Recommended marinas in Menorca and/or Majorca

[Graeme1303]

We've owned our Moody 44, Promise 2, for 3 years now and have enjoyed keeping the boat in Aguadulce just outside Almeria on the Costa del Sol. But its now time to move on and see a little more of the Med and we're considering moving the boat to the Balearics. We don't cruise full time, so we need to leave the boat for (sometimes) months on end and know that she is safe.

So we have three main criteria in finding our next base; security i.e. competence of the marina staff ; cost (we're only paying ,€,4000 a year for our berth in Aguadulce); nearby places to cruise to when we have only have a few days to visit.

Any advice would be gratefully received.

[Prairie Chicken]

Welcome to the forum Graeme.

We have based out of Majorca for over 20 years so can offer you some info about that island. Basically, the Balearics are a lot more expensive than what you will be familiar with on the mainland. Prices literally double during the summer months and finding short term mooring can be difficult in peak season. In August there is no wind & everywhere is very crowded. That's the bad news. The good news is that at least moorings can be found now, and are more reasonable than they were pre-crisis. Of course, they are more reasonable on a longer term rental. Their is no consistency among marinas as to when they enter & leave high season, discounts for longer stays, price, etc. Security is generally good, and there are lots of gated marinas in Palma at least, and some other ports. Summer weather is stable and predictable and there are many lovely anchorages. The East Coast of Mallorca has many wonderful anchorages, and many marinas but can have nasty wx except for summer. The only marina & good place to seek refuge on the North coast is Soller.

If you're interested in marinas on the south coast I can speak to various alternatives you may wish to explore. PM me if so. Let's see what others suggest.

[Kenomac]

In Menorca, heading down the harbor, the last Marina on the left at the very end. We spent a winter at Marina Menorca I believe was the name. The staff is very nice and security is good. The Marina is actually more sheltered from the wind than the more expensive Marina in town.

If a German woman with a husband named Serapio approaches you in either location asking if you want them to tend the boat in your absence.... Best if you say, "no thanks."

If you do decide on Menorca, please feel free to PM me for locations of stores and Marine services in the area. The manager at the Marina I recommended is also a good and honest source.

[Xlantic]

I have kept a 42' for the last ten years in the Port of Mahon, Menorca. I was paying close to €5k a year and that was a special price for historic reasons. I moored it at S'altra Banda, which is now run by Marina Menorca.

You might try to negotiate with them (Rosendo is the manager) as they have had many empty slips since the crisis. They have some cheaper floating pontoons. Maybe you can negotiate a deal where you vacate the land-accessed pontoon for the busy summer season and either go cruising or use a slip in one of the floating pontoons.

In Mahón you might also talk to Juan Melia of Nautica Melia who have a few slips and may also offer you an attractive deal.

For Menorca, you should also look into flights as it is not as well connected by air as Palma. And while Menorca is lovely the weather in winter is harsher than in Mallorca.

Barcelona and Valencia have cheaper moorings but are not as attractive for cruising as the Balearics.

[Prairie Chicken]

Graeme, check your PMs for a bit more detail than I've posted below.

Along the South Coast from West to East, Andraitx, on the SW corner, is a lovely natural harbour. Unfortunately they no longer permit anchoring there. The Club de Vela is very nice with a pool, lovely restaurant, lavenderia, and good services but they are fairly expensive, partly because they have a longer high season than some other marinas. They also operate the mooring balls in the harbour. You can take the long walk around to the pretty town, or dinghy across to it. Definitely spend some time in & around Andraitx. I would hesitate to take a mooring there during the winter months though, and definitely not on the floating quays down by the travel lift. The geography of the port means extreme winds funnel into the harbour from the south, or down the valley from the north. They always get some terrible storms from Oct thru to about May. I've seen more wrecks in that harbour than anywhere else, and it's not because they leave them there. Also, it’s quite far from the airport & if you have or rent a car you spend a lot of time on the motorway to get anywhere.

Santa Ponsa has a nice but small marina. It’s very protected but we always found it expensive and a long way from anywhere so didn’t spend much time there. The anchorage is great, and very large. We spend a lot of time there and so does everyone else who can no longer anchor in Andraitx.

Adriano was expanded a few years ago. The idea seems to have been to emulate Puerto Portals—big yachts, a place to see & be seen with all the beautiful people, expensive restaurants & shops. Locals have traditionally avoided it due to strong winter winds from the south. I imagine with the new, large and very ugly sea wall it is safer. We’ve never stayed there.

We were based in Puerto Portals for many years & finally got disgusted & left. The port is very worth a visit by car or dinghy to look around but expensive & really geared to large motor yachts. Their answer to the financial crisis was to raise rates. Car parking was impossible until last year when they implemented a pay system. The marina showers were disgusting & they finally renovated them a couple of years ago--and now keep them locked to all, including mooring owners & tenants, except for a few hours morning & evening. Short story—avoid Puerto Portals except for the (expensive) restaurants, people watching, and Mundimar, the shipyard, which offers good service & hard standing,

We moved into Palma in 2012 & that is now our home port. At that time we researched various marinas on the south coast. There are about six different marinas in the Port of Palma. One thing common to all is that the sea temp is warmer than in other ports & you get a lot more bottom growth than, say, Puerto Portals. Another issue is that the large cruise & container ships do give off some soot from their stacks so you occasionally find bits of soot on your deck. That’s not a problem to gently blot off, but we are glad we have dark canvas on our boat rather than light coloured. You’d have to check prices of each as I don’t know how they compare now. Club de Mar is on the west side of the port & one of the oldest. It’s right across from Porti Pi mall which includes a big Carrefour. Real Club Nautico is on the east end of the port & is very elegant & long established. It has hundreds if not thousands of moorings. They have a lovely clubhouse & pool. Marina Port de Mallorca & Port de Palma are part of the STP family of companies. They had the best prices when we checked. Renting a mooring in Marina Port de Mallorca allowed you to park one car inside their gates. The showers are air conditioned, clean & nice although on a cool day the water isn’t very warm in the showers as they heat with solar. Neither marina has a pool, restaurant or facilities, other than the office but you’re right in the heart of Palma with a large Mercnautic chandlery, the Porto Pi mall, a large Mercadona, Santa Catalina market, & over 300 restaurants within walking distance (for those who can walk). It is also very close to Tito’s, the big night club, so Friday & Saturday nights can be noisy if you’re a light sleeper & have all the hatches open. Both are gated. The capitania and his staff are excellent. Port de Palma's prices were slightly less than Marina Port de Mallorca but there was no parking & they have floating quays which back onto the Paseo Maritimo.

Club Nautico Arenal is a nice marina in a horror of a town. It’s a young German tourist destination, very close to the airport. The marina has a nice pool & clubhouse but is a long walk from any descent shops or supermarkets. People like the Arenal hard as they allow owners to work on their own boats. The prices used to be reasonable but we haven’t stayed there for quite a few years now.

Further east is La Rapita which used to be very expensive & is out in the middle of nowhere. We haven’t been there for a long time either. Unless I’ve forgotten one, that pretty much covers all of the marinas on the south coast large enough to berth your size of boat. We haven’t been up the East Coast for some years now so I won’t try to offer info about that coast, other than to say it is great sailing with many lovely anchorages. You might check the marina at Alcudia if you would be interested in being way up there. It is a lovely big marina.

OK, this has gotten way too long! I hope it helps.