If you are researching holiday resorts for your next Summer holiday, find out what Cala d’Or Mallorca is really like.

In this article, I will look at the pros and cons of booking a break to one of Mallorca’s favourite holiday resorts to help you decide if this destination is really for you.

Cala d’Or has some of the most picturesque scenery on the entire island of Mallorca, but there are some major pros and cons of holidaying in this resort. So here is my guide to the best and worst of booking a holiday to Cala d’Or.

What are the beaches like in Cala d’Or, Mallorca?

PROS: The waters surrounding Cala d’Or on some of the bluest and most picturesque in Mallorca. Take a look at the video playing on the page to see just how amazing Cala Gran beach is in winter.

The waters here are clean, calm and clear making them perfect for snorkelling and swimming, and of course, ideal for that Instagram opportunity.

What’s more, you are not limited to sitting on the beach in some of the coves like Cala Gran, as it’s perfectly possible to walk along the rocks or pathways to get off the beach and enter the sea from the steps that have been placed in many of the coves.

There are also sunbed and sun umbrella rentals on the main coves and most have security boxes attached to the umbrellas, allowing you to leave your phone and wallet safely locked away while you go to the sea.

CONS: However, the beaches do have a narrow shoreline and the beaches run long and deep. This means that the beaches do get extremely busy during the hot summer months.

However, if you want to see these beaches empty then visit very early in the morning, or later in the afternoon, which of course isn’t ideal.

These coves can get very busy in the Summer months, so if you arrive late to the beach, you may not be as close to the shoreline as you would like. This could be problematic if you have children.

The availability of sun umbrellas is also extremely limited due to the size of the beaches, so you will find if you get to the beach later, you will not have access to these.

So to keep your valuables safe I would recommend getting a waterproof phone case of bumbag, which you can pick up from the Mallorca Under the Sun holiday shop here, or by leaving valuables in your hotel safe.

However, you will find that most of the hotels will have access to great swimming pool areas too, so you are not entirely reliant on going to the beach to go for a swim!

To find your perfect hotel, check this link here.

Cala Egos, Cala d'Or Mallorca
What Cala d’Or Mallorca is really like – Beautiful Cala Egos

What’s it like eating out in Cala d’Or, Mallorca?

PROS: While many visitors to Cala d’Or will eat in their hotels, others will find the centre of Cala d’Or itself to be packed with several restaurant choices, catering for all budgets.

Whether or not you are staying in a hotel, I encourage you to visit Cala d’Or centre for at least drinks and a light bite to eat, to soak up the atmosphere.

CONS: However, because of the size of the micro resorts around Cala d’Or, such as Cala Gran, Cala Petita, Cala Egos, Cala Esmeralda and Cala Ferrera etc, you will find there to be fewer waterside restaurants than you would find in other resorts.

Many of the restaurants on the coves will close in the late afternoon and the diners will move to the centres of the resorts for dining options.

If you want a good choice of restaurants by the water in Cala d’Or, head to the Cala d’Or Marina.

Nightlife in Cala d’Or – is it lively?

PROS: This could be an advantage OR a disadvantage, but the nightlife in Cala d’Or isn’t as lively as you would find elsewhere on the island in the busier resorts of Magaluf and Arenal.

It caters for entirely different visitors – those who like to sit out drinking cocktails and watching the world go by and enjoy a “lounge” style atmosphere

That’s not to say though that you will not find a lively scene in Cala d’Or if you are looking for it.

If you want to extend your night into the Cala d’Or nightclubs, then I would recommend heading down to the marina where you will find Quaterdeck on Cala d’Or marina, which tends to stay open until around 4am.

Alternatively, check out the Sky Cocktail bar also on the marina, which attracts yacht charter passengers or those looking for a laid-back party vibe by the water.

In Cala d’Or centre, head to Carrer d’en Toni Costa where you will find Club Tiempo and Upstairs Mallorca Clubs which get lively from 11pm onwards.

CONS: Like many resorts, you will find the nightlife to be considerably less busy out of peak season. If you are visiting outside the peak season, then ask workers in the bars or restaurants where they would recommend going for a lively night out.

What’s it like getting around Cala d’Or?

Cald d’Or is made up of many smaller tourist areas and you may wish to visit these and surrounding areas during your stay. So as to what Cala d’Or Mallorca is really like in terms of getting around, let’s find out.

PROS: The red and yellow TIB bus network connects Cala d’Or to many of the surrounding areas and of course from Palma airport and to Palma city.

You can easily visit Santanyi market and Puerto Petro on the TIB bus network. Check out out this timetable here, and you can see it connects the main resorts.

It’s also possible to take the TIB bus to Cala Mondrago, and you can get an idea of the timetable here. If you would like to see what visiting Cala d’Or is like during the Summer months, then check out this video here.

If you want to find out more about getting the TIB bus in Mallorca, then check out this article here.

Another option for getting around is the Cala d’Or Express Mini Trenet which is a tourist train connecting resorts with Cala d’Or centre.

However, this mini-train only runs from May until the end of September so bear this in mind when you visit.

CONS: Cala d’Or is a resort that is extremely spread out with the micro resorts spread out from Cala d’Or centre.

Of course, it is possible to walk from the smaller calas into Cala d’Or centre, and the walking time from Cala Ferrer is approximately 20 minutes. From Cala Egos, this walk is around 40 minutes.

This may be fine during the cooler months, but during peak season, you will possibly want to get public transport.

The TIB buses can get extremely busy and I noticed too that there was a huge demand for taxis, but that said, Cala d’Or is quite well connected.

My advice though is while you will enjoy visiting the areas around Cala d’Or by bus, I would recommend against too much travelling by bus to other areas of the island if you are visiting for a short break otherwise you risk spending much of your holiday on a bus.

See Cala d’Or and all the great locations around it, and book yourself another Mallorca holiday if you want to visit for example the north of the island or destinations such as Soller or Sant Elm.

Also if you want to avoid long bus or taxi queues but you would like the freedom to explore the island then I would recommend renting a car.

You can support the channel and rent your car here for the best car rental rates in Mallorca.

Are there many things to do in Cala d’Or?

PROS: Cala d’Or is a fantastic resort with many water-based activities during the hot summer months.

From dolphin watching, sailing, jet ski tours, and snorkelling or diving, Cala d’Or is the perfect place to visit for water sports enthusiasts.

In fact, to read about things to do in Cala d’Or, check out this article here.

 

There are also a few fantastic markets to visit in Campos and Santanyi, plus some tiny old towns too.

It’s also an easy drive to Porto Cristo too, where you can visit the Caves of Hams and the Caves of Drach.

If you book your tickets here, I will receive a tiny commission which will help support the channel.

 
 
dolphin watching, Cala d'Or, Mallorca
Dolphin watching in Cala d’Or, Mallorca

For those wishing to visit Mallorca’s capital city Palma de Mallorca, then expect to drive to take around 1 hour 15 mins or more during peak season (traffic depending), and around 1 hour 45 minutes by bus.

CONS: When it rains in Cala d’Or there is very little to do here (apart from heading to the bars and restaurants).

If you are a regular in Cala d’Or and can recommend some great activities to do (apart from maybe visiting the caves of Hams and the Caves of Drach as mentioned above, then please leave me a comment.

Starfish excursion cala dor mallorca

What’s the Accommodation like in Cala d’Or Mallorca?

PROS: Cala d’Or is a purpose-built tourist resort with many low-rise Ibiza-style hotel and villa accommodations.

This style of accommodation makes Cala d’Or distinctive from other areas of the island.

There is also a massive selection of all-inclusive hotels in Cala d’Or with plenty of availability meaning that although the resorts are spread out, often everything you need will be in your hotel complex.

You can find some of the best rates in package holidays with my affiliate partner Jet2.com here.

There is plenty of choice with regard to accommodation which you can find with my holiday partner Expedia here, or search below.

CONS: That said, you will struggle to find traditional Mallorcan or old-world charm here. And you will need to travel out of the resort if you are seeking more of a traditional Mallorca stay in an agrotourism hotel or similar.

However you can consider booking an entire property with VBRO.com here.

In Summary: What Cala d’Or Mallorca is really like?

You can see in this article that Cala d’Or in Mallorca is a really lovely resort. Don’t forget you will find this catering perfectly for tourism but you will find almost no old-world charm in the resort.

The coves are some of the prettiest on the island. It could be argued that Cala Gran beach is just one of the prettiest places on the planet. But during peak season, you will find the beaches can get very busy unless you’re prepared to visit the beach before breakfast!

There are so many places to eat out, but if you are looking for a livelier nightlife, then maybe a holiday to Magaluf, Arenal or Cala Millor maybe a better option for you.

And while there are many great fun things to do, you may find Cala d’Or’s location to the rest of the island to be a little remote and cut off to allow day trips to other popular locations such as Soller or Deia.

I hope this article best weighs up the pros and cons of holidaying in Cala d’Or. If you have any other opinions as to what Cala d’Or Mallorca is really like, please comment below.

To see how Cala d’Or compares to another popular area of Mallorca, check out this article here.

mallorca airport transfers