Menorca (Spain) > Reviews > Keep Menorca a secret

Author's product rating:   

Advantages:	Quiet, mostly unspoilt, beautiful scenery, clean beaches,very friendly people
Disadvantages:	If you are a shopper or looking for an 18 - 30 holiday probably not the best island to go to .

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

The main thing I noticed about Menorca was the quietness, even with lots of people in the towns there seemed to be a peace. There is no loud music booming from restaurants and shops but there is a buzz about the place. It reminded me of Ibiza when I went the first time in 1990 just before the world heard of it.

A beautiful island full of very good restaurants and wonderful scenery. Menorcan people are very friendly and helpful. The beaches tend to be little coves rather than long stretches of sand,this gives the feeling of private beaches. There are many smaller coves only accessible by boat if you wanted to have a beach completely to yourself. All the beaches I visited had clear water and clean sand.

We stayed in Sa Caleta Apartments, Santandria. There were 2 beaches close by and a handful of bar/restaurants and supermarkets. It was a very relaxing base for a holiday with an excellent bus service that we availed of daily. It was only a 10 minute trip into the centre of the old capital of Menorca - Ciutadella. From here you could get a bus to anywhere else on the island. The buses are cheap, clean and air conditioned.

Ciutadella is full of history, with wonderful architecture dating back 800 years. The main square, the Plaza des Born,is dominated by an obelisk which commemorates the defence of the city in 1558 when it was attacked by the Moors.It is a great landmark if you happen to get lost in the maze of small streets.

There are many fine examples of architecture including the Cathedral in the Plaza de Pio XII which was completed in 1362. The Diocesan Museum (Street of the Seminar), the Municipal Museum of Bastió de Sa Font, the nuns' convent of Santa Clara.

The best way to experience Ciutadella is by foot, the streets are narrow and crammed full of craft and gift shops, designer clothes,and loads and loads of great cafes. Take your time and wander.

The port is small but with a fabulous atmosphere. The steps down to the port are very steep and surrounded on both sides by boutiques, craft shops,shoe shops and souvenirs. When you get to the jetty you are greeted by many good restaurants where you can sit and watch the world go by and the boats bobbing up and down. Very peaceful and relaxing.

Menorca still celebrates the siesta in a big way with Ciutadella closing most of its shops for 5 hours between 1 and 6. It is lovely to get into town at about 8:00am and watch the city come to life then have a long lazy lunch and go back to the apartment to sleep it off.

There is a great bookstore/cafe in Ciutadella I can't remember off hand which street it is in but will update and let you know. It sells books in various languages and you can sit down with a glass of beer or a coffee and use the shop like a library as well.

Shoes are fantastic value in Menorca. Abarcas are the traditional sandal suitable for men or women and sold everywhere in various colours. There is also I am glad to say a notable lack of shops selling cheap Menorcan souvenirs.

I would suggest if your holiday was based at the other end of the island to hire a car to visit Ciutadella rather than take the tour bus so that you can visit the shops.

I will update this piece with info on Mahon at a later date. :)