Located on the east coast of Mallorca, Porto Colom is one of the most beautiful parts of the island with a population of around 4000 but much higher in summer months. It is part of the Felanitx region.
The harbour and the mountain
Locals call Porto Colom “Es Port”. It started to grow in the 18th century, and during the 20th century fishing was the main industry. Portocolom is one of the few natural harbours in Mallorca, with its lighthouse and the Puig of San Salvador, a 509 metres high mountain with its gothic church dated 1348, dedicated to the Virgin of El Carmen. Porto Colom has its own rocky beach called Es Babo.
The beaches and coves in Porto Colom
- Cala Marçal is 90 metres long and 150 metres wide and is a semi-urban sandy beach with still waters and close to all the amenities.
- S’Arenal is a beach with sand, pebbles and rock. The beach has 2 sections and vegetation around it. There is an excellent restaurant right at the beach.
- S’Algar. This fine-grain sand beach is part of a small harbour and has a curious feature: depending on the sea conditions it may not have sand all the time.
- Cala Murada and Cala Domingos are two more interesting coves to visit. They are located 8 km north of Porto Colom.
- Caves: Cova dels Ases and Cova dels Coloms, can be reached by boat or when diving or snorkelling.
Visiting the chapel of Sant Salvador in Porto Colom
At 509m height it offers a unique view of virtually the entire island. You can get there by taking the road from Felanitx to Portocolom and the winding road has a vertical drop of more than 6%. On a clear day the 360º view of the whole island is a privilege. On the way up you will also find a small chapel, several viewpoints and picnic and play areas. The chapel was built in 1715 and in 1824 hermits started to move into the guest house. Today this is a simple, quiet hotel called Hostatgeria Sant Salvador.
