Sunset from Cova d’en Xoroi, Menorca. Copyright Gretta Schifano
I’m back from my first ever trip to Menorca, and I’m truly astonished by the beauty and diversity of this Spanish island. Together with a group of bloggers, Instagrammers and YouTubers. I was invited to Menorca by Visit Spain and Traverse. We had two days of workshops and talks, but there was also time see a little of the island. At around 30 miles long and 10 miles wide, it’s an easy place to travel around. I found it a fascinating destination, and I’d love to go back to explore it further. Here are some of the things which I learnt on my trip.
Beaches
If you’re looking for beautiful, unspoilt beaches, with pale sand and clear, blue water, Menorca is the place to go – it’s home to more than 100 beaches. We spent a day exploring the southeast of the island, and stopped off at various pristine beaches to take photos. Sadly there was no time to swim, but I did manage a quick paddle at one beach, and the sea was definitely warm enough for swimming.
Coast. Menorca. Copyright Gretta Schifano
Pomada
Pomada is a delicious Menorcan drink which is made by mixing Menorcan gin with cloudy lemonade. Served with ice, it’s very moreish and refreshing.
Pomada, Cova d’en Xoroi, Menorca. Copyright Gretta Schifano
My first taste of pomada was in the most amazing bar that I’ve ever been to: Cova d’en Xoroi, which is housed in some clifftop caves. It’s a unique place with various terraces and places to sit, and an indoor and an outdoor bar. We went there one evening to watch the sunset and it was a truly spectacular experience.
VIP area, Cova d’en Xoroi, Menorca. Copyright Gretta Schifano
Tortoises
There are tortoises living in the wild in Menorca – I know this because we saw one when we went for a walk around Parc Naturel de s’Albufera, a beautiful coastal nature reserve. The whole island was designated a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 1993, in recognition of its diverse and unspoilt ecology.
Tortoise, Menorca. Copyright Suzanne Jones, The Travel Bunny
Lighthouses
There are seven lighthouses dotted around the coast of Menorca. We went to see Favaritx lighthouse, on the windy northeast corner of the island. The coastline around the lighthouse is rugged and rocky and the water is clear and blue and gorgeous.
Binibequer Vell
Binibequer Vell was built in the 1970s as a tourist resort – but it looks like a traditional fishing village. That’s because local architect Antonio Sintes designed it that way, inspired by the whitewashed walls and roofs of the area. It’s a very picturesque place with courtyards, narrow alleys, rooftop turrets and low-level buildings.
Binibequer Vell, Menorca. Copyright Gretta Schifano
Wooden gates
Menorca has the most marvellous wooden gates, They’re made from olive wood in a very particular design. I first spotted one on the drive from the airport to our hotel, and then noticed them all over the place, in amongst the miles and miles of drystone walls which enclose the fields. (I really want some of those gates for my house).
Traditional Menorcan wooden gates, Menorca. Copyright Gretta Schifano
Cami de Cavalls
The Cami de Cavalls is a walking route which goes around the island’s coast. It stretches for more than 100 miles and was originally used to connect Menorca’s watch towers and fortresses.
Mayonnaise
Menorcans claim that mayonnaise comes from Mahon, their capital (mahonnaise – geddit?). The story goes that in the eighteenth century, when Richelieu commanded the French army, he stopped to eat at a tavern in Mahon. There he was served this sauce, and he liked it so much that he took the recipe back to France, where it became known as mayonnaise. (I may be calling it mahonnaise from now on though, just to irritate my kids).
Electric cars
It’s hard to tell when you’ve actually started an electric car. I know this because Nissan lent us some electric cars to use during the trip, and I tried one out. It was a Nissan E-NV200 electric people carrier and it was completely silent to drive. You start it up by pressing a button. The car was an automatic and it was surprisingly powerful and nippy. I liked it.
Gretta Schifano driving a Nissan electric car, Menorca. Copyright Steve Biggs, Biggsy Travels
Jet2
Jet2 is a great airline. I’d never flown with them before, probably because I live near Gatwick and they don’t fly from there, but for this trip we flew with them from Stansted to Mahon. I was travelling with hand luggage only (I’m evangelical about this since I managed a trip with just 8kgs of luggage) and was delighted to find that Jet2 allow a carry-on bag of up to 10kgs plus a small handbag. Result! Luggage allowances aside, the airline staff were noticeably friendly and helpful, the plane felt spacious and airy, and I could reach into the overhead locker without having to stand on my seat and feel extra short.
Verdict
I really enjoyed my short trip to Menorca. It’s a charming, unspoilt place with excellent beaches and interesting places to explore, and I’d definitely like to go back there. I’d like to explore the two main towns, Mahon and Ciutadella, as I didn’t have the chance to do that on this trip, and I’d also like to have some time to relax on some of those glorious beaches, and to go snorkelling and kayaking in the sea.
Over to you
If you’ve been to Menorca, how did you find it? If you haven’t been, would you like to go there? Is there anything that you’d like to know about my trip?
Disclosure: Thank you to Visit Spain for hosting me on this trip, and to Traverse Events for inviting me.
Photo credits: Thank you to Suzanne Jones, The Travel Bunny, for the tortoise photo and to Steve Biggs, Biggsy Travels, for the photo of me driving the electric car.
Out of curiosity what did you paddle when you were out at the beach?
I did feet-in-the-water paddling, but not boat paddling!
Hola Gretta,
We are at the Menorca airport going back home(England) after a week in this awesome island.
We loved every minute of our holiday here and has never experienced such peace n tranquillity anywhere on this earth such as this place with friendly n happy people !
We stayed at White sands in Arenal den castell where you get your own private horse shoe shaped cover where the water is crystal clear.
Tasted the best paella at Flamingo. Yes, Pomada was amazing too so refreshing.
Loved our long walks at fornells and our Gin tasting in Mao. The organ music at the Santa Maria was breathtaking!
Did not forget to purchase a few pairs of Mibo Avarcas while visiting their factory in Es Migjorn Gran
Loved loved loved this blessed island n hope to return again in summer!!
Hola Shala, wow, it sounds like you’ve had a brilliant trip. I’d definitely love to go back there, and avarcas would be at the top of my shopping list!
Hola Gretta, thank you for your reply. Going through your profile I realised that we live in the same part of the country.. The south east of England! I live in a little village in Kent between
sandwich and Deal. I love the countryside. And also I realised that you have lived in Italy! My husband and I simply love Italy too last month we were holidaying in Tuscany with family it was simply awesome! Four years ago just the two if us travelled quite widely in Italy starting in Venice and ending up in sicily! I loved Assisi the best. Driving through those gorgeous quaint villages n towns will always remain in my mind. Lovely connecting with you Gretta. Have a lovely day
It’s great to connect with you too Shall! Italy’s always been my favourite place to travel – my husband and I did an extended Venice to Sicily trip too, years ago!
After reading this post about Menorca, I was keen to find out more and to look into going on holiday there. I have just booked a week in September with Saga Holidays and am really looking forward to it. Thanks for giving us all this information and inspiring me to visit Menorca
You’re welcome – have a great time! xx
I love Menorca, I’m coeliac and have found plenty of places to eat and buy food. Asador Las Dunas is a great restaurant for gluten free in Son Bou. Island is small enough to explore and lots of interesting history.
Thanks for the recommendation – I’ll add it to my list, for if I go back!
Really enjoyed reading this Gretta. I first visited Menorca with my parents when I was around 8 and didn’t really remember much of it so I loved getting to see a lot of it with #mustseemenorca. Such a shame I didn’t get to chat to you! Pomada is my new favourite drink by the way!
It was such a great trip – pomada’s my new favourite drink too! Thanks for commenting, and sorry that we didn’t get to chat.
I first went to Menorca about 20 years ago and I was delighted to find that it hadn’t really changed very much since then. It’s still as beautiful and unspoiled as it was then.
I was really surprised by how lovely it is there.
I went to Menorca once as a little girl, when we stayed about a mile from Binibequer and used to walk there most days, so it’s lovely to be reminded of that by your post. I also went to Menorca with my children a few years ago and we stayed in Son Bou. My oldest daughter and I rode some of the Cami De Cavalls on horseback. It was a great experience. I wrote quite a lot of posts about Menorca on my blog as it’s such a beautiful place and so family friendly. The bus networks are really good too and we ended up travelling by bus to Mahon as it was much cheaper than taxi’s.
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It looks like a beautiful area to stay in. I’ll have to check out your posts Emma.
I went to Menorca in 1972 when it was a very quiet Island and have often felt it would be interesting to return. I remember that we stayed just outside Mahon at the Hotel Agamemnon. we hired a Fiat 500 and explored the island in a very leisurely way.After reading about your trip, I definitely want to go back to Menorca.
I reckon you’d like it – sounds like it’s time for a return trip!
This sounds so gorgeous – I haven’t been to Menorca since I was about 6 but it’s the Balearic island I most fancy returning to. Especially after reading this…
It was my first visit to any of the Balearics – I had no idea how gorgeous it was.