Waterfront living in Spain and Italy

From Mallorca to Marbella, Liguria to Sardinia, the Mediterranean coastline of Spain and Italy has some of Europe’s most desirable holiday home locations. A Palma apartment, a contemporary villa on Marbella’s Golden Mile, homes in Portofino or by the white sand beaches of the Costa Smeralda: all offer a healthy lifestyle based around fresh food, natural beauty and good sporting facilities alongside the climate to enjoy them. But which one is right for you?

“Most clients looking at these Mediterranean locations are sure about where they want to be,” explains Mark Harvey, Head of International Sales at Knight Frank. “Each have their distinct appeal but what they all share is a prime reputation with property buyers looking for a Mediterranean waterfront home in a world-class destination.”

Moor up in Mallorca

Mallorca’s superb infrastructure includes Spain’s third busiest airport, providing access across Europe and, since 2023, direct flights to the USA. The island has 23 golf courses, 208 beaches, 11 Michelin-starred restaurants, two private jet terminals and over 40 marinas and it is these marinas that excite particular interest among both professional and eager amateur sailors. 

In the Bay of Palma, three leading marinas are Port Adriano, Puerto Portals and Club de Mar, the latter at the heart of Palma’s waterfront and currently being extended. Between them, these marinas can take yachts up to 135 metres in length and all have extensive modern maintenance, repair and service facilities.

“Mallorca has an active boating fraternity who come for its deep-water ports, the coastline of bays and inlets and its location in the Med,” confirms Harvey. “The super-yachts that head from Barcelona towards the Greek Islands must pass Mallorca and the crew and guests appreciate a stopover in the capital Palma. Just touring the Balearics by any boat is magnificent. Much of Mallorca’s craggy coastline is surprisingly untouched, especially on the heavily protected and undeveloped western coast around Valldemossa on the mountainous ridge.”

“Sóller is a vibrant town in a valley filled with orange groves, well-placed between the sea and the Tramuntana Mountains and so ideal for both water-based sports and hiking,” says Harvey. “A vintage train delivers you from Sóller to the seafront at Port Sóller while the green and layered mountain views are unbeatable.”

From rural fincas in gardens planted with almond and carob trees to ultra-modern glass and stainless steel villas above the waterfront of Port Andratx in the southwest, Mallorca is large enough to offer excellent variety in its properties. Add in its 555km (344 miles) of coastline, strict planning permission restrictions, a growing roster of five-star hotels – the Four Seasons at Formentor is due to open imminently – and the nearby Balearic islands of Ibiza and Formentera, and it’s easy to see why, in Harvey’s words, buyers in Mallorca enjoy “a pocket-sized yet full Spanish experience”.