Santa Ponça: the beach where King Jaume I landed

About twenty minutes west of Palma, in the municipality of Calvià, Santa Ponça is a family beach resort with a big golden-sand bay. It also holds a place in Mallorca's history: this is where King Jaume I landed in 1229 to begin the conquest of the island.

The map

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Santa Ponça is, above all, a beach: a bay of some 900 metres of fine sand and calm, shallow water, with a Blue Flag, a promenade and a shady central pine grove. It's the classic south-west family plan. But few realise this stretch of sand is one of the founding places of modern Mallorca: in September 1229, King Jaume I of Aragon landed here with his army to begin the Christian conquest of the island. It's marked by the Creu de la Conquesta, the great stone cross beside the Club Nàutic, raised in 1929 on the 700th anniversary of the landing.

Beyond lazing in the sun, Santa Ponça is a good base for heading out to sea. From its dock, boat trips run to Sa Dragonera — the island nature reserve off the coast — and along the wild south-west shoreline for caves, cliffs and coves with a snorkel stop. In town, the weekly market fills the streets with local produce and crafts. And come sunset, the area leans on beach clubs and chiringuitos with music by the water.

The big event of the year is the Festes del Rei En Jaume, from late August into early September: a good ten-plus days of music, culture and sport that peak with El Desembarco, a spectacular Moors-and-Christians re-enactment in which Jaume I's troops storm the beach once more. To get here without a car, the TIB line 103 links Palma with Santa Ponça in about 26 minutes; from the airport, the A11 bus runs direct. One tip: in high summer the beach fills and parking is tight, so come in shoulder season (May–June or September–October) or arrive early.