Cala Bóquer — the cove you have to walk to

The best coves on Mallorca are the ones you can't just drive to. Cala Bóquer is one of them. You start at the harbor parking in Pollença, more precisely at the end of Avinguda Bocchoris, and from there it's a walk. No bus to the cove, no taxi road, no kiosks on the beach.

The path through Vall de Bóquer

The path goes through a private finca gate first (that's usually open), then through the valley itself. Limestone walls on both sides, flat because the valley is a corridor between two mountains. Wild goats stare at you as if you were the stranger, which you are. In spring orchids bloom between rosemary and juniper. In August the sun hits directly, no shade the whole way, which is why not at midday.

After about forty minutes the valley opens and suddenly the sea is there. The last 200 meters are the only descent, briefly steep, watch for wet stone. Then you stand in a cove maybe thirty meters wide, pebbles in all sizes, clear turquoise water. If you're lucky there are ten people, on a weekday in April often none.

What to bring and what to leave

• Two liters of water per person. There is nothing there.
• Snorkel gear — the rocks continue under water, small fish, occasional octopus.
• Sun hat and cream — no tree, no wall casts shade.
• Real shoes for the walk. The cove itself is pebbles — flat water shoes in the backpack make sense.
• Don't leave a trash bag — the bin at the start isn't enough for everyone. Everything back.

“Mallorca's best coves don't have a navigation address. They have a footpath.”

If you're already there

The same parking is the start for some of the best hikes in the north. Portell de Sementer is a 5-kilometer round trip along the edge of the valley with a view down to Port de Pollença, two hours without rushing. Combines well with Bóquer — morning hike, midday swim, evening eat in Pollença old town. Exactly that order, not different.