Es Caló de Sant Agustí
While the crowds funnel south to Ses Illetes, the tiny north-coast inlet of Es Caló de Sant Agustí sits almost forgotten — a handful of stone boathouses, a fleet of wooden fishing llaüts, and a bar where the owner has been pouring cold Estrella Damm to sunburned cyclists since the 1980s.
A cove out of time
Es Caló is not a beach in the conventional sense — the shoreline is rocky limestone, worn smooth by the sea into natural platforms perfect for diving and sunbathing. The water directly off the rocks drops into a Posidonia meadow of extraordinary clarity; bring a mask and fins and you will share the cove with wrasse, damselfish and the occasional sea turtle.
The stone boathouses (bolitxeres) lining the inlet are among the most photographed structures on the island, their faded blue and terracotta paintwork reflected in the still water of the harbour at low tide. They date from the 18th century and are still in active use.
How to arrive and what to do
The best approach is by bicycle along the north-coast track from La Savina — a flat, 8 km ride through salt flats and pine scrub that deposits you at the cove feeling pleasantly virtuous. Lock up at the harbour wall and walk the short path east along the cliff edge, where the La Mola plateau rises dramatically and the sea stretches to the horizon with nothing between you and mainland Spain.
Lunch at Can Rafalet (see the food tip) and then idle the afternoon away on the rocks. Es Caló empties almost entirely after 5 p.m., when the day-trippers head back to their rental cars — stay for the late light and you will likely have the cove to yourself.
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