September, lighting the cliff-stack against the southwest sky for the half-hour before. Dinner on board at anchor, the silhouette of Es Vedrà off the bow holding the sky until full dark.

An alternative dinner-ashore option is Elixir Shore Club on neighboring Cala Codolar — sand-bottom anchorage, tender from yacht, the only beach club with direct Es Vedrà sightlines from its tables. The captain books based on whether the group wants the cliff-stack from the yacht or from a beach table with feet in the sand.

A morning's run east and south across the Freus strait between Ibiza and Formentera — three nautical miles of shallow turquoise water over protected seagrass meadows (protected as a marine reserve). The captain anchors in the regulated zone off Espalmador or Ses Illetes — Formentera's marine reserve requires permit-buoy reservations in season, booked by the captain in advance, similar to but less strict than Cabrera.

Lunch is on Formentera's long sand spit, at the paella restaurant the captain books in advance. There's no dock at the beach — the restaurant's tender picks guests up from the yacht's anchor and runs them ashore for the long Mediterranean lunch into late afternoon.

The afternoon swims off the swim platform — Ses Illetes water is the warmest swimming water in the western Mediterranean in July and August, and the sand bottom holds the water clear well into the evening. Beso Beach Formentera at Playa de Cavall d'en Borràs on the Illetes side is the alternative or dinner option (season opened April 30, 2026, runs May–October; lunch only until 18:00, snacks 19:00–close). Overnight at anchor in Espalmador or repositioned to the lee side of Ses Illetes depending on the evening wind.

An hour's slow run west along Formentera to Cala Saona — the sheltered sandy bay on Formentera's west coast, the late-afternoon sunset anchorage that complements the Espalmador morning. Cala Saona holds 8 to 12 meters of water over sand, easy anchoring in any wind that isn't a strong westerly. The hotel of the same name above the cove runs a beach bar that the captain can book the table at for a swim-out, tender-in lunch or sundowner.

By midafternoon the captain repositions twenty nautical miles north and east across the Freus and around Ibiza's southwest corner to Cala Salada — the north-coast cove that's the standard arrival anchorage for the Ibiza-side end of the week. Cala Salada has a small wooden-pier restaurant on the cove (rustic, family-run, the captain's go-to for an honest north-Ibiza dinner) and sand-bottom anchorage in 8 to 15 meters. The remaining days run the east and north coast — Cala Benirràs on Sunday for the drum-circle tradition tendered from yacht, Santa Eulària for a calmer overnight.

A short run east along Ibiza's north coast to a small privately-owned villa-island just offshore. The yacht anchors in the deep water between the island and Ibiza's mainland; the afternoon swims off the swim platform.

By midafternoon the captain repositions back along the north coast. Santa Eulària is the calmer overnight — a small marina town with an old church above the river and quay-side restaurants along the riverside walk. Cala Benirràs is the Sunday option — a long-running drum-circle sunset tradition runs every Sunday from June through September, tendered in from anchor.

Dinner is ashore. Santa Eulària runs a boutique-Mediterranean evening — the captain books one of the small-family restaurants along the riverside walk. Cala Benirràs is more relaxed — a sundowner at the cove's pier-end bar with the drum circle as the soundtrack.

An early start. The captain pulls anchor and runs the last ten nautical miles south down the east coast back to Ibiza Town. The afternoon is the long, slow re-entry into the harbor — Dalt Vila's walls growing along the south side, Marina Ibiza or Marina Botafoch taking the boat back at the slip by midafternoon. The chef's last plate runs over lunch at anchor or on the slow run home; an aft-deck final sundowner runs as the yacht works back to the marina.

Disembarkation is typically 09:00 Saturday morning, but guests who want one more night on board can extend at anchor in Ibiza Town's harbor or back at Cala Salada, with the captain returning the boat to the marina the morning of departure. From Ibiza Town it's fifteen minutes to IBZ airport, where direct connections to Madrid, Barcelona, London, Amsterdam, and major European hubs run through Saturday afternoon and evening. US guests connect through MAD or BCN; the captain books the marina-to-airport transfer.

The week starts in Palma. Fifteen minutes by road from PMI airport, the city's three main yacht facilities — Marina Port de Mallorca, Real Club Náutico de Palma, and STP — sit along the western arc of Palma Bay. Crew meet you at the slip with cold drinks and the chart briefing; the galley is stocked, luggage settled into cabins.

By midafternoon the captain is slipping lines. A twenty-two-nautical-mile run east and south along Mallorca's south coast to Es Trenc — the three-kilometer unbuilt white-sand beach that's the south coast's iconic anchorage. Sand-bottom anchorage in 5 to 10 meters of water; the captain anchors offshore in the protected zone. Late-afternoon swim, dinner on board at anchor as the sun sets behind the western tip of the island. Es Trenc is a national park since 2017 — protected by Spain's Llei d'Espais Naturals legislation, which is why the beach remains unbuilt three decades after every other south-Mallorca beach was developed.

A short twelve-nautical-mile run south from Es Trenc to Cabrera. The captain has booked the buoy twenty days in advance through the CAIB reservation system at https://www.caib.es/rescabfront/ — the buoy is issued at one of three mooring fields (Port de Cabrera, Es Burrí, or Sa Coveta Roja). Cabrera caps fifty boats per day across the three fields and enforces a limited charter quota when oversubscribed; peak July/August Saturdays carry a twenty-boat waitlist in practice.

The afternoon at Cabrera is the marquee yacht-only-access moment of the week. Tender ashore to the dock at the harbor, then a fifteen-minute walk up to the medieval watchtower on the eastern headland — free, self-guided, climbed for the panoramic view. Swim in the harbor basin in water that looks like the Mediterranean did fifty years ago. The island has no shops, no fuel, no restaurants.

Dinner aboard at anchor. The 1-to-2-night stay limit in peak summer (July/August) is enforced; in shoulder season the captain can stretch to up to seven nights for guests who want the deeper Cabrera experience. Cabrera under stars from the swim platform is the kind of view you don't forget.

An early start. The captain pulls the Cabrera buoy before sunrise and runs three nautical miles north to Cova Blava — the forty-meter sea-cave on Cabrera's west coast. Tender from the yacht into the cave (the entrance is 6 meters high and the natural arch climbs to 20 meters inside); the noon-hour light comes in through the opening to turn the water electric blue. Visit before 11:00 to beat the commercial day-boat surge from Colònia de Sant Jordi.

By midmorning the captain points the bow west for the longest leg of the week — sixty-five nautical miles open-water across to Ibiza's north coast. From Cabrera the bearing is roughly 270°; from Es Trenc/Sa Ràpita the bearing flattens. The captain has read the morning's conditions before committing — on a settled day with the prevailing summer SE thermals a sailing yacht runs the leg under canvas, a catamaran reaches across, a motor yacht covers it in five to seven hours under power. The mid-passage view is open water in every direction — Mallorca receding behind, Ibiza appearing as a slow blue silhouette on the western horizon by mid-afternoon.

Arrival at Cala Salada or Portinatx on Ibiza's north coast — quieter coves than the south-coast circuit, sand-bottom anchorage in 8 to 15 meters, the wooden-pier restaurants that define the old-Ibiza dinner. The captain books the table on the way in; dinner ashore as the day's run settles into evening.

A morning's slow run south along Ibiza's west coast. Cala Bassa for lunch — the sand-bottom beach club anchorage on the west coast, lower-key than Cala Jondal's south-coast, lunch at the cove's beach club ashore with tender straight from the anchored yacht. The afternoon swims off the swim platform; the captain repositions further south to Cala d'Hort by midafternoon.

Cala d'Hort sits at Ibiza's southwest tip across the channel from the Es Vedrà nature reserve. The 413-meter limestone cliff-stack is uninhabited and part of the marine reserve; the cliff catches the southwest sun for the half-hour before sundown. The captain positions the yacht for the sunset around 20:00 in September, around 21:00 in July and August. Dinner aboard at anchor, the silhouette of Es Vedrà off the bow holding the sky until full dark.

A morning's run east and south to Espalmador — the small uninhabited island between Ibiza and Formentera. The Freus strait between them is three nautical miles of shallow turquoise water over protected seagrass meadows. The captain anchors in the regulated marine reserve zone — Formentera requires permit-buoy reservations in season similar to Cabrera but less strict — and tenders across to Ses Illetes for the day's marquee lunch.

Lunch is on Formentera's long sand spit, at the paella restaurant the captain books in advance. There's no dock at the beach — the restaurant's tender picks guests up from the yacht's anchor and runs them ashore for the long Mediterranean lunch into late afternoon.

The afternoon swims off the swim platform — Ses Illetes water is the warmest swimming water in the western Mediterranean in July and August, and the sand bottom holds the water clear well into the evening. Overnight at anchor or repositioned to the lee side of Ses Illetes depending on the evening wind.

A short run north and east up Ibiza's east coast to a small privately-owned villa-island just offshore. The yacht anchors in the deep water between the island and Ibiza's mainland; the afternoon swims off the swim platform.

By midafternoon the captain repositions back south to Santa Eulària — a small marina town with quay-side restaurants and an old church above the river. Dinner is at one of the small-family restaurants along the riverside walk; the captain has booked the table earlier in the day. Overnight at the marina or anchored offshore.

An early start. A short ten-nautical-mile run south down Ibiza's east coast back to Ibiza Town. The afternoon is the long, slow re-entry into the harbor — Dalt Vila's walls growing along the south side, Marina Ibiza (for yachts up to 110m) or Marina Botafoch (for yachts up to 30m) taking the boat back at the slip by midafternoon. The chef's last plate runs over lunch at anchor or on the slow run home; an aft-deck final sundowner runs as the yacht works back to the marina.

Disembarkation is typically 09:00 Saturday morning. Guests who want one more night on board can extend at anchor in Ibiza Town's harbor with the captain returning the boat to the marina the morning of departure. From Ibiza Town it's fifteen minutes to IBZ airport, where Saturday afternoon and evening have the most outbound European connections — direct flights to Madrid, Barcelona, London, Amsterdam, and major European hubs. US guests connect through Madrid or Barcelona; the captain books the marina-to-airport transfer.