Due to its mellow vibe, Menorca (or Minorca) is considered low-key compared to its hedonistic Balearic Island neighbors, Mallorca and Ibiza. What Menorca lacks in nightlife, it more than makes up for in beaches. Believe it or not, this tiny island has more beaches than the other two sister islands combined. And these beaches are stunning – with white sands running into the crystal clear Mediterranean waters that range in color from deep blue to bright turquoise. Some of Menorca’s beaches are easily accessible, but the best ones are more secluded and can only be reached by hike or boat.
Should you ever find yourself in this area of world, below is a list of five things I would recommend that you don’t miss…
1. Cova d'en Xoroi. This beach club is found in Cala’n Porter. Hours vary by season, but when open for business, you can visit during the day, for sunset or at night, when the cave bar turns into a disco. The venue is cut into the cliffs and overlooks the sea. My recommendation is go for the sunset session. It costs €12.50 for a general admission ticket. This will get you access from 5pm until about 11pm. If you’re feeling fancy and you have a group, I recommend going for one of the VIP options. They range in price, but all of them allow you to skip the queue at the door, gives you your own private area with white comfy couches (for up to 8 people), and includes a bottle of cava.
2. Cala Mitjaneta and Cala Mitjana. These beaches are regarded as some of the best on the island. Get a picnic together in the morning and then grab a taxi to Cala Galdana. From there, you can hike to Cala Mitjaneta (on the left in the picture below) and Cala Mitjana (shown on the right). It’s a 2.2km hike from the bottom of the Melia hotel, but you can get dropped off much closer if you tell your taxi driver where you’re going. Cala Mitjaneta is reached first when entering by foot. It’s a clear blue cove surrounded by high cliffs. If you keep walking along, you’ll get to Cala Mitjana, which is a slightly bigger of an area, but just as beautiful. Don’t be surprised if you see people tanning nude, as it’s perfectly acceptable. Be sure to bring all rubbish back with you, as there are no trash bins.
3. Hire a boat or book a boat tour. We used a tour company called Don Pancho. They were wonderfully helpful in helping us arrange the boat day, but they also let us store our luggage whilst we were out at sea and even arranged for a taxi to be waiting for us when we got back, as we had to go directly to the airport. We had about 4.5 hours on the boat, in total. We brought our own wine and snacks along with us. They had cups and towels for our use, which was handy. We were able to see about thirteen beaches along the way and swim at many of them. Most of these beaches are virgin and only accessible via sea.
4. Visit Ciutadella. This is the second of the primary cities on the island, situated in the western end of the island. It’s a quaint little walled city, a cathedral, cute shops and lots of good seafood restaurants surrounding the marina. If you stay in this area, consider Can Faustino as a hotel option. Also, I highly recommend eating at S’Amarador.
5. Monte El Toro (AKA Toro Mountain). I’m not sure this could quite be considered a mountain, but El Toro is the tallest peak on the island, standing at 1,122 feet. On a clear day you can see the whole of the island from up top.