Sail Balearic Islands.

Four islands, close together, each with its own character. Mallorca gives you the tramuntana mountains dropping into deep-blue coves on the north-west coast, and a string of easy anchorages along the south. Ibiza and Formentera sit a day's sail south-west — clear water over sand that turns the surface a flat turquoise you'll recognise from every postcard, only warmer than it looks. Menorca, quieter and further north-east, keeps the crowds off. Distances are short. You can cover real ground in a week without long overnight passages, and you're rarely more than a couple of hours from a harbour with fuel, water and a decent lunch.

Most charters start in Palma de Mallorca, which has the biggest concentration of berths — La Lonja, Club de Mar, Marina Naviera Balear, Can Pastilla, Arenal and Port Andratx all sit within the bay or just west of it. From Palma the south coast runs east past Cala d'Or and Porto Colom, a chain of narrow inlets good for a first night. North, Real Club Nàutic Pollença gives access to the wilder tramuntana coast. Ibiza's marinas — Marina Port Ibiza and Club Nàutic Sant Antoni de Portmany — put you within reach of Formentera's Ses Illetes sandbar. Pick your base by where you want to end up: Palma for the classic Mallorca loop, Ibiza for the party-and-anchorage mix.

The charter season runs roughly May to October. June and September are the sweet spot: warm water, settled weather, fewer boats than the August peak. July and August are hot and busy — popular coves like Cala Mondragó or Formentera's sandbanks fill by mid-morning, so anchor early or move on.

The wind to know is the tramuntana, a cold north-westerly that funnels down off the mountains and can build fast on Mallorca's north coast. On a settled day you'll get a pleasant sea breeze of 10–15 knots that fills in the afternoon and drops at dusk. Thunderstorms are possible in September. Nothing here is difficult in normal summer conditions, but the north-west coast deserves respect when the tramuntana blows.

Most of our Balearic fleet is bareboat — monohulls and catamarans in the usual 38–50ft range, self-skippered if you hold the right qualifications. A smaller number of yachts come crewed, with a skipper (and sometimes a hostess) aboard. Crewed suits anyone without a licence, first-timers who want to learn as they go, or groups who'd rather not run the boat themselves. If you have the paper but not the local knowledge, you can also hire a skipper by the day. Tell us on WhatsApp what you're after and we'll match a boat to it.

A week's bareboat charter in the Balearics typically runs from the low thousands of euros for a smaller monohull in the shoulder season up to considerably more for a large catamaran in August. Prices climb steeply into the July–August peak and drop in May and October. On top of the base fee, budget for fuel, an end-of-charter clean, and marina fees — the smart, cheaper island coves are free to anchor, but nights alongside in Ibiza or Palma add up. A skipper, if you hire one, is charged per day plus their food. For a firm quote on a specific boat and week, Price on request via WhatsApp.

Day 1 — Board in Palma, provision, sail a short hop to Cala Portals Vells to shake the boat down and swim.

Day 2 — West and south to Port Andratx or the anchorage off Sant Elm, with Sa Dragonera island to explore.

Day 3 — The long leg across to Ibiza. Anchor off the north coast or head into Sant Antoni for the night.

Day 4 — Down to Formentera. Pick up a buoy off Ses Illetes — anchoring is regulated over the seagrass, so use the mooring field — and spend the day in the shallows.

Day 5 — Ibiza old town. Berth at Marina Port Ibiza, walk the walls of Dalt Vila, eat ashore.

Day 6 — Sail back east toward Mallorca, aiming for Cala d'Or or Porto Colom for a quiet last-but-one night.

Day 7 — Work back along the south coast to Palma, or drop anchor one more time off Es Trenc before the run home.

Swap legs to taste. Skip the Ibiza crossing entirely and you've a relaxed Mallorca-only week with shorter days.

Palma airport has direct flights from most of Europe and sits 15 minutes from the marinas. Ibiza airport is similarly quick to its ports. Fly into whichever island your boat starts from. Fuel and water are easy to find; supermarkets near the main marinas handle provisioning, and you can order ahead. Book June or September if you want space in the anchorages. Right for families, first charterers and anyone who wants short hops between good swimming spots; less right if you're after long open-water passages or empty seas in high summer.