Cala Millor, Mallorca: The good, the bad and the ugly

Posted on 7th May 2019. In , ,

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The Good

There’s no doubt why Germans and Brits flock to Cala Millor every summer. This rugged north-eastern Mallorcan bolt-hole is a drool-fest for those who love a good beach (me included).

The wide 6 kilometre sweep of sand is large enough to hold an August crowd without territorial disputes erupting over sunbeds and sand-turf.

Whilst the blue-eyed waters of Cala Millor are warm, clear, calm, and as electric-charged as they look on the postcards – with only a few rocky areas darkening the blue (which are great for snorkelling over).

We spent an enjoyable day on this beautiful Mallorcan beach and it never felt crowded – we rented two sunbeds and a parasol for €12.

The only thing that stopped our return the next day was a small pink jelly-fish floating over the rocks, inches from our goggles.

We didn’t spot any jelly-fish warning signs on Cala Millor beach before we hit the water, so threw caution to the wind and threw ourselves in the hotel pool the next day instead.

The beach of Cala Millor is within easy walking distance of almost all the hotels that line its edges, and there are a lot of water-side activities to suck your wallet dry: banana boat rides, paragliding, an inflatable water park – to name a few.

Great for: Families, couples and solos who want to swim, snorkel or just soak-up the rays. Here’s more picture proof of Cala Millor’s sunshine side.

Best of all: The water is clear and clean, there’s a life-guard present, the sand is powdery and soft, and the beach never felt too busy.

Beach at Cala Millor, Majorca, Spain

Cala Millor beach, Majorca, Spain

Parasol at Cala Millor Majorca

Hotel Resort in Cala Millor

View over Cala Millor Beach

The Bad (in my opinion)

Beyond the beach’s good-looks are Cala Millor’s cafes, bars, restaurants and shops. Down our end of Cala Millor beach – the western end – they were tame and inviting.

Head into the main strand of Cala Millor, however, and they are a stereotypical Brit-fuelled pick ‘n’ mix: bars named after pubs, restaurants serving dirt-cheap cocktails, and shops where you can buy wooden dick bottle-openers.

*Baffled face*

Now, I am not a snob (seriously, I’m not – I don’t have a butter dish). I like a good slice of home and an out-of-context font just as much as the next person, but this pedestrianised wall of cheap and cheerful stole from the natural beauty of beach-front Cala Millor.

Going to a new place simply to seek the things you have at home surely goes against the whole idea of exploration? At least, it does in my book (but my book usually has words in I don’t understand, so I’ll leave it there).

We did enjoy picking up souvenirs and gifts in this section of Cala Millor, and we also munched on a very yummy, very big pizza for tea one night.

But post-pizza, as the Cala Millor shops closed for the evening, the beer-binging seemed to be taking shape and small child and I felt the need to take a walk back to Cala Millor’s tamer side for a cuppa and bed.

Great for: Souvenir shopping in the day, ice-creams to go, and a bite to eat for lunch.

I wish I’d knowAt night, it’s a mecca for young couples and groups of friends who want to drink up the holiday atmosphere and sing karaoke until the sun comes up. If that’s your bag – cool.

Main shopping street in Cala Millor

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Gifts in Cala Millor Shop

Main street in Cala Millor, Malorca, Spain

The Ugly 

Super-sized fun is the name of the game in Cala Millor, which is great. And to help float your fun-side it’s easy to rent an electric scooter, commandeer a segway or tear-up the bike lanes in a pedal buggy.

No problem with that.

Except: when you have a bike lane with a constant rush of lads on scooters, couples on Segways, and families in pedal buggies running alongside a busy pedestrian walk-way, separated by a slight shift in Pantone colour, accidents are going to happen.

So often on our Cala Millor trip we saw hapless holiday-makers (me included) straying into the fast lane and nearly losing a limb to an eight-year old on a scooter.

Worst of all, one night we saw a small boy bolt into the bike lane just as a family’s four-seater pedal buggy hit the same spot.

The boy ended up horizontal under the front wheels, screaming, whilst his mother shrieked blue murder; luckily the wheels hadn’t run over the boy’s windpipe, but one did twist his ankle.

I’m not sure what the answer is to this problem; but I do know it was an ugly event to witness – and I’d hate to see it happen again.

Great for: Flying up and down the Cala Millor strip quickly with the sun-tipped breeze in your hair.

I wish I’d know: The beach boulevard can get crammed with pedestrians and the constant zip of scooter/bike traffic, which may spell danger if you’re not careful.

Buggy Cala Millor, Majorca


Comments
Was thinking about going on a family holiday there next october but unsure now
Kay Deakin on 2020-02-17 10:38:54
There are lots of good points, but it depends what you want. The beaches are fabulous - the town, meh. BUt if you have a good hotel/complex and maybe fancy daytrips, then it's a great base.
Claire on 2020-02-21 13:22:35
We have holidayed in Cala Millor and Cala Bona for the last 6 years, we have been in early May and late Seprember and it is a lovely place to go. No rowdy drunk brits OR Germans falling all over the place. It's what you make it. An excellent place to holiday.
Carl on 2020-06-24 19:42:35
It sure is. I have to agree, it is lovely!
Claire on 2020-06-26 09:23:19
Really useful, thank you!!
Emma on 2020-12-20 13:11:44
Anytime!
Claire on 2021-01-02 10:32:14
Great review, thank you. Would it be ok for an elderly Irish lady on her own? Beach lover but like to walk around in the evening. Would be staying in a decent hotel. What do you think?
Vera on 2021-01-18 11:10:49
I guess it depends on how elderly she is and how confident she is on her own. It was a couple of years ago that I went, so it might be worth looking at more recent reviews to make a judgement (although Covid has probably changed it a lot) or talking to a professional travel consultant. Hope that helps!
Claire on 2021-01-18 18:57:53
Loved this little insight, and very useful for me, thanks! :)
Kate on 2021-02-25 16:54:29
A really helpful review. I've never been to Majorca before and undecided between here and Palma Nova - I usually go by whatever hotel I fancy, rather than resort. However, I'd love to know what the weather is like on the eastern coast, rather than the southern. Is it windy?
Elaine on 2021-04-16 08:22:00
Hi Elaine, I can't say the wind has ever been a problem on any visit I've had. Cala Millor and Es Trenc were just beautiful, so I didn't notice!
Claire on 2021-04-19 13:33:01

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