The short version: Santa Ponça, Port Adriano, Sol de Mallorca and Magaluf share a few miles of coast in Calvià, in the south-west of Mallorca, and each lives in its own way. Santa Ponça is a town around a wide bay, with three golf courses and life in every month of the year. Port Adriano is the marina designed by Philippe Starck, with superyachts at its quays, and Sol de Mallorca a headland of villas above the sea. Magaluf is the resort many Americans know by name; it is changing, and the people who live on this coast all year live around it rather than in it. Central Palma is 20 to 28 minutes away, except at rush hour.
Four places on one stretch of coast
Calvià is the main holiday municipality of Mallorca. Visit Calvià, the town hall’s tourism foundation, notes that, with tourist accommodation for more than 50,000 people, it is the largest tourist center in the Balearic Islands (Visit Calvià). This guide covers four of its places; to compare this coast with the rest of the island, our guide on where to live in Mallorca covers every area, from Palma to the south-east.
Santa Ponça: a bay, three golf courses and a town that lives all year
Santa Ponça faces a large bay. Visit Calvià describes a family beach more than half a kilometer long, with small coves nearby, a marina and three golf courses (Visit Calvià); behind the sand, a stretch of pine trees gives shade.
Golf is part of the town’s identity. According to Golf Santa Ponsa, its first course, designed by Folco Nardi, opened in 1977 as the first in Calvià: 18 holes, par 72, a 10th hole of 590 meters that is among the longest in Europe, and several European Tour events. It takes visitors with a green fee. Santa Ponsa II, with 18 holes, opened in 1991, and Santa Ponsa III, with nine, in 1999; both are reserved for the club’s members.
The town also holds a page of the island’s history: the town hall recalls that the troops of King Jaume I landed on these beaches in 1229, at the start of the conquest of Islamic Mallorca, an event remembered by the Cross of the Landing (Ajuntament de Calvià). Above the town, the Puig de sa Morisca Archaeological Park has more than 8 km (5 miles) of trails through 45 hectares, open every day of the year (Visit Calvià).
Daily life follows the town’s own rhythm. The market is held every Saturday of the year, from 8:30 am to 1 pm (Ajuntament de Calvià). Santa Ponça does not empty in winter: shops, restaurants and services keep working, and many of the residents are British. Jürgen Klopp bought a house in Santa Ponça in 2022 (Mallorca Magazin, June 2022; Majorca Daily Bulletin, May 2024). Our guide to celebrities in Mallorca goes area by area, with every name reported by at least two outlets and no addresses.
Port Adriano and El Toro: the Starck marina
South of Santa Ponça, at El Toro, Port Adriano presents itself as “The Starck Marina”: designed by Philippe Starck and, in the words of its own website, one of the most modern marinas in the Mediterranean and a base for superyachts. It has 487 berths for boats between 6 and 80 meters, 87 of them for yachts and superyachts of 20 to 80 meters (Port Adriano). Visit Calvià adds that the nearby islands of El Toro and the Malgrats are a protected marine reserve (Visit Calvià).
El Toro itself is residential. The town hall describes a mix of beaches, port and homes with a family atmosphere, supermarkets, shops and restaurants, and a weekly market every Wednesday in the Plaça d’Europa (Ajuntament de Calvià). El Toro beach, beside the port, is used mainly by locals and residents of nearby areas, according to the tourism office. In what we see, summer is when the large yachts arrive.
Sol de Mallorca: villas above the sea
East of El Toro, on the southern headland of Calvià, Sol de Mallorca is a residential development. The town hall describes an area of luxury properties, with villas and apartments surrounded by green spaces and sea views, a short drive from Palma (Ajuntament de Calvià). Its neighbors are Cala Vinyes, with its sandy beach, and Portals Vells, a natural area of coves where an old quarry supplied stone for Palma Cathedral (Visit Calvià).
This is where the coast goes quiet. Homes are set on the cliffs, terraces face the open sea, and the luxury is discreet rather than on display. Magaluf is about 11 minutes away by road, and from a terrace here it feels much further.
Magaluf, explained
Magaluf is the name many Americans know, and its reputation was built in summer. Visit Calvià describes it as one of the largest holiday resorts in Mallorca, with more than 1,600 meters of fine sand and a nightlife that became a European reference; it also notes that many hotels have been converted in recent years into front-line establishments equipped for conferences and events (Visit Calvià). The town hall adds that Magaluf has reinvented itself as a more varied destination, with a remodeled seafront promenade and a renewed focus on families (Ajuntament de Calvià).
In what we see, both things are true: in summer, Magaluf welcomes a young crowd that comes for the beach and the night, while new hotels change the front line. The people who live on this coast all year live in the residential areas around Magaluf, in Santa Ponça, El Toro, Sol de Mallorca and the neighboring districts. Magaluf is a neighbor, with its beach, shops and services, and rarely the place where our clients look for a home.
Summer and winter on the Calvià coast
Every day from May to October, the town hall’s artisan markets bring painters and street artists to the evening promenades of Santa Ponça and Magaluf, among others; beaches, marina and restaurants work at full capacity, and so do the roads.
In winter, the four places separate. Santa Ponça keeps the rhythm of a town, with its Saturday market and municipal sports facilities that, according to Visit Calvià, host international events. Magaluf draws athletes who stay in winter for its athletics track, football fields and nearby golf courses. El Toro and Sol de Mallorca keep the relaxed pace the town hall describes for them.
Getting around: Palma, the airport and the schools
Driving times below come from OpenStreetMap routing, to central Palma and to the airport terminal, in free-flowing traffic:
- Santa Ponça: about 20 minutes to central Palma and 27 to the airport.
- Port Adriano: about 28 minutes to central Palma and 35 to the airport.
- Sol de Mallorca: about 25 minutes to central Palma and 32 to the airport.
- Magaluf: about 20 minutes to central Palma and 27 to the airport.
In what we see, traffic toward Palma at rush hour is heavy, and the morning drive can take a good deal longer; residents who work in the city plan their day around it. Visit Calvià also lists bus line 103 between Santa Ponça and Palma and line 106 between El Toro and Palma.
For families, the international schools of Calvià are close: from Santa Ponça, Baleares International College in Sa Porrassa is about 8 minutes by road, and Agora Portals International School and King Richard III College, in Portals Nous, about 8 and 10. Our guide to international schools in Mallorca lists the official details of each one.
Who buys here
The profiles follow the places:
- In Santa Ponça, families and golfers who want a town that works in every month of the year, many of them British.
- In Port Adriano and Sol de Mallorca, buyers who want a villa above the sea, with the marina and its yachts close by, and a discreet kind of luxury.
- Around Magaluf, those who settle choose the residential areas nearby rather than the resort itself.
What nobody tells you
The first thing is the rush hour, because it defines daily life more than any distance on a map. The second is golf: living next to a Santa Ponça course does not mean playing it, since two of the three are for members. The third is the calendar: the same street can feel like two different places in August and in November, and buyers we work with often visit in both seasons before deciding.
What you need to know
How far is Santa Ponça from Palma?
About 20 minutes to central Palma and 27 to the airport in free-flowing traffic, according to OpenStreetMap routing. At rush hour, the drive toward Palma takes noticeably longer.
Who designed Port Adriano?
Philippe Starck, according to the marina’s own website, which calls it “The Starck Marina”. It has 487 berths for boats between 6 and 80 meters.
How many golf courses are there in Santa Ponça?
Three, run by Golf Santa Ponsa: Santa Ponsa I, 18 holes and open to visitors; Santa Ponsa II, 18 holes; and Santa Ponsa III, nine holes, the last two for members only.
Is Santa Ponça lively in winter?
Yes. Shops, restaurants and services stay open all year, and the market is held every Saturday of the year.
Do people live in Magaluf all year?
Magaluf is above all a holiday resort, now changing. In what we see, year-round residents choose the areas around it, such as Santa Ponça, El Toro and Sol de Mallorca.
Where we work
We work across Mallorca from our base in the south-east, where you can browse homes in Santanyí, homes in Ses Salines and homes in Campos. If the Calvià coast is on your list, or any other area of the island, contact Villas y Fincas Mallorca and we will answer in English.
Updated October 2026. Driving times come from OpenStreetMap routing and vary with traffic and season; other facts come from the official websites of the Ajuntament de Calvià, Visit Calvià, Port Adriano and Golf Santa Ponsa, consulted in October 2026. Each celebrity reference was reported by at least two news outlets. The descriptions reflect what we see with our clients and are for general information only.
