Two coves behind the pines.

Two coves behind the pines

Cala Salada is a small cove on the coast north of Sant Antoni de Portmany, where a narrow road drops through pine woods to a beach of sand and pebbles. The water stays shallow for some metres out and is unusually clear. Cala Saladeta is the next inlet along, smaller still and with no road of its own: you reach it over the rocks at the point or by swimming round. Both have pine slopes behind them.

The clarity is not an accident. Posidonia oceanica grows offshore, a seagrass that filters the water, holds the sand in place and shelters fish. Where the meadow begins, the colour changes from pale turquoise to a deeper green-brown, and the bottom turns from sand to leaves. Swimming over that edge, mask on, is the quietest thing to do in either cove. In summer the same clear water fills both beaches by mid-morning.

How to get there

By road, Cala Salada is a short drive from Sant Antoni de Portmany: a single narrow lane that leaves the coast road and winds down through the pines to a parking area above the beach. The lane is steep in places and used by cars, walkers and cyclists alike. There is no second road in. In July and August the parking fills early, so check the Consell d'Eivissa for any summer access restrictions before you set out.

Seasonal buses run from Sant Antoni de Portmany in summer. Days and times change, so check the island bus operator rather than trusting an old timetable. Outside the season the coves are reached by car, on foot or by bike, and the walk down is part of the visit. Boat trips along the north-west coast also call in during the summer months, anchoring outside the swimming area.

• By carOne narrow road ends above the beach; the parking area is small and fills early in summer.
• By busSeasonal services run from Sant Antoni de Portmany; check the island bus operator for current days.
• On footThe lane climbs and twists and carries traffic, so walkers should start early and keep to the edge.
• By boatCoastal trips call in through the summer and anchor outside the marked swimming area.

The best time to go

Mornings are the best of it. The sun clears the ridge behind the coves later than it clears the sea, so early swimmers find flat water and shade in the pines. By midday in high summer the beach at Cala Salada is crowded, the path to Cala Saladeta becomes a slow file over the rocks, and the parking area is full. Arrive early or come in another month.

May, June, September and October are the kindest months. The sea is around 18–19 °C in May, 22–23 °C in June and 23–25 °C in September, the light is long, and the coves hold a fraction of the August crowd. Winter empties them completely. Between roughly November and April the seasonal buses stop and the facilities near the beach close, but the road stays open and the water is at its clearest and coldest, around 14–15 °C in February and March.

How to spend the day

Swim first. The bay at Cala Salada is shallow and calm in the morning, with rock ledges at either end where the bottom drops away and the fish gather. Then walk the few minutes over the point to Cala Saladeta, which is smaller and tighter, and often busier by afternoon because everyone arrives at once. The path is rocky; trainers or sandals with grip make it easy.

There is little shade on the sand at either cove once the sun is up, so the pines at the back are where people sit. Bring water and food, since what exists near the beach is seasonal and thin. Leave in the late afternoon when the light softens, or stay for the western sky, which is the reason many people drive out here in the first place.

The coves face west, so the sun goes down over the sea beyond the point and the water keeps its light after the beach has emptied. That is the second shift of the day: swimmers leaving, walkers arriving with a bottle and a towel. It is worth staying for, and worth carrying a light for the walk back up the road outside the long evenings.

The path between the coves takes minutes; the change of pace takes the whole day.

Rules on the water

Anchoring over posidonia is regulated by a Balearic decree, and mooring buoys have been installed in some bays in summer. If you arrive by boat, anchor on sand or take a buoy, and keep clear of the marked swimming area where people are in the water. A torn meadow does not recover in a season; the scar lasts for decades and the clear water goes with it.

On shore, the rules are the ordinary ones that keep a small cove usable: no fires, no camping, no leaving rubbish, no taking stones or plants. Bins are few and often full, so plan to carry everything back up the road. Access is by that single lane, which means whatever you bring down has to come back up with you.

• AnchoringUse a mooring buoy where one is installed, or anchor on sand well clear of the seagrass.
• Swimming areaStay inside the marked area when boats are moving past the point.
• RubbishCarry it back up the road; bins at the coves are few and fill quickly in summer.
• FiresNo fires or barbecues on the beach or among the pines behind it.
• SoundKeep music low; a cove this small carries every note to the far side.

What to bring

Water first: more than you think you need in summer, in a bottle you can refill before leaving Sant Antoni de Portmany. Then shade, because the sand at both coves is in full sun for most of the day and the pines at the back are the only cover. Food as well, since what is available near the beach is seasonal and limited, and closes outside the summer months.

Footwear matters more than it sounds. The path between the coves is rock, not sand, and the ledges at the water's edge are worn smooth. A mask and snorkel turn a swim into something else entirely: the meadow edge, the pale sand patches between the leaves, small fish holding station in the shade of the rocks. A light layer helps when the wind comes up in the afternoon.

• WaterBring a refillable bottle and fill it before you leave town.
• FootwearTrainers or sandals with grip for the rocky path between the two coves.
• ShadeA parasol or a light sheet; the beach itself has almost none.
• MaskA mask and snorkel show the edge of the posidonia meadow a few metres out.

What is nearby

Sant Antoni de Portmany is the nearest place to stay and the nearest place to eat properly, and it stays open all year. North and west of the coves the coast turns rocky and the road climbs. South, the bay runs back to town. Cala Comte and Cala d'Hort, the second looking across to Es Vedrà, are a longer drive round the western side of the island.

The sunsets are the other reason people base themselves on this coast. The coves face west, and the rocks at the point give a clear line to the horizon. In town the sunset gathers a crowd along the waterfront through the season; out at Cala Salada it is quieter, a few people on the rocks and the water going flat. Bring something to sit on.

For a change of scale, the north coast beyond Sant Joan de Labritja has longer walks and smaller coves, and the south has the salt pans and dunes at Ses Salines. Both are half a day out rather than an afternoon. Staying in Sant Antoni keeps Cala Salada within a short drive in the morning, before the lane fills.

Practical notes

The coves are at their most usable from May to October, but they do not close. Outside roughly November to April the seasonal buses stop, the facilities near the beach shut and the lane is quiet. The towns stay open, flights and ferries are fewer, and the water sits around 14–15 °C in February and March. Treat the cold as part of the visit rather than a reason to skip it.

There is one road in and one road out, and it is narrow. Drive slowly, expect walkers and cyclists on the bends, and do not stop on the incline above the beach to look at the view. The emergency number is 112 across Spain. If you walk back up after sunset, take a light and something warm for the wind on the ridge.