Cala Bona is a small fishing town and holiday resort on the east coast of

Majorca Mallorca, or Majorca, is the largest of the Balearic Islands, which are part of Spain, and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, seventh largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. The capital of the island, Palma, Majorca, Palma, i ...

in the

Balearic Islands The Balearic Islands are an archipelago in the western Mediterranean Sea, near the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula. The archipelago forms a Provinces of Spain, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Spain, ...

of Spain. It consists of a

cove A cove is a small bay or coastal inlet. They usually have narrow, restricted entrances, are often circular or oval, and are often situated within a larger bay. Small, narrow, sheltered bays, inlets, creek (tidal), creeks, or recesses in a coast ...

with a

harbour A harbor (American English), or harbour (Commonwealth English; see American and British English spelling differences#-our, -or, spelling differences), is a sheltered body of water where ships, boats, and barges can be Mooring, moored. The t ...

and surrounding coastal area and lies within the municipality of

Son Servera Son Servera () is a municipality in northeast Majorca, in the Balearic Islands, Spain. Founded in 1300 by James I of Aragon James I the Conqueror ( Catalan/Valencian: ''Jaume I or Jaume el Conqueridor''; Aragonese: ''Chaime I'' ''o Conquerido ...

. The population of the town in 2005 was 1,088 inhabitants. In 2011, it had a population of 1,258. It is located to the north of

Cala Millor Cala Millor is a town located on the Spanish Balearic Islands, Balearic Island of Mallorca. It consists of a small bay in the municipalities of Son Servera and Sant Llorenç des Cardassar. Overlooked by Mt. Na Penyal to the west. With over 5,00 ...

, to which is connected by a promenade, and it lies to the south of Port Verd.

Fodor's Fodor's is a producer of English-language travel guides and online tourism information. It was founded by Hungarian Eugene Fodor, who created his first travel guide, ''1936...on the Continent'', with the intention of improving upon the directo ...

1989 guide to Spain described Cala Bona in these terms: "Once an unspoiled fishing village, but now overwhelmed by neighboring Cala Millor. Mixed rocky and excellent sandy beach."

History

Before the beginning of the tourist boom, Cala Bona was a village in a small natural harbour between Cap d'es Pinar and the peninsula of Punta de n'Amer. At that time the village only consisted of a pair of houses where a few families lived by fishing. The fishermen worked on the harbour and at sea, rowing and sailing their ''llaüts'' (small traditional Catalan wooden boats) to the surrounding rocky promontories, following the breeding

lobster Lobsters are Malacostraca, malacostracans Decapoda, decapod crustaceans of the family (biology), family Nephropidae or its Synonym (taxonomy), synonym Homaridae. They have long bodies with muscular tails and live in crevices or burrows on th ...

s. In 1924 the first guest house opened, a place called "Cap Cupe" which later became the "Hotel Cala Bona". Following the arrival of tourism, the area began to be urbanized with hotels, restaurants and homes. Along with the neighbouring village of Cala Millor, Cala Bona grew from the 60s onwards into a significant holiday resort. The port and promenade were redesigned and expanded in 2006. The harbourmaster was given a new building and a fuel station for leisure boats was built. Cala Bona and Cala Millor are now connected by hotels and catering establishments. In recent years the number of hotel rooms in Cala Bona has increased considerably. Many of the tourists who stay in Cala Bona, unlike those in Cala Millor, are of British origin.

Facilities

In addition to the town's 14 hotels there are numerous bars and restaurants and a main shopping street. Along the Cala Bona seafront are three rocky beaches protected by artificial breakwaters. The town's sandy beach has a length of 550 metres and a width of 9 metres, and is located south of the harbour. The main beach has been certified by

AENOR The Spanish Association for Standardization and Certification (AENOR, ) is an entity dedicated to the development of Standardization and Certification in all Spanish industrial and service sectors. Description Aenor is a private, independ ...

to UNE 170001 standard for universal accessibility, making it suitable for people with disabilities. In 2006, both the beach and the harbour received a

Blue Flag beach The Blue Flag is a certification by the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) that a beach, marina, or sustainable boating tourism operator meets its standards. The Blue Flag is a trademark owned by FEE, which is a Not-for-profit organi ...

award for water quality from the Ministry of the Environment in

Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...

. The expansion of the port has also allowed for the provision of tour boats for the enjoyment of holidaymakers staying in the East Majorca area. Hiking trails run from the town itself, and there are also opportunities for diving and fishing. On 16 July in Cala Bona there are celebrations and a sea procession in honour of the patron saint of sailors ''Nostra Senyora del Carme''. Near Cala Bona further south are the towns of Sa Coma and

Porto Cristo Porto Cristo is a small town on the eastern coast of Mallorca. It is from the town of Manacor and is within the Manacor municipality. Geography The village is located in a major tourist area between Costa de los Pinos and Cala Murada. Its sma ...

, as well as the Caves of Drach which are one of the island's most visited attractions.

References

{{coord, 39, 36, 46, N, 3, 23, 25, E, source:kolossus-cawiki, display=title Beaches of Mallorca Populated places in Mallorca Beaches of the Balearic Islands Seaside resorts in Spain