Cala d'Or has seven beaches, of which the largest is Cala Gran, all with fine white sand and clear shallow water for holiday makers to enjoy. The larger beaches have good facilities offering watersports including sailing, windsurfing and scuba-diving. Those wishing to venture further afield can take a 'champagne cruise' along the coastline, ride a mini-train to picturesque Cala Mondrago with its two lovely coves, or take excursions to the villages of Cala Figuera, Puerto Petro, Sa Colonia de Sant Jordi or the isle of Cabrera. Most hotels offer full entertainment programmes for children, and there are trampolines and mini go-karts at Mallorcalandia, as well as mini-golf in the town centre.

Spanish is the official language, but English is widely understood in areas frequented by tourists. Catalan, Galician and Basque are spoken in the relevant areas.

Spain's official currency is the Euro (EUR). One Euro is divided into 100 cents. Money can be exchanged at bureaux de change and major hotels, but banks give the best rates. All major credit cards and travellers cheques are widely accepted at most hotels, restaurants, and shops. ATMs are widespread and are generally the cheapest and most convenient method of obtaining money.

Cala d'Or is definitely a family-oriented holiday resort, not catering for the 18-30 single set, particularly those who enjoy a wild night-life. The music bars and discos are usually quiet by 2am. The main resort beaches can become enormously crowded, particularly during July and August, and holiday-makers have to be up and about early if they hope to secure a sunbed for the day. It is possible to bus, or hire a car, to travel to nearby less populated beaches and coves, but these are not likely to offer all the facilities of the resort beaches.

Nightlife in Cala d'Or is tasteful and stylish, rather than frenetic, centred around the many cocktail bars and discos. Don Ron Heroes Bar is one of the places to go for a good night out in Cala d'Or. The latest music rocks Linekers, and the most popular nightclubs in town are Disco Alfa and Farrahs Planet Ibiza. Hollywoods is the local karaoke bar, while the Dirty Duck pub is known as the gay-friendly establishment.

Cala d'Or's upmarket restaurants are situated around the marina, which is usually abuzz with a lively international crowd enjoying a variety of cuisines. The centre of town offers fast food outlets, tapas bars, pizza parlours, burger joints and several British pub 'n grub type establishments. Eateries that come highly recommended in Cala d'Or are Acuarius, Shangrila, Restaurante Vicente and Casablanca.

Cala d'Or is known as the best shopping district on Mallorca, its main shopping street, Avinguda Tagomago, filled with chic boutiques, leather shops and galleries appealing to locals and holidaymakers alike. Designer clothes and shoes, in particular, are available at reasonable prices. Souvenir shopping is fun with the wide variety of local crafts, traditional pottery and glass, and olive wood carvings available at several stores, and at the Sunday morning flea market in Felanitx. Visitors can also find bargains in designer sunglasses, jewellery and perfume. Those in self-catering apartments who need sustenance will find all they require at the resort's biggest supermarket, Caprabo, near the resort entrance. The supermarket opens until 9pm every night (except Sundays, when it closes at 2pm).

Local time is GMT +1 (GMT +2 between the last Sunday in March and the Saturday before the last Sunday in October). The Canary Islands: GMT (GMT +1 in summer).