Cala D'or the Resort
The exclusive resort of Cala dor is part of the
municipal district of Santanyi slightly inland, on the
southern half of the east coast of Mallorca. Although as
the crow flies the town is only around 66km, or 40 miles
east of Palma and the Son Sant Joan International air
port, the road over to the east coast is not particularly
good, and it's not unusual for the transfer to take
approximately 70 minutes from the time you leave the
airport grounds.
Although most visitors to the area are on
traditional package tour holidays, many of the tour
operators now consider the transfer from the airport to
your chosen accommodation to be an optional additional
extra, which in turn is leading more people to make their
own arrangements for the journey by either prebooked hire
rental, or alternatively by one of the many taxis from
outside the arrivals hall at the air port.
In theory at least, these taxi should all
operate on a fixed price basis, typically charging around
€62 to €71 for the journey to Cala d’or, however
experience has shown that this ridged fixed price may
vary very slightly depending upon the number of
suitcases, the time of day or night of the short journey,
and of course the number of passengers in the car. Also
an important consideration for families with small
children is that these taxis do not as a rule carry child
seats; therefore children may have to sit on their
parent's knee for the journey, hardly a big problem, the
roads on the island are quite safe.
The journey for those who have chosen to drive
is fairly straightforward for the most part, even
especially scenic. Once you have left the airport area
you will normally join the main PM19 road heading east to
the C-717 exit. From here continue along the C-717
passing the small beautiful towns of Llucmajor, Campos,
and Santanyi until reaching the village of S'Alqueria
Blanca, not far from the sea, where you should take the
PM-V-401-2 signposted to Calogne or S'Horta. At the
junction with the PM-V-401-3 follow this for the final
few miles into Cala d’or.
Cala dor today is a modern completely purpose
built resort that has grown from a small, beautiful,
traditional Mallorcan fishing village. Over the years the
resort has expanded, and now covers an area of over 4.5km
of small sandy coves and creeks. Although in all fairness
this growth has for the most part been controlled, and
the town still has the feeling of a small village with
very few high rise buildings.
The largest of these coves is called Cala
Llonga, which has been developed into a large marina that
effectively splits the resort in two.
The focal point of the town centre is a
pedestrian zone around the beautiful area of Cala Gran,
which has a varied selection of shops, bars and
restaurants.
The beach at Cala Gran is the largest in the
town. Near by here is Cala dor itself, from which the
resort takes its name. This is a pine-fringed cove with a
small but crowded beach. Sun lounges’, parasols and
pedaloes can be hired at both of these beaches. In
addition, there is also around 8 or 9 other smaller sandy
coves in the area.
If the beaches at Cala dor become too busy or if
you wish to escape from Cala dor for the day, many
visitors take the morning bus to Es Trenc.
This lovely beach of clear blue water and golden
sand, backed by pine trees and dunes, stretches for
almost 4.5km along the wild southeastern coast of the
island. There's a small bar-restaurant here and you can
rent sun umbrellas, but there are few other facilities
and the beach rarely gets completely packed with bodies.
Be warned though, Es Trenc is popular with hardcore
nudists and the bodies that you do see are likely to be
naked!
If you do have access to your own car, and can
get out of the resort, the Sunday morning market at
Felanitx is recognised as being one of the best in
Majorca, and is well worth a visit. This is a good place
to pick up some locally made pottery, but be prepared to
haggle and knock down prices for the best bargains. Also
certainly worth a mention are the fruit and produce
markets, completely natural produce, which are held at
nearby Santanyi every Wednesday and Saturday
mornings.
Evening entertainment here is
not very rowdy, and is generally hotel based, although the
resort does have an increasing number of very lively bars that
tend to be centred around the pedestrian zone. However, Cala
dor is generally a quiet low key resort that is perhaps more
suited to those looking for a relaxing holiday.
You can pay by cheque throught the post or with your credit
card or debit card via Paypal.
What to book? Contact me by the
online form to arrange dates!
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