logo
Tiny European beach that could be in the Caribbean named among 10 best

Tiny European beach that could be in the Caribbean named among 10 best

Daily Mirror03-05-2025

According to a ranking by travel professionals, this tiny beach in Santanyi has been named one of Europe's best beaches of 2025 despite being the site of a major protest in 2024
A small cove with crystal blue waters, and only a small stretch of sand, has been named among the 50 best beaches in the world.
A new report from The World's 50 Best Beaches has named Mallorcan beach Es Caló des Moro, the ninth best beach in Europe as part of its 2025 list of Europe's 50 Best Beaches. According to the company: 'The ranking was voted on by over 1,000 travel professionals, including our judges, Beach Ambassadors and our own World's 50 Beaches team.'

Es Caló des Moro, dubbed a hidden gem, is just 3.7-miles from the town of Santanyi in the southeast corner of Mallorca. Despite its relatively small size - only 40 metres in length - it is regularly praised for its fine sands and turquoise waters.

One of the reasons the beach is so beloved by British holidaymakers is because of its relative seclusion. Es Caló des Moro sits deep inside a bay with white cliffs creating a sense of privacy for sunbathers.
That said, the beach's seclusion also makes it somewhat difficult to access. To get down to the water you will need to walk around 100m on foot. But, it is possible to drive all the way down to the beach, if accessibility is a concern. The beach is also a regular haunt for locals who are fiercely protective of it, having put up signs saying that the road is private.
If you are able to take the flight of stairs down to the beach, you will pass the beach Cala s'Almunia on the way down. While Es Caló des Moro is considered the more picturesque of the two, Cala s'Alumunia offers a wonderful detour with its rocky outcroppings and pine tree surroundings. The water is just as clear as further below, though the shore is more gravel than sand at times.
The beach's limited accessibility also means that modern conveniences like sunbed and parasol rental and beach bars and restaurants are not available. This is also likely because of its popularity with the locals, who wished to keep the beach under the radar for a while.
There are also no water sport activities at Es Caló des Moro. However, crystal-clear and calm conditions of the water mean that the beach is ideal for snorkelling. The water is relatively shallow though, but that makes it well-suited for children.

As Es Caló des Moro has gained greater attention and drawn the interest of foreign holidaymakers, locals have begun to increasingly avoid the area. Es Caló des Moro has become one of the four beaches most heavily avoided by locals, according to a recent research project.
The research project was conducted by Sergio Obrador of the Demographic and Tourism Studies Group at the University of the Balearic Islands and was designed to determine the effects of overcrowding on the mobility of local residents. Of the random sample of 404 residents that participated in a survey, 85% said they had stopped visiting certain places on the island due to overcrowding in the summer.
Mallorcan locals confirmed that the majority of the places they had begun to avoid due to overcrowding were beaches and coves. Four of these beaches locals named were: Es Caló des Moro, Es Trenc, Sa Calobra and Magaluf. Access in Es Caló des Moro became an increasingly heated issue. In fact, in the summer of 2024 the beach became the site of a major local-led protest against overcrowding.
Around 300 residents gathered on Es Caló des Moro cove in Santanyi protesting overcrowding on the Spanish island on June 16, 2024. The police were called after protesters began shouting 'tourists go home' and officials called for the removal of protest banners from the beach.
On The World's 50 Best Beaches list of Europe's best for 2025, six beaches are in Spain. Playa de Rodas came in fourth on the ranking while Cala Macarelleta also cracked the top 20, taking fourteenth place.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Couple on Ryanair flight with sick baby 'denied boarding' before staff demanded £490
Couple on Ryanair flight with sick baby 'denied boarding' before staff demanded £490

Daily Record

timean hour ago

  • Daily Record

Couple on Ryanair flight with sick baby 'denied boarding' before staff demanded £490

Christina Finn and her husband Cameron claim they were not allowed on the Ryanair flight - but the airline says their passport policy is clear. A couple with a sick baby have claimed Ryanair wouldn't let them fly home after they were incorrectly told they would need a visa to enter Ireland from the UK. Christina Finn and her husband Cameron travelled to London from Belfast to take part in a CBeebies event with their five-month-old son on Friday. The family were returning from Stansted to Northern Ireland with the airline when they were refused boarding. ‌ Christina explained their first issues arose when they couldn't check in for their flight online. ‌ Speaking to BelfastLive, she said: "We had flown to London on Friday morning from Belfast for a meeting with the BBC, and we were to fly home from London to Dublin and then get the bus up to Belfast as that was the cheapest option, and it is something we would do all the time. "We were travelling with our five-month-old baby, and it was important that we got home early enough, as he is quite unwell and has to have medication twice a day. "When we went to check in on the app, it wouldn't let me click through to our booking at all and I thought the issue was with my phone so when we got to the airport, we had to check in at the desk where we then had to pay a fine for not checking in online." The mum said after paying the fine, staff asked to see their passports. She told them she had flown over with easyJet using their driving licenses but they had their passports with them, which had recently expired. ‌ She said: "My husband has an Irish passport and I have a British one which have both recently expired. With the baby due, we were waiting until he was born to renew them so that we could just do it at the same time. "We informed the staff that we had flown over on our driving licences so he took them away and came back with a man who told us that because my husband has an expired Irish passport, he would be allowed on the flight to Dublin but as my passport was a British one they couldn't let me on the plane. "The staff informed me that as a UK citizen I would need a visa to travel to Ireland as it is in the EU and I tried to explain to them that that wouldn't apply due to the Common Travel Area. ‌ "I told him that we lived in Northern Ireland and he then questioned how I had a British passport and couldn't seem to understand that it was a pretty common thing for people to fly to Dublin then travel on to Belfast. He also said that we would need to have evidence that we had booked onward travel from Dublin to Belfast. "As I questioned it, he said that he was speaking to someone on the phone who told him that if they let us on the plane and if we arrived in Dublin we would be stopped at passport control and the airline would be fined between £500 and £1000 for allowing me on the plane without a valid passport." Christina said the staff member informed them that the only way around their issue would be for them to book a new flight directly to Belfast which would cost them £490. ‌ "We had to borrow the money from my mum for the flights and while I was on the phone to her she looked up the Government website which stated that you did not need a passport or visa to travel between the UK and Ireland. She sent me a screenshot of this which I showed to the man and he said he would look into it then he walked away," she said. "I decided to ring the British embassy in Dublin who directed me to call the Irish embassy in London and the woman on the phone was horrified. She said that there was no requirement for people to have a passport for travelling between the UK and Ireland and that there was also no need for a visa. However, she explained that Ryanair could have its own policy requiring travellers to have a passport." ‌ Christina said the whole experience made her feel like a "second-class citizen". A Ryanair spokesperson said: "In accordance with Ryanair's T&C's, which these passengers agreed to at the time of booking, these passengers failed to check-in online before arriving at London Stansted Airport (5 June). "Therefore, these passengers were correctly asked to pay the required airport check-in fee (£55 per passenger), however refused to do so, and became aggressive towards the agents at the check in desk at London Stansted Airport. ‌ "All passengers travelling with Ryanair agree to check-in online before arriving at their departure airport and all passengers are sent an email reminding them to do so 24hrs before departure. These passengers were subsequently correctly denied boarding to this flight from London Stansted to Dublin (5 June) as these passengers' passports did not meet the requirements for travel as both passports had expired in 2024. "It is each passenger's responsibility to ensure that their passport is valid for travel in line with the relevant State requirements at the time of travel. These requirements are clearly set out on and passengers are reminded with pop-up messages during booking. Passengers travelling between Ireland and the UK are required to carry a valid passport for travel. "Therefore, as these passengers did not present a valid passport for this flight from London Stansted to Dublin Airport, they were correctly denied boarding.' Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'.

Couple claims Ryanair won't let them fly home with sick baby - then demands £490
Couple claims Ryanair won't let them fly home with sick baby - then demands £490

Daily Mirror

time3 hours ago

  • Daily Mirror

Couple claims Ryanair won't let them fly home with sick baby - then demands £490

Christina Finn and her husband Cameron claim they were not allowed to board a flight from London to Ireland with their five-month-old son - but the airline says their passport policy is clear A couple with a sick baby claim they were not allowed to board a Ryanair flight after they were incorrectly informed they would need a visa to enter Ireland from the UK. Christina Finn and her husband Cameron had travelled to London from Belfast on Friday for a CBeebies event with their five-month-old son and were returning from Stansted to Dublin with the budget airline when they were refused boarding. Christina explained that their first issues arose when they couldn't check in for their flight online. "We had flown to London on Friday morning from Belfast for a meeting with the BBC, and we were to fly home from London to Dublin and then get the bus up to Belfast as that was the cheapest option, and it is something we would do all the time," she said. ‌ ‌ "We were travelling with our five-month-old baby, and it was important that we got home early enough, as he is quite unwell and has to have medication twice a day. "When we went to check in on the app, it wouldn't let me click through to our booking at all and I thought the issue was with my phone so when we got to the airport, we had to check in at the desk where we then had to pay a fine for not checking in online." Christina said that after paying the fine, the Ryanair staff asked to see their passports and she informed them that they had flown over with easyJet using their driving licenses but that they had their passports with them, which had recently expired. She told BelfastLive: "My husband has an Irish passport and I have a British one which have both recently expired. With the baby due, we were waiting until he was born to renew them so that we could just do it at the same time. "We informed the staff that we had flown over on our driving licences so he took them away and came back with a man who told us that because my husband has an expired Irish passport, he would be allowed on the flight to Dublin but as my passport was a British one they couldn't let me on the plane. "The staff informed me that as a UK citizen I would need a visa to travel to Ireland as it is in the EU and I tried to explain to them that that wouldn't apply due to the Common Travel Area. ‌ "I told him that we lived in Northern Ireland and he then questioned how I had a British passport and couldn't seem to understand that it was a pretty common thing for people to fly to Dublin then travel on to Belfast. He also said that we would need to have evidence that we had booked onward travel from Dublin to Belfast. "As I questioned it, he said that he was speaking to someone on the phone who told him that if they let us on the plane and if we arrived in Dublin we would be stopped at passport control and the airline would be fined between £500 and £1000 for allowing me on the plane without a valid passport." Christina said that the staff member informed them that the only way around their issue would be for them to book a new flight directly to Belfast which would cost them £490. ‌ "We had to borrow the money from my mum for the flights and while I was on the phone to her she looked up the Government website which stated that you did not need a passport or visa to travel between the UK and Ireland. She sent me a screenshot of this which I showed to the man and he said he would look into it then he walked away," she said. "I decided to ring the British embassy in Dublin who directed me to call the Irish embassy in London and the woman on the phone was horrified. She said that there was no requirement for people to have a passport for travelling between the UK and Ireland and that there was also no need for a visa. However, she explained that Ryanair could have its own policy requiring travellers to have a passport." Christina said that the whole experience made her feel like a "second-class citizen". ‌ A Ryanair spokesperson said: "In accordance with Ryanair's T&C's, which these passengers agreed to at the time of booking, these passengers failed to check-in online before arriving at London Stansted Airport (5 June). "Therefore, these passengers were correctly asked to pay the required airport check-in fee (£55 per passenger), however refused to do so, and became aggressive towards the agents at the check in desk at London Stansted Airport. "All passengers travelling with Ryanair agree to check-in online before arriving at their departure airport and all passengers are sent an email reminding them to do so 24hrs before departure. These passengers were subsequently correctly denied boarding to this flight from London Stansted to Dublin (5 June) as these passengers' passports did not meet the requirements for travel as both passports had expired in 2024. "It is each passenger's responsibility to ensure that their passport is valid for travel in line with the relevant State requirements at the time of travel. These requirements are clearly set out on and passengers are reminded with pop-up messages during booking. Passengers travelling between Ireland and the UK are required to carry a valid passport for travel. "Therefore, as these passengers did not present a valid passport for this flight from London Stansted to Dublin Airport, they were correctly denied boarding.'

Five-word warning for Brits visiting tiny island flooded with over 6m tourists
Five-word warning for Brits visiting tiny island flooded with over 6m tourists

Daily Mirror

time5 hours ago

  • Daily Mirror

Five-word warning for Brits visiting tiny island flooded with over 6m tourists

Despite witnessing a record-breaking number of international tourists last year, one picture postcard island has witnessed a surge in incidents relating to methanol poisoning A tiny island famed for its pristine beaches and lively nightlife has seen its tourism boom in recent years - despite stark travel warnings. Whether you're after a chilled beach club, silent yoga retreat, or TikTok-inspired spiritual awakening, Bali's mass appeal is undeniable. It has some pretty stunning temples, sugar-like beaches, lush rice paddies, and an unbeatable cuisine. Last year, the hotspot, located in Indonesia, welcomed a staggering 6.3 million international tourists, surpassing its pre-pandemic peak. ‌ Unsurprisingly, Australia accounted for the majority of tourists, due to its close proximity. But, last month (May 30) the country's government reviewed its advice for Indonesia following a series of recent incidents involving drownings and methanol poisoning. Urging Aussies to 'exercise a high degree of caution' when travelling to the country - the body said: "Be alert to the potential risks around drink spiking and methanol poisoning through consuming alcoholic drinks. Cases of methanol poisoning in drinks have previously been reported in Indonesia, including in Bali and Lombok." ‌ The Mirror contacted the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) - which advises Brits on which countries are safe to travel to - asking whether it was also updating its warning page for Indonesia to reflect the recent surge. A spokesperson did not explicitly comment on Australia's updated advice, and instead sent over the organisation's guide for Indonesia - which hasn't been updated since April 8, 2025. The FCDO currently advises against all travel to a number of volcanoes in Indonesia, including Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki, Mount Sinabung, Mount Marapi, Mount Semeru, and Mount Ruang. However, it does not have a current warning against Bali for either essential or non-essential travel. Still, under its 'Safety and Security' section, the FCDO has issued a blunt five-word warning for travellers: "Watch your drinks being prepared." It adds: "There have been reports of drink spiking linked to sexual assault in Bali, Lombok and the Gili Islands. "Do not leave [your drinks] unattended. Do not accept drinks from strangers at clubs or parties. Tourists have been assaulted or robbed after taking visitors to their hotel rooms, and in some cases have found that their drinks were spiked." ‌ The FCDO clearly states that many people, including British nationals, have died or suffered serious illness in Indonesia after drinking spirits that contain methanol due to inadequate distillation. Affected drinks have included: local spirits, including arak/arrack (a local rice or palm liquor) spirit-based mixed drinks, such as cocktails counterfeit brand-name bottled alcohol in shops or behind the bar To protect yourself from methanol poisoning, it is recommended to only buy alcohol from licensed liquor stores or bars, and make sure the bottle seals are intact. It's also worth checking for poor print quality or incorrect spelling on your beverages, as well as avoiding homemade alcoholic drinks. ‌ The FCDO also warns tourists to be 'alert' when out at night and avoid poorly-lit areas due to a high number of reported rapes and sexual assaults. "If you call a taxi, use only registered companies, such as Bluebird, Silverbird or Express, and check the driver's identity," it states. "If you book with a mobile app, check the driver is the same as the person on the app, and share your journey with a friend using the app. Be wary of drivers claiming to be registered with app companies and trying to pick up passengers on the street." Other safety warnings include credit card fraud, bag-snatching, and pickpocketing. "Conceal your bag as much as possible to reduce the risk. Carry only essential items and take care of your passport and bank cards," the FCDO advises.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store