Palma de Mallorca - General Info
Description:
This busy port, while packed full of yachts and one of the more expensive places to visit in the Balearics, is well worth a visit for the old town of Palma alone. Founded by the Romans, this delightful city merits at least an overnight stop and time to explore the winding back streets and delightful eateries.
Although the city now encompasses the entire bay, with tall buildings dominating the waterfront from one end to the other, those who wish to be closer to old Palma and all essential amenities will fare better if they take their boat to the northeast part of the harbor.
Entrance Notes and Cautions:
The approaches are well marked making it easy to enter both by day and night. The harbor is protected by two massive breakwaters, the ends of which are marked with powerful flashing lights.
Position:
39° 33’15” N, 002° 38’30” E (harbor entrance)
Read and Post Related Comments
If you have information for this section, or feedback on businesses used, please let us know at editor@noonsite.com. We also welcome new information about businesses you have used (see Related Businesses).
Next Section: Profile: Clearance
Related to following destinations: Balearics, Palma de Mallorca, Spain
Port Navigation
Courtesy Flag Discounts
YachtFlags.com provides high quality courtesy flags that are manufactured in durable Knitted Polyester fabric. Knitted so that the fabric itself does not deteriorate in the constant movement that marine flags are usually exposed to, and polyester so that the flag does not weaken in the strong UV-light usually found in the main sailing areas of the world.
YachtFlags.com offers a discount to Noonsite members.
Use the coupon code NOONSITE_5A2B when checking out to get 10% off today.
Buy Now On YachtFlags.comMain Ports - Spain
Courtesy Flag Discounts
YachtFlags.com provides high quality courtesy flags that are manufactured in durable Knitted Polyester fabric. Knitted so that the fabric itself does not deteriorate in the constant movement that marine flags are usually exposed to, and polyester so that the flag does not weaken in the strong UV-light usually found in the main sailing areas of the world.
YachtFlags.com offers a discount to Noonsite members.
Use the coupon code NOONSITE_5A2B when checking out to get 10% off today.
Buy Now On YachtFlags.com
We spent three weeks in Palma in 2020 – two in RCNP in February and one in Port de Mallorca in October. Both had reasonable rates for our 17m Oyster, around €70 per night.
Recommend:
* ElectroMarine for electrical work. We had Mastervolt Lithium Ion batteries installed. Mark Racine mark@electromarine.es +34 657 61 25 16
* Tolo Massanet Brummel solved a problem with our MASE generator very quickly. tmnautica@outlook.com +34 678 57 67 35
* Mike Barnes at Guardian Yacht Services for most things. mike@guardianyachtservices.es +34 611 324 466
Hope this helps!
I had several works done in Palma de Mallorca and Santa Ponça in the past two months on our one-year old HR 48: bottom Coppercoat antifouling, welding a bent cheek of the bow roller, waxing the sides of the boat above the waterline, installing the Iridium Pilot, installing the SSB-Pactor ICOM M802, etc.
We had great service and fair price by A+ rigging who modified-insulated the backstay and did a complete rig check.
We had fair prices by Club Nautico Santa Ponça that lifted the boat. However, when they pressure washed the bottom of our boat, that had self-polishing blue antifouling done at the Hallberg-Rassy yard after construction, they sprayed the blue paint over the two adjacent boats in addition to the teak deck of our boat.
We had a good welding of the bow roller cheek by Metalnox (who however initially suggested a 700 Euros cost but later presented a bill of 2,100 Euros without discussing the difference with us beforehand).
We had a bad experience with SNIP who wanted to apply only two layers of Coppercoat and put in the water the next day (Coppercoat recommend four to five layers applied in the same day and 3 days drying process!). I had to baby-sit them everyday because they always tried to cut corners. They also threw away lots of expensive paint because did not want to apply the 5th layer.
We had good installation of the Iridium Pilot by Horizon Marine but they had three different people doing the same installation because one person knew one part for the installation but did not now the second part or the third part. Many more hours than necessary and they charge 80 Euros by the hours.
Another good electrician was Vladimir Stoyanov, expert in power management.Vladimir.stoyanov1@gmail.com)
Very good job by FerdiNautic who did the 50 hour maintenance of the generator.
Yacht Center Palma is a great marine supply store. Ask of Peter for advices.
Thanks to the comments above, we waited out a storm in Portal Vells, then moved to the anchorage by the Cathedral. It’s March so it’s empty. We took our dinghy into RCN Palma and booked to go in for 4 days €47 a night for a 14m yacht. Because of the problems documented with tying up the dinghy, I told them we were at the anchorage and wanted to also tie up the dinghy the day before we arrived. The bureaucracy involved for them is almost as much as for a yacht. The nice lady, asked me how long and how wide it was, worked out the price and then we parked our dinghy there the next day for the total sum of €4.02. Well worth it. It is a long ride from the anchorage though. I should add that the Captiania lady and the marineiro we dealt with were both really nice and very helpful
Palma is massive and potentially quite intimidating due to the number of ferries and cruise liners. However these are easily avoidable and, even entering at night, I didn’t have a problem getting across the entrance and to Real Club Nautico de Palma. I only stayed here for 1 night in July and it cost 93 euros for a 10m yacht, the most I have ever paid.
But the facilities were excellent and staying here gets you to access the other club facilities including a spa, restaurant, gym and swimming pool. Washing machines were the only disappointment as there were only 3 for a large marina, and you have to be up early to make sure you can get in! As with all other Spanish marinas, I stayed at the staff were really helpful. All services for repair and maintenance were available but it would be an expensive place to stay if awaiting a repair.
If you want a couple of days rest and relaxation in some comfort I would thoroughly recommend it, especially as you couldn’t get a decent hotel with these facilities for the same price.
I can only confirm what Scarcity says: Palma is intimidating for people with a small budget.
We arrived after 2 days at sea from Sardinia and went inside La Longa marina. They charge per square meter, we ended up paying €67 for one night. Basic facilities but very central.
We moved to the anchorage in front of Palma cathedral. Anchoring is fine as long as there is no swell, great view!
Anchoring is also possible at Las Isletes a little to the West.
What’s really difficult is “parking” your boat or dinghy anywhere inside the port for a short shopping trip or airport pick-up. On Sundays and holidays it’s possible (not officially, of course) to put the yacht at the fishermen’s petrol station (Repsol, more in the centre quite far inside the port) for a couple of hours or even for the night (make sure you are gone by 5 a.m.!!). Don’t do the same at the other petrol station opposite. We tried and got in trouble, had to pay around €40.
Finding a place to park the dinghy is also difficult when you are anchoring outside the port, there is nowhere to put it. We had to drive the dinghy all the way inside the port (25 minutes with our 3HP outboard engine).
But: Palma is really the place to get anything fixed and organised. We were thinking of getting our diesel tanks cleaned and asked for a quote. We ended up having it done the next day in the morning (!!) for less than 300.-€
I brought my new Lagoon 39 from France to Mallorca in April 2015 to have the purchased options installed and was docked at Club de Mar for a month.
Club de Mar is very expensive and inconvenient. I paid for one month of docking more than 3,500 Euros and the shower and toilet facilities were located about 800 meters away from the berth.
Club de Mar is strictly for mega yachts, with owners that don’t care about price and facilities. On top of the expensive price for the berth, water, electricity and Internet are charged extra.
Palma is intimidating for anyone who doesn’t have a superyacht and Bill Gates’ bank account. But it is the place to get anything done anywhere in the Med.
For all-around help on nearly any issue, the man to know is Marco Witkamp, owner of Palma Maritime. He is extremely knowledgable, responsible and accountable to owners.
Anchorage SW Bay of Palma
39°28′.439N, 002°31′.341E
Cala Portals Vells, SW side of the bay of Palma 7.5 miles SW of Palma
Good holding sand & weed outside of approach to Marina Portals Vells, open to southerlies
2 nice sand beaches and the marina
Charts show in “Restricted area (Entry Prohibited),” but as in most spots on SE Mallorca it is not enforced and there are many boats anchored all the time.