Solana Yachting Blog

From Marina Botafoch to Cala Mastella

Do you know that Ibiza has more than 130 miles of beaches spread over a hundred sites?
Today, I invite you to discover some of them ... I’m taking you to the beaches and coves of the east coast of my island. And from the sea of course!

Imagine that we are between friends, aboard a comfortable monohull sailboat of 40 feet. It is equipped with a rigid inflatable boat to be able to disembark on the many beaches that we will discover during our cruise. At the helm, Claudio, professional captain, knows perfectly the nooks and crannies of Ibiza. He will watch over our yacht and our safety during the whole cruise.

After leaving our home port of Marina Botafoch (south of the island, near the city of Ibiza), we turn to port. We will go up the whole east coast, to a beach located near Punta Grossa, in the Northeast of the island. Here we are now hair in the wind (not too much anyway ... today is a fantastic day and the sea is calm). Sunglasses on, coated with sunscreen from head to toe (minimum index of 30), we begin the discovery of IBIZA VIEWED FROM THE SEA!

• The first beach we meet is TALAMANCA. A crystalline, shallow water precede this sandy beach. Claudio takes care not to anchor too close in order not to inquire ... We would look smart! The beach, arc-shaped, is around 3 thousand feet long and 82 feet wide. From here we have a breathtaking view of the citadel of Ibiza.

You can find quality Restaurants and Bars, most of which are open all year round. I recommend "El Barco" for its fish. My favorite dish: "La Fideua" (type of Paella with small pasta instead of rice) ... to my taste much better than Paella (This remains, of course, a personal opinion ;-)). But it is not yet time to eat ... Keep this good address for another day

• We resume our journey to sea to arrive to S'ESTANYOL. It is a pretty little creek of 200 feet long, surrounded by high rocks and vegetation. Claudio is cautious with the anchorage because the seabed here is shallow and very rocky. The water temperature is a few degrees above normal, which is perfect for the more sensitive to the cold. With our diving goggles, we enjoy watching the curiously shaped rocks which serve as shelter for many fish including Groupers and Muray Eels. A nice sand bank on the right allows us to dock.

Only one restaurant in S'ESTANYOL: The cozy "PK2" and its excellent musical animation for all the House music lovers ... But it is still not lunch time ...

• "Mer toute", towards CALA LLONGA (38º57,2'N - 01º31,6'E). We enter the best natural harbor on the East Coast. Because of its shape and its depth, we are totally protected if the West wind comes to rise (to avoid the days of rising wind though). At the bottom of the cove is a sandy beach, about 650 feet long and 300 feet wide. Unfortunately, large buildings, typical of the 70s, are spoiling the landscape, and in summer hundreds of blue umbrellas are covering the wonderful beach ... However, Claudio points to the entrance of the bay, which has remained intact. He tells us that there are small virgin beaches, sheltered from the eyes, hardly accessible on foot. They are very little known and have a unique charm. We wet our little semi-rigid to go discover them and enjoy them in peace ...

Several Bars and Restaurants that I do not know ... but just before arriving in Cala Llonga there is Sol d'en Serra with its fantastic restaurant "Amantes" that I highly recommend. It provides a zodiac service for guests arriving from the sea.

• We go back to our cruise and pass off the coast of SANTA EULALIA. We sail with caution because sometimes there is very little depth in this area. Fortunately, we have our professional skipper with us ... If not, we would have carefully studied the maps of this part of the island beforehand.
• We also pass the small bay of ES CANAR. This is where the Hippy market of PUNTA ARABI is located. It takes place every Wednesday. We decide not to stop there and we will go by car next Wednesday instead.
• ​Just after ES CANAR is CALA NOVA (39º0,5'N - 01º35'E). Access is easy by boat but the anchorage at night is not recommended. It is a beautiful little rounded beach of clean sand. It is 850 feet long and a 65 feet wide. The water is crystal clear. The cala is located between two rather steep, rocky parts, and surrounded by forests of pines. This area has kept its natural aspect and there are very few constructions around.
  Being very open on the sea and with its Southeast orientation, the prevailing winds are from sea to land, and when they blow, they cause large quantities of waves. As a result the sand is covered with remnants of Posidonia (which are absolutely not dangerous but not very nice nor pretty). However, these days of wind, CALA NOVA becomes one of the best beaches of Ibiza for the practice of surfing.

To eat I recommend the "Chiringuito Atzaro"

• We leave and round CALA LLENYA without stopping. We drop anchor at the following beach: CALA MASTELLA (39º01,3'N - 01º35,8'E). It is a nice little creek which is closed and protected from the winds and the waves. It is shallow (maximum 10 feet), and is not recommended for a boat over 50 feet... Lucky us, our sailboat is only 40 feet ... ;-)
  We take out our diving masks again to explore the site! Here the diversity of plants, seaweed and large rock formations make CALA MASTELLA an excellent place for practicing snorkeling or FMS (flippers, mask, snorkel).
  We approach the charming sandy beach of this small cove of only 200 feet long and 30 feet wide. It is surrounded by rocks, reeds, pine forests and small fishermen houses. We find the atmosphere so peaceful that this cala could well become one of our favorite little corners.

Do not forget "El Bigotes" ... The chiringuito-restaurant of CALA MASTELLA is located 150 feet from the beach, you have to walk along a rocky path to reach it ...

* For the story: at the origin of the restaurant, the owner went fishing every day with his boat in the early hours of the morning and composed his menu according to what he had been able to get out of the sea. The restaurant kept this tradition, and as a consequence they serve a unique dish of fresh fish and salads every lunchtime.

"And what if we eat now?" "Claudio suggests, putting the zodiac in the water

This is the first stage of this wonderful day on the east coast of Ibiza. We will continue after our meal and our little Spanish nap. I will meet you for the second part of this day at sea aboard our sailboat in the following blog: "The East Coast of Ibiza From the Sea (PART II)”.

See you soon.