Berthing costs in the Med - Majorca

To me the potential home port is very important. It has to be attractive visually whilst having good facilities for the the times when you're not on the boat and maybe the weathers not as perfect as many expect of he Med. I have two boys 10/12 yrs to entertain, and of course SWMBO who will always prefer the more expensive marina's with the nice shops nearby.
For me boat security, maintenance facilities and cruising grounds come top of the list, but I also want to 'really like' the marina and appreciate the extras like restaurants and maybe the local town.
Costs are important but it's a balance between all factors.
Cala D'or seems to have lots of benefits but no so many downsides aprt from the berthing cost.

We are on holiday in Menorca in July so will visit the marinas on Majorca to see what they are like and how long the airport takes to reach etc
 
We are on holiday in Menorca in July so will visit the marinas on Majorca to see what they are like and how long the airport takes to reach etc


Airport to Cala d'Or - 1hour.

The drive to Cala d"Or is half under used motorway and the rest very pleasant country roads and 3 small towns. Very nice way to travel.

We use AutosRoig for car hire. Walk out of arrivals hall, cross the road to the multi-storey car park (Level 4) and pick up the car. No queues or waiting and drive off. Return car at end of stay to same location and leave keys in a van sited on the floor which has a letter box to receive the keys. Simplicity itself.

Alcudia is a lovely marina and well worth a visit.
 
It's Sunday & Tuesday Aidy.

As you would expect SWMBO is correct.

We had six years in Alcudiamar and loved being berthed there. A really beautiful cruising area but can be more exposed to weather than south and east coasts and it used to get quite frustrating when we would head out for a weekend on the water only to be kept in the marina due to the wind.

We have an apartment in Cala D'or now and it's also a lovely area but if I had a boat I would prefer Alcudiamar.
 
Stayed in port (Alcudiamar) today and took above advice and walked up to Alcudia's old town to the Sunday market.
Wow - the market is massive.

Alcudia is really growing on us.
Once you seek out the nice places from the "British Holiday Rubbish" it is a really nice place to keep the boat.
So far, we have been three times to the steak restaurant that Deleted User recommended.
Went across the bay the other day to Cala de's Es Calo
For most of the time we were the only ones there - crystal clear water - tucked in behind the headland - flat sea - fantastic.
Just nodded off to sleep and completely forgot to take any pics - sorry

We have another three weeks here but, at the moment, we think we will be back.
Friends on board are leaving tomorrow and more friends ones arriving on Wednesday
Weather looking good for a trip to Menorca's north east coast next week.
And then a meet up with the saily boaters from Sant Carles - party time!!
Yep - Sant Carles is such a friendly place that there is no barrier between the "rags/sticks" and "stinkies"
Even when away, we keep in touch and meet up - a group of them have been cruising Ibiza from Denia and will be with us in about 10 days.

My advice to the OP
Definitely consider Sant Carles and do the islands when it takes your fancy.
Everything is reachable at about 100 miles
BTW - just heard on our home forum that Sant Carles marina has just "teamed with" about a dozen mainland marinas on the coast up to France (inc Barcelona)
Free night berthing in each port if you make your home berth available to rent whilst away.
Bit similar to the UK's MDL arrangement in the Channel.
So, we will probably be cruising up the mainland coast this autumn - Barcelona is a lovely port to visit by boat.



EDIT

Just uploaded my photos from the camera to hard disk and came across these
Not Cala de's Es Calo - it was another little cala that we spent some time in last week
I wonder if the locals on this forum can identify where it is???

Three shots - quite peaceful - again we were the only ones there.

IMG_3385_Small_zpse71cc801.jpg


IMG_3386_Small_zpsd254ee56.jpg


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Don't really know where that is. There is an anchorage on the opposite side of Alcudia Bay to Alcudia which I seem to remember looks like that but can't be sure. Meddreamer is the Alcudia expert!
 
Ses Caletes is my guess too. Looks like you fell lucky Hurricane finding it so quiet. Doesn't take many boats to get too crowded.

Es Calo is a lovely spot too but I lost an anchor there on the very rocky bottom so somewhere we rarely visited after that.

Quite agree about Meson Dulcina too, the chateaubriand is outstanding
 
Ses Caletes is my guess too. Looks like you fell lucky Hurricane finding it so quiet. Doesn't take many boats to get too crowded.

Es Calo is a lovely spot too but I lost an anchor there on the very rocky bottom so somewhere we rarely visited after that.

Quite agree about Meson Dulcina too, the chateaubriand is outstanding

My chart says it is Cala el Pinar

We have just started using our new anchor trip.
Won't need it at our home anchorages - mostly mud
But now you have said that you have lost an anchor, we will keep on using the trip.
I seem to remember that DougH has the same trip as us (with the retracting strap)
We have found a way of recovering it.
I always swim over to look at our anchor so it isn't too much extra effort to tie a line to the top when we want to recover the float.

Meson Dulcina
The friend we had on board last week is a retired butcher and knows his meat.
He recons that Meson Dulcina is excellent - we took them twice - he had the T Bone both times - and enjoyed them both times
I was a bit woosy and had the Fillet with Fois but, previously, also taken up the challenge of the T Bone and the chateaubriand
What a fantastic restaurant - nothing else like it nearby
What is the Curry Restaurant like?
 
As Aidy says its the same place, but I've only ever heard it referred ot locally as Ses Caletes.

I'n not familiar with any curry house in the port, it may be new. The one I remember was up the side road out of the marina opposite the church, we used to enjoy a takeaway from there but it shut several years ago. Bodega d'es Port over the far side of the marina used to be generally good for more local dishes so may be worth a try.

Definitely recommend a trip line if you return to Es Calo (even think the pilot book recommends one). I never had any problem in any other local anchorage, mostly nice sandy bottoms and just used to drop the hook (Delta) and the boat stuck fast. One of my favourite anchorages was Cala San Vincent, a fantastically scenic cruise around Cap Formentor and the sea is so clear and the seabed beautiful sand, it's like anchoring in turquoise jelly :-). Small hotel on the shore that can be noisy but a lovely spot.
 
Have you done Menorca before? If the weathers fine you can get around the island in a few days and it is stunning. The north coast does get the weather though so keep an eye on the forecast. The few places you can get shelter in the north (Fornells, Addaya) are not easy to get into if the sea is playing up.
 
. One of my favourite anchorages was Cala San Vincent, a fantastically scenic cruise around Cap Formentor and the sea is so clear and the seabed beautiful sand, it's like anchoring in turquoise jelly :-). Small hotel on the shore that can be noisy but a lovely spot.

I'll second that although pick a day when there's no north or west in the wind. Yes beautifully clear water that you just have to dive into for a swim
 
. The few places you can get shelter in the north (Fornells, Addaya) are not easy to get into if the sea is playing up.
Addaya marina might be tricky with a boat the size of a P67 but plenty of space to anchor or pick up a buoy in Fornells
 
There is plenty of space and nicely sheltered once in the bay but have you seen the entrance to Fornells Bay in bad weather from the North? Nasty in the extreme
 
218.jpg

Doesn't really show the swell and don't know how to resize the picture, but I was glad to be taking the photo from dry land and not from the sea
 
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Anyway - bringing the thread back to the north of Majorca, I prefer the sea like this

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No prizes for guessing the location to those familiar with the area but a another great anchorage, taken early June 2011.
 
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