Cala Molins

Wade in and the fish are already around your legs. The water at Cala Molins is clear and stays shallow a long way out, so even swimmers who keep close to the shore get a proper look at the seabed, and snorkellers have plenty to follow along the rocks at the edges of the cove.

The beach is sand, backed by pines and the houses of Cala Sant Vicenç, with limestone cliffs rising across the bay. Other small beaches sit close by, so a morning can take in more than one cove, and there are cafés around the beach for when you come out of the water.

• It fills fast: at quarter past nine on a Friday the sand is already filling up, and by the afternoon the beach is packed.
• In the afternoon there is shade on the concrete area on the left side of the beach.
• Toilets and a shower stand across by the car park; there are none on the sand.
• Parasol hire for the day is expensive, so bring your own shade if you want to save.
• There is no drinking-water point near the beach: bring water, or buy it at the cafés.

Cala Molins lies inside the village of Cala Sant Vicenç, in the municipality of Pollença. Drivers have a choice: a free asphalt car park about 115 m from the beach in a straight line, a paid car park, and free parking along the road, 5–10 minutes' walk from the sand. The car park sits at the top of the beach, and the last stretch is a walk down to the water.

By bus, two stops serve this part of the village, Cala Barques and Temporal, each about 330 m from the beach in a straight line.

Best: early morning on a calm day.

Avoid: afternoons in July and August.

The beach is already filling by quarter past nine and packed by the afternoon, the summer crowd on Mallorca peaks in high season, and the water is at its clearest for snorkelling when the sea is flat.