Spain and the Balearics: where you need to cruise with your boat

“Tell me where you are and I’ll tell you where to go.” Summer and vacation time: the Mare Nostrum remains the realm of those looking for a nautical paradise within reach: area by area we reveal the most beautiful destinations to explore on a cruise! Episode 1: Spain and the Balearic Islands.

The first Spanish destination not to be missed in the western Mediterranean is Cartagena. A delightful town founded by the Carthaginian Hasdrubal in 223 B.C., it is the focal point of the stretch of coastline that is characterized by the presence of large salt lagoons, the largest being the Mar Menor. It has a perimeter of 73 km along which beaches with crystal clear waters follow one another: don’t miss Plata de La Llana and Bahia Bella. In the southern part there are also five small islands of volcanic origin that are very fascinating to explore by boat. Leaving the lagoon and rounding Cape Palos to the southwest, where you discover the magnificent Calblanque Bay, you enter Cartagena. Its center can be visited on foot: the highlights are the Roman Theater and the Castillo de la Concepción.

Heading northeast up Spain here is the Costa Blanca, a destination rich in beaches, fascinating bays and naturalistic uniqueness. The first is the huge rocky outcrop of Penon de Ifach that dominates the gulf of the town of Calpe. Right at the foot of this cape – 332 meters high and 50 thousand square meters wide protected by a Natural Park – is the Real Club Nautico Calpe marina(www.rcnc.es). From here, several beautiful and quiet bays can be explored nearby, even in summer, such as those of Advocat, Bala drar, Les Bassetes, and De Gasparet. Also around the Penon de Ifach are lovely but tiny coves, Cala El Racó and Cala del Penyal.

Ibiza and Formentera, on the other hand, are the two southernmost islands of the Balearic archipelago. To discover Ibiza one starts from the magnificent east coast, which offers several fascinating landings. The first is Puerto di Ses Caletes: protected by the bulk of Punta Grossa, it is a wide bay with a delightful sandy beach. A little further south is Cala Mastella, a charming little cove surrounded by trees. A busy market is held on its shores where hippie-inspired clothes and jewelry are bought. Not far away is Cala Llena Bay: deep and surrounded by rocky shores fringed with pine trees. At the end of this coastline you discover the main town of Ibiza, to be explored on foot to see the 15th-century cathedral and 16th-century walls. Back on the sea, the next destination is Cala Sal Rosa, formed by a small cove at the southern end of the d’En Bossa beach. Further west still is Cala Yondal, a wide bay hemmed in by two small stony beaches. From here further south you reach the splendid islet of Espalmador: on the southwest coast there is a splendid anchorage in front of the pinkish sandy beach.

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Instead, only 10 miles long, Formentera can be visited very well by boat: not to be missed are the lighthouses at the southeast and southwest ends, from which the view toward the island itself is stunning. Last stop is Puerto Cala Sabina: it is the only dock set back on the island.

Narrow, wild and at once lush with Mediterranean scrub is the island of Menorca. One begins a route among the rugged coastline from Mahon: it is the capital and stretches around a natural fjord that forms a protected harbor. From Mahon you helm west along the north coast to reach the first of four beautiful bays that characterize it, Cala Teulera. Uninhabited and quiet, it is dominated by an imposing fortress, scenic and Instagrammable. Greeting this quiet cove, one then reaches Cala Es Grau, which is protected by a nature reserve and also encloses the largest freshwater lagoon in the Balearic Islands. The next destination is another fjord, that of Fornells. Here, too, not only is there a delightful anchorage in nature but you can go ashore in the tiny village to admire the ancient Fornells Tower. Last bay not to be missed is Cala Pregonda: it overlooks a truly wild gulf, a mix of violent beauty made only of beach, rocks, trees and sea. This alternation of bays and narrow fjords leads to the end of the north coast where yet another sheltered landing place opens up, the one that encloses the town of Ciutadella. An ancient fishing village, founded by the Carthaginians, it is fascinating to visit on foot.