I first drove out to Cala Comte on a Tuesday in late May. I expected the usual overhyped trap. Instead I found a shoreline that actually deserves the massive crowds it draws every single afternoon. The water is absurdly blue. You look out and see huge rocky islands breaking up the horizon, completely dominating the view. This is what people picture when they book a flight to the Balearics. The white dust from the access road will coat your rental car in minutes. Worth it.
The Water and the Islands
Cala Comte is broken up into several different coves. The seabed starts as shallow sand before dropping off fast into darker water. Swim out a bit. Now you are staring right at Illa des Bosc and Illa de sa Conillera. They look like giant rocks dropped straight into the Mediterranean. Some parts of the water stay dead calm all day. Walk fifty meters down the shore and a sudden swell will knock your sunglasses right off your head if you aren’t paying close attention to the tide shift, which catches people off guard constantly. I stick to the calmer side. A guy selling cold sliced coconut walks the sand every hour.
Two Sides of the Beach
A rocky outcrop splits the main swimming area. The south side is the wide sandy curve where everyone goes to be seen. You will find most of the sunbeds packed in here. People drink cold Estrella and listen to whatever deep house is drifting down from the restaurants above. But the north side is smaller. It stays quiet for a few extra hours in the morning. If you climb around the rocks in the middle you can find a few flat ledges to throw a towel down on. The limestone gets incredibly sharp though. Bring thick-soled sandals. Or just accept the cuts on your feet.
The Sunset Crowds
Late afternoon brings a totally different crowd. People start showing up around 6:00 PM just to claim a spot for the sunset. They sit on the sand or line up along the dirt cliff edges. The sun drops directly behind those offshore islands. So the sky turns bright orange and heavy purple for about twenty minutes. The clapping when the sun finally disappears is a bit cheesy. Everyone does it anyway. The view really is that good, especially if you catch it on a cloudless Thursday when the weekend crowds haven’t fully descended yet. Get there at least an hour early if you want to sit somewhere remotely comfortable.
Food and Sunbeds
Sunset Ashram dominates the sand. The views are unbeatable. You need a reservation weeks in advance if you want a dinner table in August. They simply will not seat walk-ins. For fresh fish, Restaurante Cala Comte sits nearby as the other major option. Sunbeds and umbrellas cost exactly €10 each this past summer. So expect to pay €30 for two beds and a shade. The pedal boats cost extra. They only take physical cash at the little wooden rental shack down by the water. Do not rely on the ATM up the hill because it charges a ridiculous €4 withdrawal fee and is out of bills half the time anyway.
Getting There Without Losing Your Mind
You really need to plan your transport. The main dirt parking lot is huge. But it still fills up completely by 11:30 AM in July. They charge €3 to park. The attendants wave you into impossibly tight spaces between scratched rental Fiats. Driving a scooter is much easier for squeezing into the leftover spots at the end of a dusty row. You can also catch the L4 bus from the Sant Antoni station. It costs €2.90 and drops you right at the beach entrance, which saves you a lot of walking in the midday heat. Try going in late September. The water is actually warmer than it is in June.
Recommended experiences
A few bookable experiences related to this topic:
Photo: Ladislaus Hoffner, via Wikimedia Commons