Floating through the Balearics on a luxury yacht is an experience straight out of a Mediterranean dream – diving off the yacht into gin-clear seas, exploring cosmopolitan cities, and lazing about on a sun-lounger at a glamorous beach club.
The Balearics have some of the finest beach clubs in Europe, from the all-white bliss of Ibiza’s Cotton Club to the wild poolside party of Mallorca’s Nikki Beach. And what better way to drift between them than on a superyacht?
This summer, drop anchor off a Balearics beach club to spend long, blissful days dining on all-white terraces and drinking champagne on canopied daybeds. As the day wears on, the music gets louder, as top DJ’s spin tunes as the sunset turns the world to fire and a happy young crowd dances under the Spanish moon.
Day or night, the beach clubs of the Balearics are the place to be in summer.
Here are the 10 best beach clubs to add to your Balearics yacht charter itinerary:
Ibiza
Cotton Beach Club
Blinding blue sea, a dreamy all-white colour scheme, and a lazy summer soundtrack of lapping water, ice cubes rustling in champagne buckets, and music. Cotton Beach Club in Ibiza may well be beach club heaven.
A vision in white, this decadent beach club sits on a perfect cove at Cala Tarida on Ibiza’ southwest coast, with a white sandy beach edged by Ibiza’s dramatic rocky coastline. Spend your day lying on one of the plush curtained daybeds, swimming in the vivid blue water, and lunching on excellent sushi or Mediterranean cuisine on the terrace.
At sunset, head to the rooftop terrace for a sunset view you won’t forget in a hurry.
Blue Marlin
Blue Marlin is the reigning queen of the Ibiza beach clubs, drawing a jet-set crowd to the shores of buzzing Cala Jondal for a glamorous day and night party that goes until dawn.
Adored by the A-list, this gorgeous venue spills across exotic gardens, beach front, restaurants and bars, and alfresco and indoor stages for the big name house music acts like Pete Tong and Tom Crane.
Start your day slow with a Bloody Mary or juice served to you at your deckchair by an unusually beautiful waiter, watching as the place begins to fill up around you. The energy level heats up fast as the afternoon wears on, with the sunset hours the sweet spot as the bold and the beautiful flock to the beach club to see and be seen.
Amante
Amante means ‘lover’, and it’s hard not to fall in love as you drop anchor and tender into this gorgeous little beach club, set on a cliff above Cala Sol Den Serra cove. Take a hammock under the palms, snuggle up on a stylish beanbag with a cocktail, or adjourn to the restaurant, one of the best places to eat on Ibiza.
This is one of the island’s premier spots for a ‘recovery day’, with its yoga classes by the sea and its low key but ultra-romantic feel. Amante gets even more romantic after sunset, as you dine on the starlit clifftop terrace or lie back on a soft lounge to watch the moonlight cinema.
Beachouse
Live the dream at Beachouse Ibiza, a beach club and restaurant framed by giant palms, tiki umbrellas, and the white expanse of sand of Playa d’en Bossa.
Relax on your luxe daybed with a cocktail, do a free yoga class on the sand, or long lunch in style at the excellent restaurant, where the deck is a beachside Mediterranean idyll of white tablecloths, wooden chairs, and fragrant pots of herbs.
With exquisite sea views and soft white sand for miles, time seems to stretch at Beachouse as you soak up the breezes and salty air.
Nikki Beach
If you’re more in the mood for champagne-spraying pool party than you are for yoga and beachside tranquillity, then Nikki Beach calls your name, and calls it loudly. This mega-famous beach club brought its signature brand of white décor and poolside mayhem to Ibiza in 2014, and has not looked back since. Ibiza and Nikki beach are a match made in heaven.
A young, lively crowd descend on Nikki beach to loll about on curtained daybeds, get massages in a cabana, and pile into the pool in their bikini-clad hundreds. With DJ’s spinning tunes and people dancing on tables as they day goes on, this is a beach club for those who love a massive party.
Nikki Beach also hosts themed parties throughout the summer, like their famous White Party and the weekly Latin Fiesta.
Formentera
Most guests on a Balearics yacht charter will want to follow up a crazy night on the White Isle with a blissful day on nearby Formentera – a beachy bohemian paradise of white sand and sapphire sea lapping at rocky coves. In case swimming off the yacht and putting your toes in the sand isn’t enough to entertain, Formentera also offers a couple of heavenly beach clubs.
South Beach Club
At South Beach Club, double white daybeds are scattered under shady trees on the soft white sand, and handsome waiters deliver champagne in the signature orange Verve Clicquot ice buckets.
Lie back and listen to the afternoon breeze in the trees, the chilled DJ beats, and the distant laughter of people learning to sail in the beach club’s own sailing boat.
When you work up an appetite from all the fresh sea air and sunshine, throw on a kaftan and adjourn to the restaurant, a stylish deck setting shaded by sweeps of cream canvas. Return to your daybed for an afternoon sleep, or book a massage in the beachside cabana and deepen your state of relaxation to a whole new level.
Gecko Beach Club
Located at the swanky Gecko Beach Hotel, this beach club screams indulgence with its breezy Caribbean-style gardens and poolside setting.
Have a massage under the trees, grab a deckchair on the beach or by the pool, or swing in a hammock while listening to the DJ spin bossa nova tunes.
The restaurant serves up refined Mediterranean cuisine, and there’s yoga in the gardens for those fancying a gentle stretch by the sea. As you sip on a cocktail, you may find you start dreaming of throwing in your real life and staying on Formentera forever.
Two ‘not-quite-beach-clubs’ worth a mention: Juan y Andrea and Beso Beach
Although they’re more beach restaurants than beach clubs, it would be remiss not to mention Juan y Andrea, a superyacht-set hangout on the stunning Illetes Beach, and Beso Beach, a lovely driftwood-chic restaurant drawing a young and happy crowd.
Mallorca
Mallorca or Majorca; whatever you want to call this stunning island, there’s no question it’s got some great beach clubs, with the Majorca beach club scene going more upscale by the year. On Mallorca’s rocky coast, the beach clubs are often set poolside on cliffs above the sea, with a short stroll down to dive off the rocks into the blue-green Mediterranean.
Gran Follies
This upscale yet relaxed beach club at Cala Llamp is set on terraces carved into the rocks above the emerald sea, with jaw-dropping views of the steep cliffs surrounding Port d’Andratx.
Gran Follies has been drawing the yachting set for 40 years, with its gorgeous Balines daybeds and loungers scattered around a saltwater pool. If you crave a dip in the sea, there’s a path right down to the beach, with glorious rockpools and lots of places to dive in.
The Gran Follies restaurant is very good, with the paella a particular highlight, and there’s also massage cabanas and yoga classes on a grassy section overlooking the water. You’ll definitely want to stay a while!
Nikki Beach
Yes, it’s this lot again, with global phenomenon Nikki Beach occupying a top spot at the party capital of Magaluf. But where Magaluf may be traditionally known for its package holiday vibe, Nikki Beach delivers the more upscale experience, with its trademark octagonal bar, crisp white décor, and poolside debauchery.
A great advantage of this beach club is that it’s set right on the sandy beach, with loungers on the sand as well as by the pool, making a dip in the sea as easy as getting off your deckchair and strolling a few steps.
As in their other outposts, Nikki Beach has a busy schedule of themed party events running right through the summer, from Champagne Brunch Sundays to rodeo nights and Cuban Tropicana nights.
Mhares Sea Club
Set on a gorgeous sandstone terrace on a small cliff on the Bay of Palma, this beach club is an adults-only oasis.
Wooden canopied daybeds sit on the cliff edge like on the deck of a ship, their white curtains blowing in the sea breeze, while plush white deckchairs surround the swimming pool. A cliff path leads down to bathing platforms in the rocks for a dip in the crystal clear sea, and fragrant marquis bushes grow along the path, their Mediterranean scent floating in the air.
There’s a high end restaurant on site and sophisticated lounge areas to meet with friends for unforgettable sunset drinks, DJ’s setting the vibe as the sun sinks into the sea.
This is a highly curated selection of the best beach clubs of the Balearics; there are many more gems to discover on a Balearics yacht charter. To create a tailored Balearics yacht charter itinerary that perfectly suits your tastes, contact Bespoke Yacht Charter:
Alexander Coles
This article was written by Jo Morgan – Jo is a freelance writer for yachts and travel, offering targeted feature articles, content marketing, blogs and press releases for the yachting and travel industries.