From Illetes and Portals Vells to the marine reserves around El Toro and the buoy field at Cala Blava: the coves within easy reach of Palma, and what decides where your yacht anchors.
The best anchorages near Palma lie closer than most guests expect. Within a short cruise of the city's marinas, the Bay of Palma and the Calvià coast offer sandy coves, wooded inlets and protected islets where a yacht can stop for a swim and a long lunch on deck. This guide covers the coves that shape a typical day on a yacht from Palma, from Illetes and Cala Comtesa to the marine reserves around El Toro and the buoy field at Cala Blava, with the practical detail that decides where you actually drop anchor.
How your captain chooses the anchorage
The wind always has the final word. In summer the embat, the sea breeze that fills the Bay of Palma as the day warms, usually sets in by late morning and peaks after midday, so a good captain covers the open stretches early and keeps the most sheltered cove for lunch. The seabed matters as much as the weather. Under Balearic Decree 25/2018, anchoring on Posidonia oceanica seagrass is prohibited, so yachts anchor only on clean sand or tie up to an authorised buoy. In clear water the sand shows as pale patches between the darker meadows, and on a busy August day your captain may move on rather than squeeze into a crowded bay. On a crewed charter, the plan follows the conditions.
Illetes and Cala Comtesa
One of the closest swim stops to Palma takes its name from the small islets just offshore, among them Illot de sa Caleta. Illetes is really a cluster of coves on the Calvià shore: Ses Illetes, es Fortí and Cala Comtesa, the smallest of the trio, with a simple beach bar above the water. The sand is fine and pale, and yachts regularly anchor off the coves on sand in three to five metres of water, which makes Illetes a natural first swim of the day.
The coves are open to winds from the north-east round to the south-east, when the captain looks elsewhere, and in high summer the yacht stays outside the buoyed swimming areas. On the way you pass Marivent, the royal summer residence above Cala Major, where anchoring is not permitted for security reasons.
Illa de sa Porrassa
Farther west, in the bay of Magaluf, the uninhabited Illa de sa Porrassa rises from the sea as a small, rocky islet about 400 metres across, its highest point only 36 metres above the water. The resort beaches nearby are lively, yet an anchorage off the islet feels apart from them, with a rocky shoreline worth exploring with a mask and snorkel. Depending on the wind, one side of the islet usually offers calmer water than the other, which is exactly the kind of judgement your captain makes on arrival, always on clean sand rather than seagrass. It works well as a second swim stop on the way to Portals Vells, or as the turning point of a shorter charter.
Portals Vells
At the western end of the bay, close to Cap de Cala Figuera, Portals Vells is one of the best-sheltered anchorages on this coast. Known as the three-finger bay, it has narrow inlets cut into pine-covered cliffs, each ending in a small sandy beach. The main cove, Portals Vells I or Sa Caleta, is popular with families; Platja del Mago, more secluded, has a long naturist tradition; and Platja del Rei completes the trio, though guidebooks name the coves differently.
The cliffs hold a story worth a short tender ride. The Cova de la Mare de Déu is a former quarry of marès, Mallorca's golden sandstone, and stone cut here in the 14th and 15th centuries went into Palma Cathedral and the church of Santa Eulàlia. A chapel is carved into the rock, and legend says Genoese sailors who survived a storm left a statue of the Virgin here in thanks.
El Toro and the Malgrats islands
Round Cap de Cala Figuera lies El Toro, home to the marina of Port Adriano. The waters around Illa del Toro became a marine reserve in 2004, and the Balearic tourism board reports that the concentration of species has roughly quadrupled since then, with grouper and sea bass recovering. Dentex, barracuda and even large rays pass through, a draw for divers and snorkellers.
A little farther on, the Malgrats islands lie off the bay of Santa Ponça: es Malgrat, the larger islet, and the smaller illa dels Conills. They form a Natura 2000 bird area where shags and shearwaters breed and peregrine falcons nest on the rocks. Since 2025, El Toro, the Malgrats and the Illa del Sec together form the Illes del Ponent Marine Reserve, created by Balearic Decree 26/2025, with high-protection zones around the islets where fishing and diving are tightly regulated.
Cala Blava and the eastern shore
Many day charters from Palma head west, so the eastern side of the bay often feels quieter. The Bay of Palma Marine Reserve, created in 1982, protects the coastal strip from s'Arenal to Cap de Regana. Off Cala Blava, within the protected Cap Enderrocat-Cap Blanc area, a regulated buoy field replaces the anchor altogether: yachts tie up to the buoys, and anchoring on the seabed inside the zone is not allowed.
The field is managed by Ports IB, the Balearic ports authority. Buoys are reserved through its online booking system, with swim, day and overnight options priced by buoy size, so the captain checks availability and a buoy that suits your yacht's length before heading there. In return you swim off a rocky, less travelled stretch of coast.
Planning your day at anchor
- For a half day or a sunset cruise, Illetes and Illa de sa Porrassa sit close to the city marinas.
- For a full day, pair a long lunch at Portals Vells with a snorkel near El Toro or the Malgrats, depending on the wind.
- For the eastern shore, mention it when you book so the captain can check Cala Blava buoy availability, especially in high season.
- Keep time for the run home, when La Seu rises above the old city walls on Palma's waterfront.
Every Serman Yacht Charter day runs with a professional captain, aboard a superyacht, motor yacht, sport yacht or sailing catamaran. Tell us the coves you have in mind by WhatsApp, email or the form, and we will propose the yacht and the plan, with prices on request. SERMAN RENT, the premium car rental in the same group, can arrange a car for the drive to the marina.
