Puerto Portals is widely known as the most glamorous marina on the island. Located in the south-west of the island, just a 10-minute drive from Palma, Puerto Portals is connected to the more modest town of Portal Nous. There’s a real cosmopolitan feel to the place, think of something between Monte Carlo and Puerto Banus and you’re nearly there.
Puerto Portals has become an attractive destination for the rich and famous to moor their yachts and now caters for more than 600 yachts up to 60 metres in length. Unlike many other ports in Mallorca, there is a year-round buzz here. It’s the place to visit for designer shopping, people watching and first-class restaurants and bars.
Puerto Portals is not actually that big – you could walk from one end to the other in five minutes – but the point of being here is to sit and enjoy the world as it goes by. There are designer boutiques selling jewellery, watches, swimwear, clothing, accessories and gifts. In between, you’ll also find swanky estate agents and yacht charter and brokerages. A wide range of portside restaurants offer a good selection of cuisine. You can come here for breakfast, lunch and dinner and admire luxury yachts, Ferraris and Porsches parading up and down the front. It’s more than likely you will also spot a familiar face amongst the crowds as it has become quite the celebrity hotspot.
Next to the marina’s shipyard is where you will find the main stretch of beach, called Portals beach by most but officially called Oratori Beach or Platja de l’Oratori in Mallorcan. It’s a splendid sheltered beach with golden sand and calm waters. In the summer months, there are sun loungers and parasols to rent and it’s possible to hire paddle boards and pedalos from the middle of the beach. A little further east you will also find the cute sheltered beach of La Cala de Portals, with a little beach bar called La Calita de Portals.
So how to get to Puerto Portals? It takes around 25 minutes to get by car to Puerto Portals from the airport and just 10 to 15 minutes to get into the centre of Palma (traffic dependent). It is well connected to the rest of the island thanks to the Ma-1 being close by.
