Cala Gran Mallorca
The beaches of Mallorca are famous for often providing an intimate feel. They do this by being framed in by cliff walls on either side. The water winds into the island ending in a number of mini beaches. The waterways help protect against waves crashing in, which ultimately creates an awesome spot for lounging or floating in the water. It also helps the water stay clear.
Cala Gran Mallorca is a beach in the Cala D’or resort area near Santanyi that delivers that exact experience. It is one of the bigger cove beaches, and comes with a lot of amenities that the smaller beaches don’t.
Cala Gran Quick Facts
- Other Names: Platja de Cala Gran, Cala Gran Majorca
- Known For: Big urban cove beach with lots of crowds
- Facilities: Restrooms, showers, concession stands, umbrella and hammock rentals
- Lifeguards: Yes
- Parking: Plenty of nearby street parking
- Cost: Free
- Other: walking paths and cliff jumping available down the sides of the beach
Location of Cala Gran
This gorgeous cove beach is on the south east side of Mallorca. It is about a 1 hour drive if you come directly from the airport. It is in the Santanyi city, but sits specifically in the Cala D’or resort area.
Cala D’or is a really popular resort area that is known for having 5 different calas littered through the city center. Cala D’or has all the amenities visitors would want, but does not feature the crazy party nightlife that other parts of the island do.
Cala Gran Parking
Parking is a nightmare at a lot of Mallorca’s beaches.
This is likely because the island has gorgeous beaches, but most of the coastline is actually rocky cliffs rather than soft sand.
Therefore, the areas with the sand often get packed, creating difficulties for parking. This is NOT an issue at Cala Gran as it is in a city area and has plenty of street parking surrounding the beach.
I had no problem finding a close spot even at a peak weekend time.
Crowds
Crowds are by far the biggest negative of Cala Gran. It was absolutely slammed when I was there.
Aside from it being very popular, this beach offers everything.
You are very likely going to have to compete for space to lounge on the sand, will be swimming in the water with others, or even lounging on the rocks that line the sides of the beach.
What Else To Do In The Area
There is plenty to do in the Cala D’or resort area.
You can explore the 4 other cove beaches in this small resort area, walk around and explore the shops, the street markets that are set up periodically, or enjoy any of the numerous restaurants in the area.
Conclusion
If you aren’t deterred by crowds, there is nothing else about this amazing beach that will disappoint you. It has all the amenities you would need: restrooms, showers, lifeguards, umbrella rentals, modest cliff jumping, vendors selling drinks etc. It is big (by cove beach standards) and is stunning!
What to Bring to the Beach
Travel towel – So much easier to pack these quick dry microfiber travel towels than go without or be forced to buy one once there. We always travel with at least two of them.
Dry Bag – There are some lessons you just don’t want to learn the hard way. Ruining your phone, camera, or other valuables at the beach is a very expensive lesson to learn. This dry bag is amazing and works for any and all water activities.
Reef-safe sunscreen – The sun here can be very strong. Make sure to wear a reef safe sunscreen or a rashguard.
Rash guard or long sleeve swim top – I wear the one from Skims and I love not having to worry about getting burned when I am out in the sun ALL DAY. Free people also has some amazing rash guards you can shop here.
Backpack or waterbottle sling – I am obsessed with my Beis travel backpack. I never travel without it. It is seriously the perfect size. Not too big, not too small. If you don’t want to bring a full backpack this waterbottle sling is my absolute favorite. It fits a waterbottle, iPhone 14 pro max, plus some extra space for bars or snacks or your wallet.
Packable snacks – I always travel with these That’s it bars from Amazon. OMG, they are sooo good and only have a few minimal ingredients.
Full guides on my favorite Mallorca beaches
I have visited over 30 Calas (or beaches) in Mallorca and have full guides about all of them. From which ones are best to the parking (it can be a nightmare) to how to get down to the actually beach as a lot of them require hikes.
CALO DES MORO – This is probably the most beautiful cove beach I have ever seen. It was crowded when we went (high season) but if you go during the spring or early fall it won’t be nearly as crowded.
CALA S’ALMUNIA – Amazing cliff jumping spots here. Not too high, not too small. It was just perfect in my opinion. This beach is literally a 5 minute walk from Calo des Moro. Don’t miss it! It’s beautiful!
CALA DES BORGIT – Amazing, lesser known beach. This may have been my favorite Cala we visited. It is much lesser known and wasn’t nearly as crowded as the others.
ES TRENC – Lesser known but amazing! Es Trenc is more of a traditional beach than the others on the list (no rocks or cliffs around) but more out of the way from most of the touristy things. It was another one of my favorite beaches. The water was so blue, and the sand so white! Trust me, you don’t want to miss this hidden gem.
Other Mallorca beaches we loved:
Note: We have been to every single one of these beaches. It was A LOT of work but we love it! Mallorca is one of our favorite spots to vacation in the summer. I hope you find this information helpful. Thanks so much for reading!
- CALA MONDRAGO
- CALA BELTRAN – Hidden gem. Loved this beach! You get there through a hike starting at Cala Pi Beach.
- CALA PI
- CALA SA NAU
- CALA S’AMARADOR – Voted best beach in Europe (Personally, it wasn’t my favorite) But still absolutely stunning. Just SUPER crowded in high season.
- CALA LLOMBARDS
- CALA MITJANA
- CALA SERENA
- TRENC BADESTRAND
- CALA GRAN
- CALA ESMERALDA
- CALA EGOS – Relatively unknown beach!
- CALA FERRERA – All-around awesome beach. Whole package.
- CALA SANTANYI
- CALA FIGUERA – Charming fishing village on the south eastern part of the island. No beach