Cala D'Or berthing fees going up by 15%

[petem]

Whitlighter got me prices form St Carles and they were silly expensive ( E2k less than Cala Dor for winter. It seems only the private berths are cheap.

Yeah, but there's always private berths available (e.g. http://www.marineonline.co.uk/acatalog/sant_carles_marina_-_Berths_for_rent.html) and it's not like you're regarded as a second class citizen by the marina as you are in some places. I'm not convinced you'll like it there though J.

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

I love Mallorca and thing the cruising is 10/10 - however there are other places to go and anything gets boring after a while.

There are indeed. We moved on to Italy/Croatia and then Sardinia after 5 seasons in Majorca and now we are in SoF of course. I still rate the Balearics as the best cruising ground in the W Med but the Adriatic in particular offers cruising which arguably is more interesting and certainly more extensive. As I said above, Spain needs to appreciate that leisure boating brings a large amount of money into their economy but at the same time they need to understand that there are other countries in the Med vying for that income so making life difficult or more expensive for boaters only harms Spain in the long run

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

Yeah, but there's always private berths available (e.g. http://www.marineonline.co.uk/acatalog/sant_carles_marina_-_Berths_for_rent.html) and it's not like you're regarded as a second class citizen by the marina as you are in some places. I'm not convinced you'll like it there though J.

Just FYI €8000 pa also gets you a 20m berth in Carloforte. Its not expensive everywhere in the Med

 

[Hurricane]

I'm not convinced you'll like it there though J.

Year - the locals are a very dubious bunch.

AFAIK the marina price in a similar way to most - if you buy a full year, you get a much better deal than just a winter or summer season.

 

[MedDreamer]

Just FYI €8000 pa also gets you a 20m berth in Carloforte. Its not expensive everywhere in the Med

If we stay in Cala D’Or we will be paying more than than for an 8m berth next year!

 

[Whitelighter]

I fancy Croatia for a bit as well.
Done some charters there and the cruising ground is nice.

Might have to wait for the next boat though

 

[Hooligan]

Did they improve the water quality when they raised the prices? I moved to Menorca from CD with Medmilo a while back which was about 35pc of what they wanted to charge me in CD. At that time Menorca wasn't so full but that too is changing. It generally feels to me that things are peaking in the Balearics. Prices for everything have gone up way too much and as people have said the authorities seem to be doing all they can to discourage visitors. Tourism will be down a lot this year I believe and I suspect that things will slowly re adjust in the next two years. We are joining the exodus towards Italy via Corsica this summer where prices are definitely cheaper.

 

[martin]

Agreed. We left Club De Mar - Palma after 3 years for Sardinia -Poltu Quatu ..best boat location decision i have made. Just caught the end of the last season cruising around the Costa Smerelda.. so far its been jaw dropping scenery, fantastic food and half the price. Please stay where you are chaps..

 

[crazy4557]

Agreed. We left Club De Mar - Palma after 3 years for Sardinia -Poltu Quatu ..best boat location decision i have made. Just caught the end of the last season cruising around the Costa Smerelda.. so far its been jaw dropping scenery, fantastic food and half the price. Please stay where you are chaps..

We keep a rib there to use for our summer holidays and it's a fabulous area with the islands but it can blow a bit. So far in 3 years of 3 week holidays we've only lost about 5-6 days so it's not as bad as made out in our experience. When it does then just take the opportunity to discover the island as it's a beautiful unspoilt place but don't tell anyone else on here, we don't want the crowds. We're based out of Porto Pozzo on the mainland, cheap as chips!

 

[Bigplumbs]

We keep a rib there to use for our summer holidays and it's a fabulous area with the islands but it can blow a bit. So far in 3 years of 3 week holidays we've only lost about 5-6 days so it's not as bad as made out in our experience. When it does then just take the opportunity to discover the island as it's a beautiful unspoilt place but don't tell anyone else on here, we don't want the crowds. We're based out of Porto Pozzo on the mainland, cheap as chips!

What do you define as cheap as chips cos I am sure someone on here thought £32,000 a year for a berth was good value

 

[MapisM]

take the opportunity to discover the island as it's a beautiful unspoilt place but don't tell anyone else on here, we don't want the crowds.

Well, that's not exactly top secret, actually. Peter Gabriel of Genesis fame (who obviously wasn't economically restricted in his choices!) is by now honorary citizen of Arzachena, where he has a huge property.
Btw, talking of crowds, Costa Smeralda is actually the most crowded coastline of the island, albeit just for a short timeframe in the peak of the summer...

 

[roa312]

Puerto Portals have gone up this year by 5% on 2018, 15x5m port rental berth now E28k +iva & water/elect, don't know how this compares to Cala D'or, I always thought was similar prices? .... would be nice if the £ rises against the euro :encouragement:
Apologies that should have been 28euros/pa !

This is probably a stupid question so please forgive my ignorance. But is that price for the berth alone or is there anything else included in the price - i'm thinking perhaps some yacht club membership, annual events - or nothing at all? Thanks

 

[TonyR123]

Berth alone.

 

[crazy4557]

What do you define as cheap as chips cos I am sure someone on here thought £32,000 a year for a berth was good value

It's a 7.5m rib and will be waiting on the berth at start of the holiday, 3 weeks pontoon berth with water but no power, launch and recovery by crane so the trailer doesn't get dipped in the sea, stored on it's trailer in a secure place for 49 weeks all for about £1k and it gets washed at beginning and end of holiday.
Any issues are fixed overnight where possible at extra cost, great service but it's basic which suits us perfectly.

 

[crazy4557]

Well, that's not exactly top secret, actually. Peter Gabriel of Genesis fame (who obviously wasn't economically restricted in his choices!) is by now honorary citizen of Arzachena, where he has a huge property.
Btw, talking of crowds, Costa Smeralda is actually the most crowded coastline of the island, albeit just for a short timeframe in the peak of the summer...

Agree about the crowds in August, does get busy with a lot of Italians but there's always a small bay or cove that you can find that's empty. Maybe an issue in a big boat but in a rib we always have a choice of busy or quiet anchorages depending on how we feel that day. Sometimes the busy anchorages can give you the most smiles with some of the boat handling or anchoring techniques, not that I'm perfect.

 

[MapisM]

Yep, a RIB is indeed a very good way to explore Costa Smeralda, and not be too bothered by how crowded the place can be, occasionally.
My comment was just meant to strengthen your point about the possibilities to discover Sardinia also inland.
I've been based here (in fact, I'm in Cagliari atm) for 13 years, and it's fair to say that I just scratched the surface.
"Endless Island", a statement which you might have seen upon arrival in Sardinian airports, is indeed as simple as it is appropriate. :encouragement:

 

[martin]

Hi Mapism/Paola, firstly, thank you again for all the info provided last year it was a great help. If i can figure out how i will post the video of our trip to PQ
Crazy4557 or anyone, PM me if you are visiting and we can have a beer .

As i said earlier we caught the end of the season, visiting mid August and most of September...even then we didn't find it that crowded compared with Palma. Certainly, didn't see anchorages anywhere near as crowded as three fingers, illiates or portals were before we left. Even in the middle of the Rolex cup. Maybe we were just lucky.

So far, this year, the place has been deserted and we have had some amazing days out with our choice of anchorages. The main issue has been finding restaurants and bars that are open during the off season. TBF MapisM did warn me that this would be the case...but i really had no idea until i experienced it....hey ho, now i know.

 

[Hurricane]

Yep, a RIB is indeed a very good way to explore Costa Smeralda, and not be too bothered by how crowded the place can be, occasionally.
My comment was just meant to strengthen your point about the possibilities to discover Sardinia also inland.
I've been based here (in fact, I'm in Cagliari atm) for 13 years, and it's fair to say that I just scratched the surface.
"Endless Island", a statement which you might have seen upon arrival in Sardinian airports, is indeed as simple as it is appropriate. :encouragement:

All this discussion about moving to Sardinia has reminded me that we are considering another summer trip to your lovely island.
I remember the last time we were there on our final day out to Guidi Bay, we found the bay packed with boats.
Well, the Carleforte equivalent of "packed" anyway.
There were five boats in the bay with us.
FIVE boats - that is terrible!!!

The next time we anchored was in Menorca - in Teulera.
It was like coming back to reality - WITH A BUMP

So, we are considering another summer trip down to the beautiful waters around your island.
Probably with a yachtie friend.
We got most things right last time but I am thinking of doing it a little later next year - maybe from June to September instead of May to August.
I would like to contact you nearer the time - maybe you could put in some good words to Giuseppe - I assume he still runs the marina.

 

[MapisM]

I remember the last time we were there on our final day out to Guidi Bay, we found the bay packed with boats.
Well, the Carleforte equivalent of "packed" anyway.
There were five boats in the bay with us.
FIVE boats - that is terrible!!!

LOL, yeah, sorry for the disappointing experience.
I'm attaching below a small reminder of how Guidi Bay looks, the way God intended.
There must be also a couple of pixels on the f/b of my old lady, which show myself and scubaman grinning from ear to ear...
...But that was in October, to be honest.

Talking of which, it's indeed a good idea to come a bit later, if that fits your agenda.
Of course, also now you can enjoy very quiet anchorages, but the sea water is still coldish, and it takes a while before it warms up, at the beginning of the season. Otoh, it stays comfortable till mid Oct, if not even later.
And also the weather is usually fantastic, but not too hot, towards the end of the summer.

Regardless, it'll be a pleasure to catch up, anytime!
Just email me your arrival date when you will know it, and I'll inform G & C.
Not that they will need any good words from myself, mind: I'm sure they will be as happy as myself to see again JW and her crew! :encouragement:

 

[MapisM]

Hi Mapism/Paola, firstly, thank you again for all the info provided last year it was a great help.
If i can figure out how i will post the video of our trip to PQ
...
The main issue has been finding restaurants and bars that are open during the off season

'Twas my pleasure, I'm glad you enjoyed the experience.

And yes, cruising videos are always welcome here in the asylum, so please post yours!
The easier way is to upload it on youtube, and then link it in your post here.
It's sufficient to include the video sharing code in between the youtube tags, i.e.:
[Y0UTUBE]code of your video[/Y0UTUBE]

Ref. the deserted place, that's actually very typical of Costa Smeralda, which is the most touristic-focused area of the island.
Mind, also the other Sardinian coastal villages are more lively in the summer, obviously.
But there isn't the ghost town effect that you can find in Poltu Quatu, Porto Cervo, Rotondo, etc.
In a sense, it's almost the opposite: in many other places, like in CF where I'm based, it's only off season that you can fully enjoy their true, somewhat magic atmosphere!