Marina advice Spain or Balearic Islands

[outforaduck]

Hi all

I have simple and swift access via Easyjet to Barcelona, Alicante and Palma and am looking to take the plunge with a 35 - 40 foot motor yacht.

The days of flights and flight timings to these destinations are currently favourable and I'm looking to find a great marina at the other end that doesn't take too long to get to.

I'd love to walk out of the Spanish airport and be within 30 minutes by bus, train or taxi...any ideas?

For example MDL Marina St Carles la Rapita 2 hour drive (too far) or Sitges 30 minute drive/mixture of train and bus.

And did I mention the marina/sailing area must be beautiful and reasonably priced?...

Thanks for your help outforaduck

[Jeannius]

I presume you are asking for suggestions for long-term berth locations rather than just nice places for a quick stop.

Alicante Marina is an excellent location, I believe berths are available, and of course it is close to Alicante Airport (ALC).

You might get a berth at Calpe, about 45 minutes north of ALC. You'll definitely get a berth down at Torrievieja, 45 mins south of ALC, but it isn't such a nice place and is getting you further away from one of the areas I presume you want to visit, the Balearics.

Plenty of other really nice places like Javea and my local place, Moraira, within range of ALC but your chances of getting a berth in either of those marinas is slightly less than no chance, even with Spains economic problems.

[outforaduck]

Thank you Jeannius let me be more specific.

Yes I am looking for long term, at least one year, to use as a home base for nice cruising/Balearic adventures...

So, I'm after a starter base, somewhere to use to learn the territory and search out longer term even better home grounds.

Thanks.

[jckb]

Far better cruising grounds around the Balearics, with lots of anchorages. Mainland coast is more a coast of passage - linear, there and back stuff. Which is why the Balearics are more expensive.

There are better value options than Palma for permanent berths in the Balearics, depending how far from Palma you berth! Port Addayia in Minorca being one option, or alternatively some of the marinas on the NE coast of Mallorca. Descriptions and links to most Balearic layup spots at

You'll find a similar page describing the Mainland coast of Spain on that site if you hunt around the main menu!

[Oliver L.]

Hi,

we're just in that area. We sailed from Sardinia to the Spanish mainland, but we did not use any marina in the Balears due to absolutely ridiculous prices. One night in Ibiza for € 665.-!

What we can recommend: Near Barcelona (with direct bus/train connections from the airport, 30 minutes) and reasonably priced: Marina Premia de Mar

We are heading for Valencia now which is also very reasonably priced. Let me know if you need contact details...

Oliver

[Prairie Chicken]

We've spent time this year in Palma in one of the STP marinas. Palma is close to the airport. Prices on Mallorca have come down in the last couple of years and there are moorings available. You might check Port de Mallorca or Port de Palma. I'm not sure what's happening over at Real Club Nautico or Club de Mar for availability or price. I've also heard the marina at Cala d'Or, which used to be the most expensive on the island, is now the cheapest, but I can't confirm that. I also hear Ibiza is still silly expensive.

[goboatingnow]

Check out Alcudia on Majorica. , every where is 30 mins from the airport.


Dave

[outforaduck]

This is excellent information everyone thanks. Of course I want the most delightful cruising grounds but I also really need, initially at least, ease of access from an airport that's serviced by Bristol.

The Barcelona costline area may not in itself be the most alluring but I figure I'm more likely to enjoy the challenge of visiting the Balearic islands from the mainland as opposed to the other way around...

Thanks outforaduck (Jon)

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by outforaduck

This is excellent information everyone thanks. Of course I want the most delightful cruising grounds but I also really need, initially at least, ease of access from an airport that's serviced by Bristol.

The Barcelona costline area may not in itself be the most alluring but I figure I'm more likely to enjoy the challenge of visiting the Balearic islands from the mainland as opposed to the other way around...

Thanks outforaduck (Jon)

Unless you have serious range , visiting the Balearics can be problematic , best be situated there

Dave

[Prairie Chicken]

The majority of marinas on Mallorca are within 30 minutes of the airport. Andraitx, Pollensa, Soller, and possibly Alcudia and Porto Cristo would be outside that distance--but you have SO many options much closer. Each coast offers different cruising benefits so I suggest you get a chart or pilot, choose an area, and then a couple of potential marinas to research further: here & on line. Since the recession has hit Spain hard, moorings are available in many places that were formerly blocked. While you can get your best rates by taking a mooring for a year, the rates are also good by the month or for a few months. Each marina will differ in this regard so you have to check with each one you are contemplating.

We once moored alongside a couple from the mainland coast who kept their boat in Porto Portals, Mallorca. They felt the cruising grounds of Mallorca were far better with more calas in which to anchor off, and the water cleaner. Flights were cheap and frequent allowing them to come over often.

You also want to think about the town attached to the marina. Does it have easy access to a good supermarket, restaurants, etc.? If you don't have a car, walking/taxi distance to that store is important. Our favourite ports for an extended stay are Palma, Andraitx, Alcudia, Porto Colom, and Arenal.

[outforaduck]

Very good point goboatingnow thanks. I feel the need to add more information.

We've just returned from from a south pacific (Bali to Rarotonga) 50ft catamaran passage plus inta island day sails. The plan was to find out whether we could handle it. The fear factor. And we did, just! We've actually done all of our limited sailing on cats; Privilege, Leopard and Catana.

On return we worked out (and this is the bit that's changed) that we needed the convenience and guarantee of 'power' in order to make to most of our trips to the boat. We run our own company so time away is precious, at least for the next 3 years or so. So we thought in order to get on with things we'd buy 'power'.

But over the weekend we thrashed it out finally and we've settled on a Lagoon 38/39 new or nearly new for delivery spring 2015. Never wanted a power boat in the first place!

So sorry for the initial mis-direction, I hope this doesn't change any of the guidance which is much appreciated. I've already begun checking the faciities mentioned - can't help being a planner!

Cheers outforaduck

[outforaduck]

Thank you prairie chicken you are absolutely correct the marina is only one factor. Our neighbourhood will extend beyond our home marina to the attached town/walkable facilities. Research should help me avoid 'living' next to an industrial estate..I hope.

As for the next 3-5 years our break away will be gradual and we anticipate spending a year based in each county learning the language and culture. Our plan is Spain, France and Italy. Love languages. But I won't be seeking advice on the other countries for a while yet.

Cheers outforaduck

[simonmd]

I have been in Sant Carles Marina for nearly a year now so am able to give you some good feedback. As you may know, its run by a British company (MDL) and overall, I've very satisfied with it. The marina itself was only built a few years ago so the facilities are superb, with a great shower block, its own bar and restaurant and even an air-conditioned family / tv room overlooking the very nice swimming pool.

If you are indeed getting a Cat', then its worth a look as they don't charge extra for multihulls, there are no extra charges either, water, WIFI and even the electric hook up is FREE with no meters, giving good peace of mind when paying for a berth upfront. Its worth noting that most marinas charge extra for at least water and elec' and even though the berth may seem reasonable, the extra monthly bills can add up quite dramatically. For a boat like a Lagoon 39, youll be paying around 4500 euros for the year, including everything. Not bad value when the Balerics are less than a day way being less than 100nm from Majorca or Ibiza.

Would also be very good for someone new to that kind of vessel as the marina is inside a large lagoon that offers great sailing with no swells.

However, its not all perfect (no marina is) and there are two things that cant be changed that I don't like. 1, the fouling here is AWFULL! You need a really good antifoul on your boat as the water is VERY fertile, resulting in a lot of growth.
2, The climate. The winters can be chilly, wet and windy. No where near as bad as Northern Europe or the UK of course but even still, the weather is far better further south.

You can fly to Reus which is only about an hour away, off peak car hire can be very cheap from the airport so i'm told.

Personally, I'm going to be checking out Valencia sometime next week as a friend of mine is getting a larger Cat' and wants somewhere to put it. He'd rather not come to Sant Carles because of the excessive fouling as mentioned above.

[outforaduck]

Excellent information everyone thanks for all your help - outforaduck