Location: The bay of Macarella and Macarelleta is on the south western side of Menorca and belongs to the Àrea Natural d’Especial Interès on Ciutadella’s southern coast.
Description: The most widely recognised images of Menorca’s virgin beaches come from Macarella and Macarelleta. Varios stunning shades of impeccably clear turquoise and blue water in the bay with white sandy beaches and surrounding rocks with shallow waters.
Perfect For: Families with walking age children and anyone looking for arguably the best aerial view of ‘Menorca’s beaches’.
Access Level: Medium. 5 – 20 minute walk along a track to get to the beach from the car parks.
Parking: Yes. There are two car parks. One is paid and close to the beach, the other is free but a longer walk up hill. Advisable to arrive early as it’s a popular beach.
Bus: No. Taxis won’t take you all the way down to the beach either so you have to walk the last stretch approx 10 – 15 minutes. Better to hire a scooter!
Toilets: Yes
Lifeguard: Yes
Food & Drink: Susy’s Chiringuito (Beach Bar and Restaurant). Serves an excellent selection of meat and fish with home grown salad and chips amongst other plates. Be warned big servings, great value! Gets busy during the summer months so get in early. Highly recommended.
Beach Rental: No.
Water Activities: No.
Boat Access: Mooring available outside of bouys and marked passage to the beach.
Rubbish & Recycling: Yes. There are rubbish and recycling bins on and around the beach.
Access 1 – On the ring road with the roundabouts on the outskirts of Ciutadella take the roundabout exit for ‘Sant Joan de Missa’. You will also see a large sign for the parking for the three beaches ‘Son Saura’, ‘Cala Turqueta’ and ‘Macarella’ at this exit. Follow this narrow road straight ahead round all the curves till you get to a distinct signposted fork in the road. Veer left towards Macarella. The road gets narrower and at the end there is a steep windy decent to the car park level. Notice the sign beforehand indicating the free parking if you choose.
Access 2 – Via the sea. Cala Macarella is perfect to arrive by boat, kayak or jet ski.
Access 3 – Another option is walking from Cala Galdana, located on the right side of the beach at the end of the road opposite the Hotel Audax. There is a sign at the end of the street to take the horse trail along the coast known as the ‘Camí de Cavalls’. Approximately 45 minutes passing by Cala Macarelleta on the way.
NOTE – A visit to Macarella is not complete without a walk between the two beaches of Macarella and Macaralleta. Some of the absolute best views on the island are from this elevated cliff point. Anyone who is a steady comfortable walker will appreciate making the effort.
Check out our other entry on this special excursion by clicking this title below.
‘The Trail from Macarella to Macaralleta’
IMPORTANT: Please help us maintain Menorca’s natural beauty
Dispose of your rubbish, cigarette butts included! There are garbage and recycling bins in the car parks and every street. Reuse plastic bags to take your waste to the closest bin.
Take some beautiful photos…. but also take all your rubbish with you. GRACIAS!
View Cala Macarella & Cala Macarelleta in a larger map
11 comments
Hi! I am planning a trip to Menorca and have found your site to be extremely useful!
I would like to visit Cala Macarella, and I notice on your site that umbrellas can be rented there, but it also says “no” by “Beach Rental.” Does that mean that an umbrella can be rented but not a beach chair? I really hope that is not the case because I was hoping to spend some time there and a chair is a must!
Do you know if there are shower facilities at the beach?
Also, while I want to visit Cala Macarella for it’s visual appeal, I’m also open to suggestions of other beaches along the southern coast if you happen to have any!
Thank you for your time and your excellent website!
Macarella in previous years has not had any beach rental at all by way of sunbeds, chairs and umbrellas. The only beach in that area that does is Cala Galdana which is a beach surrounded by a tourist urbanization. Macarella is considered a virgin beach even though it has a lifeguard, beach bar and rubbish facilities. Its one of the most popular beaches in Menorca with the locals, who would protest if it was filled with plastic sunbeds for tourists. So live the local lifestyle and park your towel on a piece of comfy sand instead! The umbrella icon is to indicate you should take your own umbrella. There is plenty of shade under the pine trees round the beach too. Toilets are in the bar ‘Cafeteria Susy’ where you also find coin operated showers.
As for other beaches… on this part of the south coast they are all divine! To the west there is Cala Turqueta, Es Talaier and Son Saura, all accessible from the same road as Macarella to south of Ciutadella. On the east there is Cala Galdana and Cala Mitjana accessible from the main road across the island turning off at the roundabout next to Ferreries. Take your pick, take your camera and enjoy!
Thanks for your feedback and support 🙂