Santanyí is a charming, rustic village located in the southeast of Mallorca that dates back to at least the 1300s. It is a picturesque, golden town full of Mallorcan charm. Best of all, it’s a prime location to reach many of the island’s best beaches. It’s the hub of the southeastern part of the island with other smaller quaint villages (Colonia de Sant Jordi, Cala Figuera, Ses Salines), a myriad of gorgeous beaches, and stunning natural areas all a short drive away.
It’s a great place to embrace slow travel. Wander the medieval town and take in one of its famous market days or go shopping, enjoy a delicious lunch from one of its excellent restaurants, and spend the rest of the afternoon at one of the many, many nearby beaches. Or if it isn’t a market day, go shopping. Many artists and creatives call Santanyí their home and there are unique boutiques and art galleries woven through the town. Take it easy in Santanyí.
Fun fact: Santanyí’s signature golden look comes from the marés sandstone quarried in the area and is shared with Palma’s iconic buildings like the La Seu cathedral, La Llotja, and Bellver Castle.
How To Get There
While there is the option to take public transportation to Santanyí, I really recommend going by car if possible. It’s quicker, it’s more convenient, and it allows you to more easily explore the areas around Santanyí, from nearby small towns like Colonia de Sant Jordi and Ses Salines to the nearby calas. It’s a gorgeous area with spectacular beaches and a car will give you the freedom to make the most of your time there instead of waiting for bus connections or being limited only to bus routes.
Driving
Santanyí is about a 50-minute drive from Palma. Follow Ma-19 past Can Pastilla, around Llucmajor, and around Campos. There will be roundabouts, but just stay on Ma-19 the whole time and it’s basically a straight shot. If you’d like to stop in or drive by Colonia de Sant Jordi or Ses Salines first, take Ma-6040 at Campos.
Bus
Don’t worry, the bus is still a solid way to get to Santanyí from Palma if renting a car doesn’t fit into your travel plans, but you just need to allow yourself a bit more time. You have to take two buses to get to Santanyí which can just be a bit more complicated if one is late.
It can take anywhere from an hour and fifteen minutes to a little over two hours to reach Santanyí by bus depending on your connections. While Google Maps will show a few different options, I recommend taking TIB bus 501. You’ll stay on the bus for about 45 minutes until you reach Campos. Disembark at the La Verge bus stop. From there, you can either take TIB 517 or 515. The TIB 515 is quicker to get to Santanyí because it goes more directly. TIB 517 passes by Colonia de Sant Jordi and Ses Salines first. If you’re wanting to just go to Santanyí, it is probably best to take TIB 515 because it is about 30 minutes quicker.
Where To Stay In Santanyí
Best Overall: Can Ferrereta
Unwind in this five-star hotel located in the heart of Santanyí in a restored 17th-century mansion. Can Ferrereta is light, airy, and peaceful, blending together Mallorcan textures with contemporary design. It’s an intimate boutique hotel with thirty-two rooms and suites. The property has a pool surrounded by cypress and olive trees and a Mediterranean garden. Additionally, there is a sauna, a small heated indoor pool, gym, and spa services. There are also two excellent restaurants on the property.
Best Retreat: Cal Reiet Holistic Retreat
Prioritize your wellness Cal Reiet. Located in a refurbished 19th-century manor house on the edge of Santanyí, this boutique hotel invites you to hit pause and unwind with an emphasis on holistic living. They offer daily yoga classes, spa and wellness treatments ranging from beauty treatments to psychosomatic healing sessions, and culinary workshops for raw, vegan, and vegetarian dishes. The property has a swimming pool in the middle of a lush garden, a wellness area, a gym with basic equipment, and a restaurant specializing in clean eating. Be sure to check out the dates for their retreats.
Best Finca: Hotel Rural Sa Galera
Escape it all at this countryside oasis located a short 10-minute drive away from Santanyí. Sa Galera is a 13th-century manor house with twenty rooms surrounded by Mallorcan countryside. It’s been owned by the same family since the mid-1800s. It blends rustic charm with modern conveniences and design. It has an outside pool, spa services, and a restaurant that incorporates fruit from their gardens.
Where To Eat In Santanyí
Santanyí might be a small town, but you’re spoiled for choice when it comes to finding a nice place to eat. You can find Spanish and Mediterranean dining of course, but also several excellent fusion restaurants and different types of cuisines.
Michelin Recommended: Laudat
This restaurant is recommended by the Michelin guide and is a great option for foodies and wine lovers. They have a small excellent menu and an extensive wine list (including their own wines). Enjoy chic fine dining from their lovely terrace, under the lemon trees.
Best Tapas: Es Molí de Santanyí
If you’re in the mood for tapas for lunch, check out Restaurant Es Molí de Santanyí. Enjoy traditional Spanish tapas in their beautiful courtyard under the shade or inside their cozy restaurant. They offer a menú del día.
Best Vegan Option: Retroway
For delicious, healthy options with lots of fruit and vegetables, come to Retroway. They offer many vegan, vegetarian, and “flexitarian” dishes like salads, poke bowls, pad thai, burgers, and smoothies. There are gluten-free options as well. It has a modern interior and a cute terrace in the back.
Best Fusion: Amazonique
Experience modern Brazilian cuisine with a Mediterranean twist at Amazonique. Their menu focuses on fresh seafood using Mallorcan ingredients and Brazilian grilling methods. The space is modern and green with lots of plants. They also have live music some evenings, creating a true dining experience.
Things To Do In Santanyí
Explore The Town
Get lost in Santanyí’s golden streets. That’s it, that’s the itinerary. The town is picturesque and quaint with lots of shopping and restaurants tucked away and you can easily spend an afternoon wandering.
Shopping
While you’re wandering Santanyí’s charming streets, feel free to pop into its local shops. Santanyí is a hub for creatives and there are many artisans as well as art galleries. It is also home to some nice boutiques. A store of note is the Flor de Sal d’Es Trenc salt shop which sells locally sourced salt as well as other local goods (you can find some very cute souvenirs here).
Shops:
Galleries:
Go To The Market
Santanyí’s weekly market is one of the most charming and most visited on the island. It spreads through the town’s historical center and offers a variety of local produce, meats, cheeses, and wines as well as clothes, crafts, and other products. I was really impressed with the artwork and jewelry options. There’s something for everyone. A really nice day would be wandering the markets and the gold stone streets, having lunch, and then going to one of the nearby calas.
It takes place on Wednesdays and Saturdays from 9 am to 2 pm. It is more crowded on Saturdays.
Go To The Beach
If you come to Santanyí, you have a plethora of some of the best beaches and calas on the island at your fingertips. There are no wrong decisions.
Cala Santanyí
A popular, easily accessed beach, Cala Santanyí is a great choice. It’s beautiful, there are amenities, it is wheelchair accessible, and there are restaurants and cafés around it. It can get a bit crowded in the summer, but it is very clean as one of Mallorca’s Blue Flag beaches.
There is plenty of parking and it can also be accessed by taking TIB bus 516 from Santanyí.
Cala Llombards
This more secluded, small, sandy, intimate cove is a short 10-minute drive from Santanyí. The beach is soft and sandy but it’s hugged by rocky cliffs with pine trees, making for a stunning contrast with the clear turquoise water.
It cannot be accessed by bus.
Caló des Moro
Previously a hidden gem that has grown in popularity, Caló des Moro is a short 12-minute drive from Santanyí and is close to Cala Llombards. It’s gorgeous but a bit difficult to get to. It’s a small beach with turquoise water that stretches between steep cliffs.
It cannot be accessed by bus.
Cala S’Almunia
Cala S’Almunia is a small picturesque rocky turquoise cala surrounded by old stone fishing houses and steep cliffs. It’s great for snorkeling. There really isn’t a beach to relax on, but you can sun on the rocks. It’s nearly neighbors with Caló des Moro and is a great alternative if Caló des Moro is too crowded.
It cannot be accessed by bus.
Es Trenc
I know it’s easy to describe many of Mallorca’s stunning beaches as “one of the prettiest in Mallorca,” but Es Trenc is truly one of the best on the island. It’s a long, white sandy beach that’s accessible (there’s a large paid parking lot), but it’s a little bit more out of the way than the similar Playa del Muro in Alcúdia so it feels more tucked away.
It’s a little over a mile (2 km) of soft white sand and shallow turquoise water. One of the most special things to me about this beach are the adjacent wetlands and sand dunes. It really adds another level of wildness and gives the beach a different feel to others in Mallorca.
Bonus? You might find flamingos. Es Trenc is next to Salobrar de Campos Natural Park, the second largest wetland on the island and a paradise for migrating birds, including flamingos.
I went to Es Trenc for the first time in early March and was pleasantly surprised to see flamingos in the marshy area near the Flor de Sal salt flats. If you see white birds standing on one leg during the winter, take a close look because they might be flamingos, not white herons. If you’re in the area during the winter, you might need to bundle up to enjoy the beach, but bring your binoculars if you’re a bird enthusiast.
It cannot be accessed by bus.
Explore The Area
The area around Santanyí is home to some incredible natural areas, including but not limited to its stunning calas and beaches. There are salt flats, geologic formations, and natural parks. Also, other lovely and picturesque villages are a short drive away.
Mirador de Es Pontàs
If you’re near Cala Santanyí or Cala Llombards, you can’t miss this mirador. It’s a natural stone arch and is one of Mallorca’s must-see natural wonders, carved out by wind and sea over years and years. Its name translates to “big bridge” in Catalan, which is an accurate name for this picturesque geologic phenomenon. It’s about a ten-minute walk from Cala Santanyí.
Salinas d’es Trenc
The area of Santanyí is a prime spot for white gold—Mallorcan salt. You can find Flor de Sal salt shops around Mallorca and also sold in different stores as well, but if you want to see the source, why not check out the Salinas salt flats? The salt flats are home to a diverse ecosystem and an important part of the area’s economy. You can book a tour of the salt flats on the Flor de Sal website.
Parc Natural Mondragó
The Mondragó Natural Park is one of the most popular nature parks on the island and is a great place to soak in Mallorca’s natural landscapes. This park is home to diverse landscapes with two beaches (Cala Mondragó and Playa S’Amarador), salt flats, freshwater ponds, olive and pine forests, holm oaks, and striking coastline. It’s a bird watcher’s paradise. You can explore the different routes through the park on foot or by bike. The park is free to enter and there are two paid parking lots, both located in S’Amarador and ses Fonts de n’Alis. Additionally, it does have multiple recreational areas with bathrooms and picnic areas.
Faro de Cap Salines
Besides being the starting point to walk to incredible beaches like Cala Màrmols or Playa Es Caragol, the Ses Salines lighthouse is an amazing place to watch the sunset with Cabrera island off to the distance. There is road parking a short walk from the lighthouse. Fun fact: this was the first solar-powered lighthouse in Spain.
Botanicactus
Calling all plant lovers! While you’re in the area, check out Botanicactus, Mallorca’s largest botanical garden. This privately-owned garden showcases the flora of the Mediterranean with a large collection of various cacti, orange trees, carob, bamboo, olive trees, almond trees, palms, and more. Take a wander through this 37-acre garden (150,000 m²), including a stroll around its artificial lake. Don’t forget your water. If it’s an environment where cacti thrive in the summer, most likely people will not.
Cala Figuera
This quaint, picturesque fishing village a short ten-minute drive outside Santanyí offers a glimpse into old Mallorca. Its lack of a sandy beach has allowed it to avoid mass tourism. Cala Figuera has charming whitewashed buildings and stunning views of the small port where you can find llaüts (traditional Mallorcan boats). It’s a great place to take a stroll (and some pictures) and try delicious local seafood. Additionally, you can find old pirate watchtowers and there are some hikes in the area. While there is a bus to Cala Figuera (TIB 516 from Santanyí), it isn’t very regular so I recommend going by car if possible.
Ses Salines
Ses Salines is a small village a short 12-minute drive away from Santanyí. It’s mostly residential, so it’s a great place to wander and soak in local culture. It also has some nice restaurants. It’s the closest town to Cap de Ses Salines, the most southern point of Mallorca.
Fires i Festes
Els Reis Mags d’Orient – January 5th & 6th
Santanyí celebrates the arrival of the Three Kings with a parade like most towns on Mallorca. On the evening of the 5th, the kings sail into Sa Porta Murada and travel around town delivering presents to the children.
Sant Antoni – January 16th & 17th
Sant Antoni is celebrated on January 17th in different parts of Mallorca, including in Santanyí. The night before, they have bonfires, and they bless the animals the day of.
International Music Festival – April-September
Between April and September, Santanyí hosts an international music festival with free concerts of diverse kinds of music set in picturesque sites around town like the church and the monastery.
Festes de Sant Jaume – End of July
This festival takes place in the last two weeks of July with events for all ages such as live music, competitions, parades, correfocs, and more.
Sa Fira – End of October
Santanyí celebrates its autumn agricultural fair, Sa Fira, the 3rd Saturday in October. You can find the best of Santanyí at its numerous stalls, such as produce, artisan goods and gifts, farm animals, and more. There are activities for children, cooking demonstrations, concerts, and DJs. And of course, there are correfocs with Mallorca’s signature demonis and fire.
Sant Andreu – November 30th
Saint Andrew is the patron saint of Santanyí, and there are various cultural events surrounding the day.
Nadal – December
Santanyí decorates extensively for Christmas and hosts events surrounding the lighting of the lights and tree at the beginning of December. There are also Christmas markets leading up to the big day.