The boats to Tabarca leave from the port of Santa Pola, the crossing takes about twenty-five minutes, and from early March to the end of October there are departures every day, up to fourteen a day in July and August. A swim, lunch, a walk round the walls, and the last boat back.
Then, on the quay, the bag is emptied and the keys are not in it. It happens, and the order you do things in makes a difference.
Before you leave the island
If you notice on Tabarca, retrace your steps while there is still time: the beach, the restaurant, the bench where you changed. Ask at the restaurant, and at the jetty before you board. It is a small island: there are only so many places they can be.
On the boat and at the port
Tell the crew before you get off. Ask the ticket office at the port (the blue kiosks where you bought the tickets) whether anything has been handed in, and leave a phone number. If you drove to the port, check the car before anything else.
At the door
If the keys really are gone, you have two questions to answer.
Can you get in? A spare set with a neighbour, the agency or the owner of the let is the fastest way. If there is none, the door can usually be opened without damage through the latch or the cylinder. Have something that links you to the address: an ID, a rental contract, the booking of the let.
Could someone else use the keys? Keys alone, lost on an island, are a low risk. Keys on a ring with an address tag, a car key with the registration, or a wallet with your ID next to them, are a different matter. Then the cylinder should be changed, ideally on the same visit.
Telling us where you are
In town, the street and number. In Gran Alacant, the urbanisation, the block and the door: giving an address in Gran Alacant. And if you are in a holiday let, tell the owner too: they may want the cylinder changed between guests anyway, as explained in letting a flat after the 2025 rule.
Tabarca itself belongs to the municipality of Alicante and is not on our list; the door back in Santa Pola is. Every place we cover is on the coverage page.