Queuing for Caló des Moro beach in Mallorca in summer 2021

Queuing for Caló des Moro last summer. | Jaime Mora

Andrew EdeSantanyi21/05/2022 08:04
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Santanyi is blessed with having attractive coves, such as Caló des Moro. But the attraction causes problems with overcrowding - people and vehicles. Last summer, there were images of beachgoers queuing for hours at Caló des Moro. The queues were the consequence of the popularity of the cove and Covid capacity controls.

These controls no longer apply, but the overcrowding remains very much an issue. Because of this, Santanyi town hall has sent letters to the Cala d'Or hoteliers association, holiday rentals, car-hire firms and the Balearic transport federation and has reminded all of them of traffic limitations. They are being asked to inform clients of these limitations.

The town hall highlights the difficulty of parking for the Caló des Moro and S'Almunia beaches. It recommends using public transport - the 517 bus from the centre of Santanyi to Cala Llombards - or taxis and advises against the use of private or rented cars.

The problems have been exacerbated by the closure of the Caló del Moro car park. This is just before the entrance to Cala Llombards, and it was closed by the Council of Mallorca's agency for the defence of territory for breach of regulations. The Council and town hall are seeking a solution that will enable the car park to be reopened, but the town hall has meanwhile adopted measures to restrict traffic. Twenty streets in Cala Llombards are now an Acire restricted access zone - for residents only. The town hall may add more streets if the current restriction proves to be insufficient.

Santanyi police have been fining vehicles that ignore the Acire zone; most of these have been hire cars. The restriction came into effect at the beginning of May and will apply until October.