Cala Figuera is different from most coastal places in the south because the usual hotel-tower drama never happened here. Building height is capped at 2-3 stories, the houses are white, the fishermen's huts with their wooden boat garages have stood the same way for decades. 770 residents, 730 of them in the village center. Tourists pass through during the day but usually stay elsewhere.
The cove itself is a Y shape with two arms, the southern arm has the fishermen's huts and is the postcard motif, the northern arm is the harbor pier. Go early, before 9, when the fishermen come out with the llauts. The boats are all painted blue and white and carry names like Sant Antoni or Verge del Carme.
On food: the restaurants along the pier are okay but not the highlight. If you want fish, ask at the harbor whether someone has something fresh, boats come in late morning, sometimes they sell directly out of the basket. Otherwise there is a small bar above the cove, Bar Bel Punt, with a view of the bay.
What you should not expect: a beach. Cala Figuera has none. To swim you drive to Cala Santanyí or Cala Llombards (both 10 minutes by car). To stare at boats for an hour and drink a coffee, you are in the right place. In winter almost nobody comes, that is the best time.
