Cala Mesquida

Cala Mesquida is a 350-metre long tongue-shaped sea inlet flanked by low rocks on both sides and just over 70 metres wide at its widest point, which gives way to a beach of fine white sand and turquoise waters.

The name Mesquida comes from a “possessió” (as country houses are known in Mallorca), Sa Mesquida de Dalt.

The beach ends with a dune system where the Es Munt Gros beach stands out, populated by mastic and pine trees. The passage through many parts of these dunes is restricted and protected, like many others in Mallorca, and it is very important to respect the marked paths in order to safeguard the environment and encourage its repopulation.

You will find two well-differentiated areas on the beach of Cala Mesquida. The left side has been a tourist and residential area since the 1970s, made up of holiday villas and small hotels for families with easy access to the beach; the right side is the more natural, wild and untamed environment.

During the high season months the beach is usually very busy due to the easy access from the urbanisation and the free car park.

You will have to move away to the right hand side of the beach to be calmer, as it is less crowded, and if it is within your taste you can practice nudism, as the furthest part of the urbanisation is reserved for that purpose.

Weather in Cala Mesquida today: weekly forecast

Cala Mesquida Capdepera

How to get to Cala Mesquida

Cala Mesquida is located in an urbanisation that shares the same name as the beach, Urbanización Mesquida. It is located 7 km from Capdepera, the town to which it belongs, and 15 km from the village of Artà, the latter being larger.

Arriving by car to Cala Mesquida

As with most of the beaches and coves worth visiting on the island, the best way to get to Cala Mesquida is by private car, as getting to this beach by public transport can be quite an adventure.

If you don’t have a vehicle for your trip to Mallorca, we recommend you to rent a car through the car hire comparison website that we trust and have complete freedom to enjoy your trip around the island.

The journey to Cala Mesquida is simple and “quick”, as long as you are staying in or leaving from Palma, the south or the east of the island, as you can go by motorway.

First you will have to go to Manacor, taking the Ma-15 road, and once you get there you will have to look for the signs to Cala Ratjada. Then follow the signs for Capdepera and halfway, between Artà and Capdepera, you will see signs for Cala Mesquida. Once there, you will see the signs to the car park which is 200 metres away.

The car park in Cala Mesquida is free of charge, although it is not very big and the parking spaces are filled very early in the high season. If you want to make sure you have a seat, we recommend you get up early.

If you are staying in the centre or north of the island, you should first head towards Artà and, from there, follow the signs to Capdepera as explained above.

Getting to Cala Mesquida by public transport

It is possible to get to Cala Mesquida by public transport, either by bus or taxi, but in the first case it will take you a long time and in the second it will not be cheap.

If you prefer to arrive by bus to this beach, you will have to make several transfers as there is no direct bus to Cala Mesquida.

In this article we explain how to travel around the island by bus and give you tips on how to optimise time and money on your trip. In this particular case, we would recommend that you pay with your debit card as you will save the fare for the second and subsequent buses. However, as long as you don’t forget to validate your ticket on entry and exit.

Depending on where you are staying on the island you should take the following lines:

• If you are leaving from Palma, the capital, the first bus you should take is line 401.
• From the eastern area (for example, between Cala Murada and Cala Ratjada) you will have to take line 441.
• From the northern area (e.g. Puerto Pollença) you will have to take the 446 bus line.

All these lines will take you to Manacor, where you will have to change to line 411, which will take you to Cala Ratjada and then take line 422 to Cala Mesquida. The latter are only operational during the summer months, so if you are traveling out of season you will need to use a taxi or hire a car.

Arriving by taxi to Cala Mesquida

If you decide to take a taxi to Cala Mesquida, you can also do so and the price will be more or less expensive depending on where you start from. To give you an idea, from Palma Airport, it would cost around 95€-100€.

Here you can find all the information about how taxi services work in Mallorca. You will find approximate prices and a list with the telephone numbers of all the companies operating on the island. You can call the company in the area where you are staying and find out how much it would cost you to travel from there. No surprises!

Private transfer to Cala Mesquida

If you prefer to move around Mallorca without complications, you could also hire the services of a private transfer. Enter origin, destination and dates in the search engine and get the cost of the service instantly.

Where to eat in Cala Mesquida

Cala Mesquida beach has a large bar and restaurant service.

The type of food you’ll find is typical chiringuito food, easy and simple: hamburgers, chips, Spanish food or the classic Mallorcan “pa amb oli”, as well as drinks and ice creams.

Eating in the surroundings of Cala Mesquida

If you prefer to eat outside the beach, you will find many alternatives in the villages of Artà and Capdepera.

From our own experience we recommend lunch at Sa Trobada, in Capdepera, a family restaurant, with a very good value for money and with a cuisine prepared with great care, as if they were cooking to eat it themselves. You can order anything from tapas to mixed dishes and there are also menus for the youngest members of the family. We leave you the location in case you want to try it. For sure you will like it!

Services on Cala Mesquida beach

If Cala Mesquida stands out for anything, it is for combining the beauty of an unspoilt environment with a wild appearance without sacrificing comfort and services.

The beach has a beach umbrella and sun lounger rental service, and showers where you can wash off the salt after a day at the beach. However, there are no changing rooms.

The urbanisation also has two small supermarkets and a pharmacy.

Nightlife is very scarce, practically non-existent, as this area is focused on a quiet and family type of tourism.

Activities and leisure in Cala Mesquida

On all the beaches of Mallorca we recommend you to take a dip in the turquoise and crystalline waters of the Balearic Sea to start the day. From there, decide for yourself how you prefer to spend the day in Cala Mesquida… whether lying under an umbrella on the sand with a good book or doing one of the many activities that this beach has to offer.

Activities at sea

The beach of Cala Mesquida forms a small open bay in the north of the island, which leaves it exposed to the Tramuntana winds and to the northwest and northeast winds, causing rough seas and strong waves with little wind.

This makes Cala Mesquida a paradise for surfers and windsurfers, especially in the low season months, when there are fewer bathers and the waves increase in size.

For this reason you also have to be very careful, as the currents push you into the sea. Be very careful when bathing if the wind blows and currents form.

⚠️ If you come with children, we recommend that you be even more careful with them, as we are not talking about calm and quiet beaches such as Playa de Formentor or Playa de Muro.

Diving in Cala Mesquida

The right side of Cala Mesquida, together with the rocky area it borders, is perfect for snorkelling and scuba diving. The sandy bottoms turn into rock walls that are an underwater spectacle, where you can see a multitude of fish and octopus.

Although Cala Mesquida is the starting point for popular diving excursions, you should bear in mind that it is located in a marine reserve area, so it has important restrictions on activities such as fishing, sailing, anchoring and diving. More information on the regulation of activities in marine reserves can be found on the official website.

You can also hire a kayak and go along part of the coastline of the Llevant Peninsula, until you reach the beaches of Cala Moltó and Cala Agulla, before passing by Cap des Freu, which is a protected natural area. This area shelters and shelters the largest colony of seagulls, cormorants and sea crows in the Balearic Islands.

The beaches of Cala Mesquida, Cala Agulla and Cala Moltó were declared a Natural Area of Special Interest by the Parliament of the Balearic Islands in 1991.

Hiking routes in Cala Mesquida

The natural environment of Cala Mesquida invites you to explore it with different excursions, so if you are a nature lover… the mixture of sea and flora will delight you.

There are several trails that will allow you to get an idea of the natural and cultural richness of this area and some of them will take you to other incredible beaches such as Cala Agulla and Cala Moltó.

You can make three circular excursions starting from Cala Mesquida, which we recommend: one that goes as far as Cala Agulla, another that goes as far as Cala Ratjada and another, a little harder but of great beauty, that goes along the coast and reaches the beach of Canyamel. These routes are signposted and have an information panel at the entrance to the beach.

At this point, we would also recommend you to visit one of the many natural wonders of the island, but this time underground: the Artà Caves. If you are interested in visiting it, there is a joint excursion to the Artà Caves and the Drach Caves. You can find out more about the itinerary and timetable, and book it here.

Another way to see the surroundings of the Artà Caves is by jet ski, a unique perspective that you will rarely be able to enjoy. Live different experiences!

If your sport is cycling you are in luck, as there is a very nice route to Sa Font de Sa Cala, about 12km away. And if you like long distances by bike and you fancy cycling further afield, you could cycle to Villafranca de Bonany, some 50km away.

Hotels in Cala Mesquida

In the same urbanisation you will find several hotels, some of them 4-star hotels, with an offer that ranges from those for families to those reserved for adults only.

The rest of the accommodation you will find are tourist rentals, mainly chalets and villas. If you stay in one of these hotels or apartments on the beach, you can access the beach via a paved walkway.

Tourist complex VIVA Cala Mesquida

The VIVA hotel chain offers you a wide range of possibilities when it comes to finding the type of accommodation you need, depending on the type of tourism you want to be accompanied by, whether you are travelling as a couple or with your family.

You can enjoy the hotel complex VIVA Cala Mesquida Resort & Spa which is practically in front of the beach with spectacular and panoramic views of the beach of Cala Mesquida and the surrounding natural environment.

If you feel like playing golf you will also have access to the hotel VIVA Golf Adults only 18+which is located on the front line of the Bay of Alcudia and which has one of the best golf courses, the hotel has excellent grass and island facilities, including a club room and restaurant.

Hotel Rural Predi Son Jaumell

With your stay at the Hotel Rural Predi Son Jaumell you will reach the pinnacle of peace and relaxation.

It is located at the beginning of the turnoff from the Capdepera road towards Cala Mesquida (Son Moltó road turnoff – GPS. 39.713245.3.428378) so you will be closer to the village of Capdepera than to the beach. We tell you more about this marvellous rural hotel!

The Hotel Rural Predi Son Jaumell is a hotel that values and carries nature as a flag, extolling it and giving it the importance that it sometimes seems to lose in other daily aspects of life.

In this hotel they are very conscious of the effects of the the rest and relaxation on mental and emotional health, which is why here you are assured of a few days of calm, silence and full contact with nature, and all of this is enhanced by facilities and surroundings that lack nothing in detail.

It has a swimming pool and solarium where you can relax on comfortable sun loungers and hammocks while listening to the birds singing and has a popular cuisine based on local produce, with simple and excellent dishes.

The number of services offered by this hotel are innumerable and will only improve your stay there, making your stay at the Hotel Rural Predi Son Jaumell unforgettable.

It has very different rooms according to your needs, such as: Junior Suite, Grand Suite, Junior Suite Deluxe, Junior Suite Garden and Grand Suite Deluxe.

Other hotels in Cala Mesquida

If you don’t find the accommodation you are looking for because of your tastes or budget, you can also find options in the tourist centre of Cala Ratjada, one of our favourite areas to stay in and with a more than acceptable range of accommodation: hotels, aparthotels and flats.

If you want to check the availability of hotels in Cala Ratjada, enter your dates in the search engine below and select the option that most interests you.

Booking.com

What to see in the surroundings of Cala Mesquida

If you have decided to leave Cala Mesquida and go on an adventure to discover new places on the island, you will surely be interested in having a very detailed map of Mallorca with the beaches and places of interest. We have designed it exclusively for the followers of Yo soy Mallorca, so you can download it here for free.

Capdepera and Capdepera Castle

Capdepera is a town full of interesting plans and places, such as visiting archaeological sites.

It also has elements of great heritage interest, such as its medieval castle, the parish church of Sant Bartomeu, the lighthouse, the governor’s house and the immense possessions of the wealthy March family.

Capdeperaf Castle was built in 1300 A.D. on the site of a Muslim villa, which was previously occupied by the Romans and the indigenous inhabitants of Mallorca.

To be more precise, we are not just talking about a castle, but about a walled village of 8000 m2 that once housed 125 dwellings.

The ascent to Capdepera Castle from the village can be quite a challenge in summer due to the high temperatures in Mallorca, so it could be a good plan to do either in the morning or at sunset.

Talaiot de s’Heretat

The Talaiot de s’Heretat, also known as Es Claper des Gegant, is a talayotic village from 1000 BC that was in use until Roman times.

Caves of Artà

It is said that Mallorca and the Balearic Islands, in general, are like a French Gruyere cheese: they are full of thousands of hollows or caves.

Some are more important than others because of their proportions and their beauty; of course, the ones we know about, as there are many others that are hidden and will always remain a secret.

Mallorca has three important caves that you can visit: the Caves of Artà, the Caves of Hams and the Caves of Drach, which are the most important caves on the island. If you want to visit them, you can do it separately or with one of the excursions that combine two or more caves. They will tell you all about their genesis, history and you will be able to ask any questions you may have about them.

Gardens of Sa Torre Cega

Leonor Servera, mother of Bartolomé March, chose this place as one of her favourites during the summer season. His great sensitivity enabled him to create a beautiful garden that has survived to this day.

Capdepera Lighthouse

The Capdepera lighthouse and the Artrutx lighthouse are responsible for “keeping watch” over the Menorca sea channel, which separates the two islands at their narrowest point. This lighthouse is one of the best places to see the sunrise in Mallorca, a truly magical place, so we recommend that you get up at least one day early.

Artà

Just a few metres from the Capdepera road is the village of Artà, which has remained fairly traditional and peaceful despite the unstoppable increase in tourism.

The village of Artà covers an intense journey of visits for its rich historical past that can begin with one of the main attractions of Artà, the Sanctuary of Sant Salvador, which is a fortified church built in the 14th century and mostly renovated in the 19th century.

As you can see, Cala Mesquida is an area with an endless leisure offer and is a place that meets the expectations of a large number of visitors as it combines nature with services. A place made for the use and enjoyment of a large majority of the public.

Other beaches near Cala Mesquida

Have we convinced you to make Cala Mesquida beach and its surroundings one of your stops in Mallorca? Tell us about it!