Santa Ponsa / Santa Ponca

Santa Ponsa / Santa Ponca consists of a large sandy bay and an associated “hidden” marina. Santa Ponsa is an extremely popular anchorage during the summer months; when enormous superyachts rub shoulders with the rest of the hoi polloi in search of a safe and easy anchorage. Santa Ponsa is an interesting bay to visit on your sailing holiday and, if you can afford the prices, the marina is one of the most beautiful on the island.

The anchorage at Santa Ponsa is very straight forward. The bottom is mostly sand and there is a large expanse of water at suitable anchoring depths. Well over a 50 boats frequently drop the hook here during July and August and there is always room for more! The only things to watch for are a couple of shallow patches marked with cardinals and a few underwater cables running across the bay. Luckily the water is very clear here so these are easily spotted. As you approach the head of the bay remember that things can get shallow quickly as the sand builds up here in stormy conditions and due to natural “longshore drift”. There are plenty of places to land a dingy around the shore. However, avoid the swimming platforms and launching ramps or you will find your dingy has been moved in your absence. A dingy dock is located on the south side of the bay near the beach.

The Club Nautico Marina at Santa Ponsa is extremely pretty and very well sheltered. In the summer it can be rather hot in here. Sometimes even the stiffest of breezes doesn’t penetrate. This is a very pricey marina (106€ for a 12m yacht high season 2013) but the elegant and peaceful atmosphere is perhaps worth the extra money. The facilities are good and well maintained. There are several upmarket restaurants within the marina including a very popular Indian restaurant. The reception quay is on the port side as you enter but during the busy season it pays to call ahead and make a booking and room for visitors is limited. The marina has a shallow patch near the entrance marked with cardinals. Once inside things get narrow quickly, so if possible have all your ropes, fenders etc. ready before your enter to make things easier on yourself.

This is a very popular part of Mallorca especially with the older ex-pat British and as such there is no shortage of English breakfasts on offer or shops selling PG tips! The town has a gentile quality about it and it is surprisingly quiet even at the height of summer. The shady well-treed streets make a pleasant change from the concrete jungle that typifies some of the nearby resorts.

Provisioning is easy here as there are a selection of supermarkets and shops to choose from. Likewise restaurants are a dime a dozen and cafes and bars pop up everywhere. It is just a matter of your personal preference.

At the head of Cala de Santa Ponsa there is a magnificent white sand beach and around the bay there are plenty of other opportunities to lounge about and enjoy the sun and sea.

There are not many tourist sites in the local vicinity. Towards the marina there is a cross on Punta de la Caleta and a few statues dotted about to commemorate Rey Jamie Conquistador‘s (King Jamie 1st) victory over the Moors in the 1200s but that’s about it.

Ashore there are some pleasant short walks around the bay and surrounding area. Nothing too strenuous is the order of the day in Santa Ponsa; no point in getting too much of a sweat up before joining the evening passeggiata.

The bus to Palma and Magaluf leaves at regular intervals if the crew is pining for a bit more action.

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