Balearic Islands - 14 Day Itinerary

This yacht charter itinerary takes Eternal Spark into Mallorca's less-visited coastline, and explores Menorca properly. Explore Balearic Islands through thirteen legs, 229 nautical miles total. One long crossing, four moderate ones, the rest under 90 minutes. The yacht spends the bulk of her time at anchor in beautiful locations, which is where a 50-metre with a beach club, four bars, a Finnish sauna, and a 5,000-litre glass-walled jacuzzi belongs.

14 Days

229 NM

14 Locations

17433 litres

Day 1

Ibiza Town - Espalmador

10 NM

50M

Day 2

Platja de Llevant

5 NM

25M

Day 3

Cala d'Hort

20 NM

1H 40M

Day 4

Cala Tarida

5 NM

25M

Day 5

Cala Benirrás

15 NM

1H 15M

Day 6

Palma de Mallorca

70 NM

5H 50M

Day 7

Cala Mondragó

35 NM

2H 55M

Day 8

Portocolom

10 NM

50M

Day 9

Cala Ratjada

20 NM

1H 40M

Day 10

Ciutadella

25 NM

2H 5M

Day 11

Cala Macarella

12 NM

Day 12

Mahón Harbour

28 NM

2H 20M

Day 13

Fornells

25NM

2H 5M

Day 14

Disembarkation in Fornells

0 NM

Ibiza is ideal for the start of your Balearic charter adventure

This historic atmosphere goes perfect with yacht luxury

Espalmador, photo credit to Beni Marull - https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=104758458

Day 1

Ibiza Town - Espalmador

Embark in Ibiza Town. The passage south to Espalmador takes less than an hour, just long enough for the crew to run a welcome briefing and for the crew to set cold towels and champagne on the bridge deck. By the time guests have properly understood the layout (four decks, six cabins, 510 square metres of outdoor space alone) the water has already changed colour beneath the hull.

Espalmador is a privately owned island at the northern tip of Formentera, separated from the mainland by a shallow lagoon that turns the water an almost implausible shade of turquoise. The beach is natural, quiet, and largely unreachable by road. The mud flats on the lagoon side are warm and mineral-rich; guests cover themselves in the grey-white sediment and then wade out to rinse it off in the clearer water beyond.

The salt flats of Ses Salines, shared between southern Ibiza and northern Formentera, are a UNESCO-listed natural park visible from the anchorage. Pink flamingoes use the pans seasonally. The area has been producing salt since Roman times.

The captain coordinates access in advance since Espalmador visits are subject to conditions and the island’s private status, but the anchorage here is one of the finest first nights imaginable. Eternal Spark’s beach club opens directly onto the swim platform so guests can step from the Finnish sauna into the sea.

Platja de Llevant - Photo credit to https://www.formentera.es/en/

Platja de Llevant offers ideal conditions for yacht water toys

Far de la Mola lighthouse, Photo credit to @migjornrentmotos

Day 2

Platja de Llevant

Twenty-five minutes. The shortest passage of the itinerary and just enough time to pour a coffee and move to the bow. Platja de Llevant is Formentera’s east-facing beach, and it operates in a completely different register from the famous Ses Illetes sandbank on the west side. Longer, quieter, fewer boats, more space between you and everything else. The Posidonia seagrass meadows run right to the beach here and it is the same UNESCO-listed meadows that keep the water this colour.

This is the day for the toys. The lift eFoils come out, alongside the SeaBob F5 SRs, the jet skis, the paddleboards, the wakeboard, the towable inflatable couch.

Eternal Spark is an RYA-approved water sports centre and the crew hold instructor qualifications, so guests learn properly rather than just being handed equipment and left to it. Those who prefer the water without machinery can snorkel the Posidonia meadows with full kit since mini-lung tanks are available for those who want depth.

The La Mola plateau rises above the east end of the island. Up there, the Wednesday and Sunday artisan market at El Pilar de la Mola is worth the tender trip ashore. Souvenirs here are local ceramics, jewellery, tie-dye… the kind of market that has been happening every summer since the 1970s and hasn’t been ruined by it.

Cap de Barbaria lighthouse at Formentera’s southern tip is a 20-minute drive or a long walk from the beach and is one of the most elemental spots in the Balearic Islands. The crew can arrange a vehicle.

Es Vedrà is every guests` ideal Balearic photo opportunity

Day 3

Cala d'Hort

The passage north from Formentera takes arounc 90 minutes and delivers guests to the most mythologised anchorage in Ibiza: Cala d’Hort, directly in front of Es Vedrà. The rock rises 382 metres straight from the sea, almost perfectly vertical, home to the second-largest colony of Eleonora’s falcon in the world, and the subject of enough local mythology to fill a small library: Atlantis, magnetic vortexes, appearances in Jules Verne. Whether or not any of it is true, the physical fact of Es Vedrà at close range from the water is genuinely arresting.

Cala d’Hort itself is a wide, calm bay with excellent holding and a beach restaurant: Es Boldado, perched on the clifftop above, which is worth the walk for grilled fish and the view. But, the real experience here is the anchorage in the late afternoon light. Es Vedrà turns from grey to amber to almost red as the sun drops toward it. The sundeck jacuzzi, positioned for exactly this kind of horizon view, becomes the most coveted spot on the boat. Cocktails from the sundeck bar. A perfect afternoon.

The snorkelling around the small rock formations at the southern end of the bay is excellent. The area around the islet of Es Vedranell has a shallow reef system and good visibility and the SeaBobs are particularly good here, for getting down to explore the rock faces underwater.

Photo by Dirk Pothen

Day 4

Cala Tarida

Four minutes of engine time, essentially. Cala Tarida sits just north of Cala d’Hort on the same west-coast stretch ; same dramatic cliff character, slightly more sheltered, and meaningfully different in feel from yesterday’s Es Vedrà anchorage. The beach is longer and sandier, the bay wider, the snorkelling along the southern headland excellent. This is a day with no agenda beyond the water, toys are fully deployed, the beach club is open, and the chef is running a long, lazy lunch on the sundeck. The Es Vedrà rock is still visible to the south, but the mood here is looser and less theatrical. Both are the right answer on different days.

Cala Benirrás, Photo credit to @jeanhelie

Eternal Spark's sundeck is a good idea at any time of day

Day 5

Cala Benirrás

Just over an hour north, Eternal Spark cruises past the lighthouse at Punta de ses Portes, and into Cala Benirrás, a small north coast bay with a distinctive mushroom-shaped rock offshore, excellent snorkelling along the cliff base, and a Sunday sunset drumming ritual that has been happening every week since the 1970s. Genuinely spontaneous, not staged for tourists, hundreds of people gather on the beach with percussion instruments as the sun goes down.

If the timing doesn’t align with Sunday, the bay is beautiful regardless. The snorkelling along the red-rock cliff to the east of the beach is among the best in Ibiza, and the restaurant above the beach (Restaurant Cala Benirrás) does excellent fresh fish in exactly the setting you want after a morning in the water. For the more active guests, the cliff face at Cala Benirrás has a series of jump points ranging from modest to genuinely alarming. The crew knows which ones are appropriate and can guide guests safely. On land, Sant Joan de Labritja, the small village 10 minutes inland from Cala Benirrás, has a Sunday artisan market that runs parallel to the beach drumming. It sells local honey, homemade preserves, and handmade jewellery.

Tomorrow is the big crossing day, so guests use this afternoon to do nothing: jacuzzi, cinema, and the bar on the sundeck as the north Ibiza coastline fades.

The Palma Cathedral is a major landmark in the Balearics

Paseo del Borne - Photo credit to https://www.abc-mallorca.com

Day 6

Palma de Mallorca

The big day. Depart at first light, 06:30, because arriving in Palma with the afternoon ahead makes the crossing worthwhile in a way that arriving at dusk does not.

Six hours at sea on Eternal Spark is a different proposition from six hours at sea on most yachts. The sky lounge cinema is available from the first hour, with automated blinds, 92-inch screen, professional surround sound, and a full library. The bridge deck bar opens when conditions allow. Some guests use long passage days to work through the sauna and jacuzzi rotation: twenty minutes of Finnish heat, then jacuzzi .

The passage from Ibiza to Mallorca in summer conditions, with the yacht steady and the horizon clear, is very beautiful if the conditions are right. Arrive in Palma Bay mid-afternoon. La Seu Cathedral from sea level, appearing around the point as the boat enters the bay, signals the arrival to Palma. Club de Mar or the Real Club Náutico de Palma are both good choices for berths in the heart of the city. Spend an evening in Palma: the old town is compact and walkable from the marina. The Paseo del Borne (the city’s elegant central promenade) connects the waterfront to the main shopping and restaurant district. Palma’s Bellver Castle, set on a hill above the city, is the only circular Gothic castle in Spain and has been there since 1311. The view over the bay from the ramparts is the best land-based view of the anchorage.

Charter guests always enjoy he serenity of Cala Mondragó

Day 7

Cala Mondragó

Leave Palma mid-morning and head east along Mallorca’s south coast. Nearly three hours is the moderate passage of the Mallorca chapter, but the south coast of Mallorca is worth watching slowly. Cap Blanc lighthouse appears, then the small island of Cabrera in the haze to the south (the National Marine Park, visible from this passage), then the coastline begins to open into the coves of the southeast.

Cala Mondragó sits inside Mondragó Natural Park, a protected coastal area of pine forest, limestone cliffs, and clear water that sees far fewer superyachts than the southwest. Two connected coves , S’Amarador and Cala Mondragó itself, are separated by a narrow pine-covered headland. The snorkelling in the passage between the two coves is exceptional. Eternal Spark’s four lung tanks and full snorkelling kit, including children’s full-face masks, meaning every guest can access it properly.

This is the genuinely quiet Mallorca; no beach clubs, no DJ sets audible from the water, no flotillas. The restaurant at the natural park beach (Restaurant Cala Mondragó, informal, fresh fish, good Mallorcan wine list) is exactly the right lunch for the setting.

Portocolom caves are popular Instagram photo locations

Photo credit to @leonsdrohnenblog

Day 8

Portocolom

Seventy minutes north along the coast. Portocolom is a natural harbour town that has been a fishing port since at least the 16th century, and the character of that history is still present in the painted boathouses, the small fishing boats working in the inner harbour, and the weekly market that brings the village alive.

The harbour anchorage is calm and well-protected. Tender ashore to the village for dinner, with Sa Llotja or Colón being the reliable options, both serving traditional Mallorcan cuisine (pa amb oli, tumbet, fresh fish from the port) in settings that haven’t been redesigned for tourists. Walking around the harbour walls at dusk, with the painted boathouses catching the last light, is also one of the quieter pleasures of the east coast. Back aboard for the evening: this is a good night for the outdoor cinema.

Alternatively, the Coves del Drach (Dragon Caves) at Porto Cristo, 8 km north, contain the largest underground lake in the world, Lake Martel, 177 metres long and 30 metres deep, with a boat concert on the lake as part of the tour. Theatrical, genuinely spectacular, and completely unlike anything else in the Balearic Islands.

Hidden Beach on Cala Ratjada - Photo Credit to Instagram Profile @melaaa_nie_

View of the Capdepera castle

Day 9

Cala Ratjada

An hour and twenty minutes north along Mallorca’s east coast, passing the lighthouse at Cap des Pinar and arriving at the northeastern corner of the island. Cala Ratjada is a working port town with a marina, a fishing fleet, and a lighthouse walk; the Faro de Capdepera, at the northeastern tip, has one of the best views in Mallorca, and the 30-minute walk from the town takes guests through pine forest to the clifftop.

The main reason to be here is positioning: Cala Ratjada is the closest Mallorca point to Menorca, and tomorrow’s crossing to Ciutadella is a manageable 2h23m from this anchorage rather than the 3h40m it would take from Portocolom. Smart routing made to look like an afternoon in a charming small town.

The water in and around Cala Gat is among the clearest on Mallorca’s east coast. Snorkel the cove walls, run the jet skis through the open water to the north, or take the kayaks around the headland to the quieter coves beyond.

Capdepera castle, 3 km inland, is a 14th-century walled enclosure crowning a hilltop above the town, and the views from the ramparts across to Menorca on a clear day are the best preview of where you’re going tomorrow.

The quiet and medieval vibe of Ciutadella invites lazy yacht afternoons

Day 10

Ciutadella

The channel crossing to Menorca. Two hours and twenty minutes across the Canal de Menorca – conditions can vary significantly here; so the departure time will reflect the forecast. In settled summer weather, the crossing is straightforward

Entering Ciutadella’s harbour for the first time, the old city’s stone buildings rise on both sides, is one of the great harbour arrivals in the Mediterranean. Anchor at the waterfront quay or in the outer harbour and tender in. The city is completely unlike any other Balearic Islands destination: Catalan Gothic architecture, a cathedral begun in 1362 on the site of a mosque, a historic centre that was never over-developed. Spend the afternoon ashore and tour the Plaça des Born, the market hall, and the antique shops along the Carrer del Seminari. Dinner at one of the waterfront restaurants overlooking the port: Es Tast de na Sílvia for elevated Menorcan cuisine, or simply one of the fish restaurants on the quay with the fishing boats directly below.

On land: The Naveta des Tudons, 4 km east of Ciutadella, is the oldest known roofed monument in the Iberian Peninsula – a prehistoric burial chamber built around 1000 BC from enormous limestone blocks. Still standing, still extraordinary, ten minutes by car from the port.

Anchor your yacht in a private Balearic Islands paradise

Day 11

Cala Macarella

Thirty-nine minutes south. The twin coves of Cala Macarella and Cala Macarelleta are the Menorca anchorages that justify the crossing from Mallorca – pine forest to the waterline, white sand, water that combines colours in a way that photos consistently fail to capture. Arrive early. These coves are small and the anchorage is limited – a morning arrival claims a position that afternoon arrivals will envy.

Cala Macarella has a simple beach bar – no DJ, no sunbed rental agency, no menu in five languages. Fresh fish, local cheese, cold beer. The sea temperature here in summer runs 24–26°C. Eternal Spark deploys the water toys: SeaBobs, kayaks through the passage between the two coves, the Williams tender running circuits for anyone who wants to see the coves from water level, snorkelling the rocky passage that connects the two bays.

The afternoon at anchor in Cala Macarella, with the pine trees above and the boat steady and nobody anywhere near, is one of the best moments of a 14-day circuit. Not because anything particular happens. Because nothing needs to. The beauty of the location says it all.

Photo credit to: https://marinaportmahon.com

Photo credit to @roobieslippers

Day 12

Mahón Harbour

Two hours east along Menorca’s south coast, passing some of the island’s finest coves (Cala Turqueta, Cala Galdana). You can stop at one or use the most of the Mahón arrival with the afternoon free. The captain will decide based on conditions and guest preference.

The world’s second deepest natural harbour opens as a long, dramatic fjord; 6 km into the island, lined with Georgian merchant houses (built during the British occupation of 1708–1802), medieval fortifications, and the occasional restaurant terrace above the water. The impression of cruising into the 18th century is difficult to avoid.

The Mercat des Claustre (a covered market) is excellent for provisions and eating: fresh fish, local cheese, sobrassada, and Menorca’s famous gin. Visit the waterfront restaurants along Moll de Llevant—Sa Pedrera des Purg, Ses Forquilles.

The Museu de Menorca, housed in a 17th-century Franciscan convent, contains the best archaeological collection in the Balearic Islands: Bronze Age Talayot culture, Roman occupation, and the Moorish period. Thirty minutes there is worth it. Alternatively, take a tour of The Gin Xoriguer distillery on the waterfront, which has been producing Menorcan gin in the same copper stills since 1810.

Photo credit to @iwilly1

Photo credit to @mtravelove

Day 13

Fornells

2 hours north around the eastern tip of Menorca and along the north coast to Fornells is a small fishing village. Fornells is known throughout the island for one thing specifically: Caldera de Langosta, the Menorcan lobster stew. Rich, brick-red, built on a shellfish base that takes hours to develop, served in the deep clay pot it’s cooked in. Es Plà, La Palma, and Es Cranc are the restaurants with the longest track records; any of them will require a reservation that the stewardess can arrange this in advance.

The bay of Fornells is an almost perfect natural harbour – the entrance is narrow enough to shelter from the tramuntana wind that defines Menorca’s north coast, and the interior is so calm that the village has been a windsurfing and kitesurfing centre for decades. Eternal Spark anchors in the bay; the jet skis and paddleboards are the right toys for a bay this sheltered, and the windsurfing kit is available for rent from the village if any guests want to try it.

You can also visit Cap de Cavalleria, 15 km west along the north coast. The northernmost point of the Balearic Islands is a lighthouse at the end of a wild headland, red sandy soil, sea cliffs, and no crowds. One of Menorca’s most dramatic landscapes is worth the 30-minute drive from Fornells. The small Museu Arqueologic de Son Mercer de Baix nearby has context for the prehistoric settlements visible along the north coast.

Stay tuned for more Eternal Spark`s Balearic adventures

Day 14

Disembarkation in Fornells

During the last morning, Eternal Spark’s chef prepares whatever breakfast guests want; the bridge deck seats everyone, and the sundeck is available if the weather holds. The bay of Fornells in the morning is one of the most serene settings in the Balearic Islands, perfect for a farewell breakfast.

Fourteen days, four islands, 229 nautical miles, one big crossing. One of the most complete itineraries available in the western Mediterranean and Eternal Spark makes every day feel like a brand new begining.

*Fuel consumption estimates provided are approximate and subject to significant variation based on prevailing sea conditions, weather patterns, and cruising speed. These calculations reflect the combined fuel required for both the main engines (while underway) and the generators (at anchor & underway).