Balearic Islands Frequently Asked Questions

Mallorca's west coast is mountain Mediterranean — granite cliffs above the boat at anchor, anchorages the road can't reach, Cabrera National Park to the south as the yacht-only marquee. Ibiza and Formentera are the lighter half — clearer water, sand-bottomed coves, dinner ashore in working port towns, the famous offshore cliff-stack for sunset. Menorca, further north, is the quieter sister, with a deepwater natural harbor and a calmer cruising character; it works as an add-on on a longer week, not inside a typical seven-night charter.

Yes — Cabrera is the marquee day of any Balearic charter. A yacht-only national park seven miles south of Mallorca with no road, no town, no fuel. The captain handles the permit booking and the day's logistics. In peak summer the stay is one to two nights; in shoulder it can stretch to a week.

Late May through June and September into early October are the strongest weeks of the year — water in the low-to-mid 70s, daytime highs in the low 80s, harbors quieter than peak. July and August are full intensity, especially in Ibiza: superyacht-dense harbors, six-month wait lists at the south-coast beach clubs, the famous club circuit at its peak. The Mallorca Tramuntana side stays comparatively quiet through peak. Charters run Saturday to Saturday.

Yes, the captain can arrange a club night and a slower day at anchor the next morning. But the week itself is built around the days on the water and dinners ashore — beach club lunches, sunsets at anchor off the southwest cliff-stack, dinners in town. Nightlife is available if the group wants it; it isn't the spine of the trip.

The base rate covers the yacht and crew. Everything else — food, drinks, fuel, dockage, harbor fees, and permit fees at Cabrera — flows through an Advance Provisioning Allowance (APA), pre-funded at 30 to 35 percent of base, with itemized accounting and any unused balance refunded at trip end. A 10 to 15 percent gratuity goes to the captain on disembarkation. Spanish charter VAT (21 percent) is included in the broker's quote. The Mediterranean cadence is breakfast and lunch with the chef onboard, dinner ashore most nights.

APA is the Advance Provisioning Allowance — the operating fund the captain manages for everything that isn't yacht and crew. On a Balearic week that covers food and drinks, fuel, marina dockage, harbor fees, and Cabrera permit fees. Thirty percent of the base rate is the floor; thirty-five percent is the right sizing for groups that eat and drink at the upper end of the European Mediterranean. Itemized accounting at trip end. Any unused balance comes back to the guest.