Hotel Rocamarina – Porreres, Llucmajor & Ses Salines Loop

The Ses Salines loop is the medium-level road ride from Hotel Rocamarina in Cala d’Or, an 88 km circuit across the plains of southern Mallorca. It strings together seven inland towns – Calonge, Felanitx, Porreres, Llucmajor, Campos, Ses Salines and Santanyí – on quiet country roads with no major climbs. The difficulty comes from the distance and from the open plain, where the wind can turn the return leg into hard work. Expect around three and a half to four hours of riding for a fit amateur, plus café stops.

The first 16 km lead north from Cala d’Or through Calonge to Felanitx, a market town at the foot of the Serra de Llevant known for its wine and pottery. Above the town you can see the sanctuary of Sant Salvador on its hilltop, the target of the hotel’s hard loop. From Felanitx the route heads west across rolling farmland to Porreres at about 29 km, a quiet agricultural town surrounded by vineyards and orchards.

From Porreres the road continues south-west to Llucmajor, which you reach at around 42 km. Llucmajor has the largest municipal area in Mallorca and is a busy town with plenty of cafés around its central square. The section between Felanitx and Llucmajor is the highest part of the ride, on gently undulating roads among vineyards, almond groves and dry-stone walls, and it is where you will feel the few short rises of the day.

After Llucmajor the Ses Salines loop turns south-east and runs downhill and then flat across the Migjorn plain to Campos at about 57 km, one of the most popular cycling towns in the south of the island. The road continues to the village of Ses Salines at around 69 km, which gives the loop its name, and then east to Santanyí at 77 km, a town of golden sandstone with a lively main square. The final 11 km bring you back to Cala d’Or and the hotel.

The Ses Salines loop is a good introduction to the Mallorca that most visitors never see: market towns with large churches and squares, old windmills dotted across the plain and long, straight farm roads with very little traffic. Each town has cafés on or near its main square, so the ride is easy to split into short stages of 10 to 15 km, and you are rarely far from somewhere to stop. The Ses Salines loop also makes an ideal second or third day on the island, building distance in the legs before tackling the climbs.

Water and food are easy to find in every town on the route; Felanitx, Llucmajor and Campos are the largest and have the widest choice. Check the wind forecast before setting off. On the plain there is little shelter, and a strong headwind on the long leg from Llucmajor back towards the coast can add a lot of effort; if it blows from the west or north-west, that section becomes much easier. In summer, start early, as there is very little shade on the Ses Salines loop, and carry two bottles even though you pass through a town every half hour or so.

The roads are paved throughout, but some of the country lanes between towns are narrow, so ride in single file when traffic approaches. In Spain a helmet is compulsory for cyclists on roads outside towns, and drivers must leave at least 1.5 m when overtaking. Carry a spare tube, a pump and a windproof jacket, especially between November and March, when mornings on the plain can be cool.

The route starts and finishes at Hotel Rocamarina, close to Cala Gran in Cala d’Or. Riders looking for a shorter day can choose the hotel’s easy Portocolom loop, while those who want climbing can take the Sant Salvador and Cura loop over the Puig de Randa. Of the three, the Ses Salines loop is the one that best shows the towns of the island’s interior.