Try Marvellous Menorca For A Colourful Holiday
Menorca remains a beautiful, relaxing place to visit. It’s the second biggest of the Balearic Islands, and unlike its bolder relatives, Menorca offers a completely different holiday experience. It’s perfect for relaxing family holidays, offering everything from traditional fiestas, to shore lines where you can swim and snorkel, windsurf or horse ride. Look for the seasons best buys when it comes to menorca holidays this summer!
Getting Around
Firstly, the roads are manageable and other drivers are considerate, so getting around is not a white knuckle ride. You can also hire a bike for a more leisurely look at the island – it’s relatively flat, with 216 kilometres of coastline to explore. The Island has lagoons, marshlands, and intricate rock formations as well as gently rolling hills, great for trekkers and walkers. The Camàd’en Kane route is particularly suited to bikes and walkers taking you all around the Island. For nature lovers, the centre of Menorca has some magnificent gorges and over two hundred types of flora.
What’s On?
All through the summer there are fiesta, and outdoor celebrations – the key ones being the Festival of St Joan 23-24 June, the Virgin de Carman Fiesta in July and the Saint Lorence Festival. All three celebrate the traditions of the Island, with food, drink and dancing, but centre stage are the displays of horsemanship – horses on Menorca have status and generations of good breeding has resulted in some of the best horses in Spain.
Mao Harbour is one of the top three deepest natural harbours in the world, and if you love boats and sailing, this should definitely be on your itinerary. Hire a catamaran to see the port’s historical sights – for instance, Sant Felip Fort was a British stronghold once besieged by Napoleon’s navy. The local people of Mao took a liking to the spirit, Gin, when the island became an English naval base in the 18th century. The port even had its own distillery set up, to keep up with demand!
A Bit of Spains Naval History
Vice Admiral Cuthbert Collinwood was Deputy to Admiral Horatio Nelsons. When Nelson died at Trafalgar, Collinwood took over, securing victory for the British. He was then stationed in Menorca, and made his home here, now a family run hotel, Hotel Almirante. Collinwood became known for his compassion to defeated Spanish sailors, sending out rescue boats for them and returning them to shore after their ships were sunk. He also spent five years helping to protect Spanish mainland and Balearic Islands from further invasion, and was accepted for his part in securing Spain.
How to Spend Your Time
Menorca is a world class diving spot. Under the waves, currents have cut into the rocks, creating a rich underwater landscape. Experienced divers often explore at night, but novice divers can enjoy a half or whole day excursion in the silent cool waters, exploring the sea beds and rock formations away from the heat of the day. You can watch the Sea Bass and Lobsters hiding in the rocks. Around the Bay of Biscay you can find a variety of boat trips in old style yachts and fishing boats – the numbers are kept low so that people can enjoy a peaceful sailing trip round the island.
Back on land, there are magnificent cave systems to explore. Come the evening, one of these caverns, visitor centre in the day, transforms into night club. Dance all night, and then watch the sun appear over the horizon. If you want something a little more cultural, there are concerts held in the old quarries or for something more laid back, try the Fishermans Caves at Cala Corb, where you can hear local fisherman singing traditional Menorcan songs, washed down with a glass of the local wine and a good plate of cheese. It’s said that the strong breezes help to drench the fields in salt spray from the sea, the end result being that local cheeses have a piquant bite to them – very moorish! Or try the local Lobster Stew (Calderata Langosta) – fresh from the local waters. The Islands food is rich, colourful and very reasonably priced.
Most towns have a weekly market, where you can buy local produce, cooking pots and shoe bargains! At Calas Fonts, Fornells or the Ciutadella Port you can wander through the market stalls, with a backdrop of seaside villas, or the hills – a great way to spend a few hours.
For an affordable holiday, in gorgeous surroundings, take a second look at Menorca, a fabulous place for a special holiday break.