Cala Son Xoriguer

The water is the thing here — turquoise, and clear enough to pick out rock and weed below you before you put your face in it. Rock runs along the sides of the bay with plenty of places to slip into the sea, and the snorkelling along it is the reason to stay. The sand is where the loungers go out and where the crowd collects; round at the rocky end it stays quiet even when the sandy part is busy. The bay is clean, and there is enough water to swim in to fill a whole day.

• Water shoes. Parts of the shore and the shallows are rocky, and they are easier with something on your feet.
• No toilets and no drinking water at the bay, and none nearby. Bring water with you.
• Loungers are hired out on the sandy part. The rocky end has nothing laid on, which is why it stays quiet.
• Food is close. Restaurants stand right behind the beach, with a variety of food between them.
• Children do well on the sand; the rock underfoot needs watching.

Everything arrives by road. Two car parks sit beside the bay, about 30 m away in a straight line, so there is next to no walk in — you park and you are on the shore. A bus stop stands about 150 m off, close enough that arriving without a car is straightforward. Getting from the sandy part round to the rocky end means picking your way over uneven rock, so keep your shoes on until you are settled. One practical upside of the layout: you can choose your end of the bay from the car park, rather than committing to a walk first.

Best: a weekday. On a weekday in early October the car park was almost empty and the rocky end of the bay was quiet, which is about as easy as a cove with restaurants behind it gets.

Avoid: the sandy part if you want space — that is where the loungers are laid out and where it fills up. Late in the day the sun comes in low across the water, which is the better light for the bay and the worse light for photographs taken from the sand.