Menorca – the underrated Balearic island

Menorca: Hiking and biking or relaxing at the beach – everything is possible on this small island

Traveling in times of a pandemic is a challenging thing. But in May we were desperate for a vacation. When we started to plan the trip we felt not really comfortable thinking about visiting most countries. So we made a research on where travel restrictions were not too strict on one hand. On the other hand, restrictions in general in the country should not be too hard as well. After a short time, we found that the Balearic Islands would be a good destination as infection cases were low and it was easy to get there. The most obvious destination would have been Mallorca as the biggest of the Balearic Islands but then we stumbled across some information about its little sister, Menorca. Menorca was said to be less touristic, less crowded and blessed with a beautiful nature. Another upside of Menorca compared to Mallorca was that restaurants and bars were allowed to be open longer (although Mallorca released the restrictions as well shortly before we traveled). After all, we were really happy with our choice and spent some great days on this beautiful island.

Planning our trip to Menorca

Finding flights was not as easy as we thought

After we decided that Menorca would be our destination of choice, we started to look for flights. Unfortunately, all direct flights from Frankfurt to Menorca’s capital Maó were on Saturdays or Sundays while we wanted to spend not only a week there but 10 days. The flights back to Frankfurt were not better as they were really expensive. So we had to put together our own flight route. In the end we ended up taking a Lufthansa flight from Frankfurt to Palma de Mallorca. From there we took an Air Iberia flight to Maó. To return home, we booked a Tui flight to Stuttgart and wanted to take the train from Stuttgart to Frankfurt. This would not have been a problem but Tui decided to cancel that flight a few days later and rebook us to a flight to Munich. After calling Tui, we could change the itinerary as there was another flight at the same time which went to Düsseldorf. So in the end, we flew to Düsseldorf and took a train from there back home. But all of this did not bother us too much as travelling during a pandemic is not the easiest thing. And if you still want to travel, you have to accept some inconveniences.

Finding a place to stay was much easier

Menorca is a really small island with only 50 km from East to West and 16 km North to South. Therefore we decided to have only one base from where we would explore the island. There are only very few bigger towns with the capital Maó in the East and Ciutadella in the West being the most beautiful ones.

As Ciutadella looked more cozy and travel guides described it as more beautiful, we decided to stay there. Although we booked only three weeks in advance, there were still plenty of hotels and apartments available (maybe one good side of travelling during a pandemic). As we did not know how the situation would develop, it was important for us to have a kitchen and enough space to spend time in the apartment and being able to prepare food (in case restaurant would have to close again).

Very quickly we found an apartment which looked perfect: Can Candela. This beautiful little place is located right in the old town of Ciutadella with only a 1 minute walk to reach restaurants, bars and the center of town. The apartment is even big enough to accommodate 4 people as it has 2 bedrooms with a double bed each and two bathrooms. We had a huge outside area with a nice little patio and a big rooftop terrace. From the terrace you can reach a second, open living room with some sofas, a fridge and even a table top soccer! In general, the apartment was well equipped and had everything you need to spend your vacation there. When we entered the apartment, we immediately felt at home.

Our highlights

• Ciutadella de Menorca: Beautiful little town on the east coast of Menorca. It has a stunning little old town center with plenty of bars and restaurants.
• Maó: The capital of Menorca has a cozy little town center with many restaurants and bars. There is a big natural harbour with tours you can book to explore it and the island’s own gin distillery.
• Camí de Cavalls: The Camí de Cavalls is a hiking trail which goes around the entire island. It guides you through cliffy landscapes, remote bays and nature reservations.
• Beaches: Menorca has a high number of beaches, reaching from big, crowded, well known beaches to small and remote beaches that you have for our own. Some are perfect for children with very shallow water, some are rougher and invite surfers to hit the waves.

Finally flying to Menorca

After some weeks of excitement, we finally got to the day of departure. So we packed our suitcases and headed to the Frankfurt airport. We left a little bit earlier than normal as we were not sure if we would need more time due to pandemic measures. In the end we went through check in and security checks very fast and had more than enough time at the airport. So, time to have a beer and toast to the vacation. We departed at 1 p.m. to Palma de Mallorca where we had around 3 hours to get our luggage and check in again. Also here, everything went fine and we safely arrived in Menorca in the evening.

After getting our luggage we went to the parking lot where we were picked up by a shuttle to get our rental car. Without a car, there is almost no possibility to explore the island as the bus network is not very good. From the airport in Maó, we needed to take a 35 minute drive to get to Ciutadella on the other side of the island. It was quite late when we arrived and we did not have anything to eat. So we checked if any take-away restaurant was still open and we found the pizzeria “La bella italia“. It did not look really inviting but the pizza was actually really good. After dinner we just went to bed to be ready to explore the island the next day.

Exploring Ciutadella de Menorca

When we got up in the morning, first thing we needed to do was to get some groceries to prepare breakfast. We decided to have breakfast in our apartment most of the days as we are both not really into big breakfasts. After breakfast, we started to stroll through the city which we find is the best way to get a first glance.

Strolling through the beautiful old town of Ciutadella

Our favorite places in Ciutadella

Restaurants

• Cuk-Cuk – Our top recommendation in Ciutadella! Whenever you have the chance to spend an evening there, just do it! It is not a typical restaurant as you have to prepare your meal yourself. As we were the first ones to book a table for that evening, we could choose which dish will be cooked by everybody. We chose to prepare a traditional Paella. The owners Alex and Elena were incredibly cute and welcomed everybody as a friend. After Alex gave a brief introduction, every couple went to its own cooking plate. Then Elena guided everybody through the process on how to prepare the perfect Paella. While having a glass of wine we had a great time cooking all together. When the Paella was ready, everybody sat together in the patio and enjoyed their self-made dinner. It was a perfect evening and we absolutely recommend to come here for dinner.
• Curniola 35 – This little restaurant was just next door to our apartment. We were welcomed very warmly by the owners who guided us to our table in a cute little patio. There were only a few other guests that were all locals. The food was really delicious although the tuna steak was much better than the beef steak.
• Bistrot Es Rodol – A nice little restaurant in the old town of Ciutadella. They have tapas but also other things like burgers, steaks and seafood. The tapas are not the ordinary tapas that you get in every restaurant or bar in Ciutadella but a bit more fancy. We had for example four baby burgers, a pulled pork sandwich and ceviche with leche de tigre (tiger’s milk). Every single one of the tapas was delicious and surprising. Another big upside was that the staff brought the tapas in an order that had a logic in some way – starting with the heavier plates going towards the lighter ones. This way you could enjoy all of them without falling into a food coma.
• S’Amarador – One of the restaurants at the port. The food was good but not overwhelming. The reason why it still makes it to our top list is that the location is really good. You can sit directly at the water with a nice view over the port and at the city hall.
• Maramao – A small tapas restaurant just around the corner of Bistrot Es Rodol. We discovered this restaurant early in our vacation but is was always fully booked. So one of the last days we decided to come a bit earlier than normal to get a table. This was a good decision as only very few tables were not reserved. It turned out that this restaurant is very popular among tourists and locals. Some guests even waited up to an hour to get the next free table. Their menu was quite small, but everything we had tasted great. Our highlight were the Patatas Bravas with an incredibly tasty sauce. Also the staff was very friendly. We would definitely come back to this place.

Bars

• Bar Reina – One of our two favorite bars in Ciutadella. Good drinks, nice staff and mostly younger locals at the other tables. It is located directly at the Plaça des Born. Although it looks very touristic on the first sight, it is actually a really cool place. It had an alternative touch and the other guests were mostly young locals having a good time. Therefore it had a great atmosphere and we felt very welcomed every time we came here. Great place to have a beer or a Pomada, the typical drink in Menorca (Gin and Lemonade).
• Bar Quèstat – One of the three bars at Plaça Nova and the other one of our top two bars. We started many of our evenings here. The waiter was really nice, he recognized us after some days and he knew already what we would order (“Dos cervezas, por favor”). You get some olives or other snacks for free. They also have some simple tapas which also taste good. Quèstat was our favorite bar at Plaça Nova but if you don’t get a table here, you can also sit in one of the others. The Plaça Nova itself is very crowded in the evenings with many locals and a good atmosphere.
• Bar Imperi – Just next to Bar Reina at the Plaça des Born. It has more tables than Bar Reina and the beer is really cheap. But we preferred Bar Reina just based on gut feeling. Bar Imperi still is a good place to have a beer or two.

Visiting Maó – the capital of Menorca

After we had a great first day in Ciutadella, we decided to explore the other bigger city in Menorca. So we left Ciutadella in the morning to take the 45 minutes drive to Maó on the other side of the island. Arriving in Maó we found a parking spot near the port.

Gin Xoriguer – Menorca’s own gin

The first thing we wanted to visit was the island’s only gin distillery. According to google it was supposed to close at 2 p.m as it was on a Saturday. The distillery is located directly at the port so it was only a short walk from the car park. The distillery Xoriguer is still producing gin in the traditional way. But instead of barley they used flavored wine and juniper which lead to a unique taste. Unfortunately, there were no tours through the distillery possible due to Covid. So the only thing we could do was to check out the attached store. You can try all the different gin and liquor types for free. The best one for us was the original Gin Xoriguer so we bought a bottle and left. The gin is a perfect souvenir or gift as it is sold in traditional clay bottles. The Gin Xoriguer is also the basis for Menorca’s typical drink: Pomada. Pomada is a long drink consisting of gin and lemonade. It is really refreshing during hot summer days and we enjoyed one or the other during our vacation.

Walking along the port

From the distillery, we started to walk along the port which actually is the biggest natural harbour in Europe. Also here, we could clearly see the effect of Covid. All the sight seeing boats were closed, the harbour was not really crowded and also many bars and restaurants were closed. After a few minutes of walking, we decided to sit down in a bar to have some snacks and refreshments. There were some bars and cafés that looked nice but almost all of them were either closed or completely full. We then were lucky that somebody just left when we passed La Vida Una. It was a surfer style bar with a big variety of Vermouths and a small tapas menu. The waiters were two young, very friendly guys who provided a good service. We got some olives on the house when we ordered a beer and in general there was a very relaxed atmosphere. We stayed there for some time until we decided to take a walk around the town.

A walk around Maó’s old town

When we sat down at the bar we had a look into our travel guide. It contains a walking tour through the old town of Maó which we simply followed. From the port we started to climb the streets to the upper part of the town.

When we came to the Plaça de Espanya, the siesta also caught us so we sat down to have a short coffee break. There were several small cafés so we just looked for a free table and took place. After having coffee we continued to walk around the old town without really following the proposed way from our travel guide. When we were tired of walking, we took down a huge set of stairs down to the port again and went back to our car.

Beach day in Cala en Turqueta

The next day after visiting Máo was predicted to have the best weather during our stay. We had around 25° C so we decided to use the weather and go to the beach. The decision was to go Cala en Turqueta on the Southern coast. It is known for white sand and, as the name says, turquoise waters. Driving there was already really fun as most of the roads were really narrow and guides us between farms. Left and right to the road were the typical Menorcan stone walls. Around 1 km before reaching the beach there is a car park. We left the car there and walked the rest of the way.

After 15 minutes of walking we arrived at the white sandy beach. The beach is divided into two parts by some rocks and if you are early you can get a spot under some trees. If you are here in high season you have to be early to get a parking spot and a space for your towel. Although we arrived quite late – around noon – there was still enough space for us. We went to the eastern part of the beach to find a nice spot to lay down. Unfortunately there were a lot of algae in the water as well as on the beach (and I mean A LOT!). But still we could see why the beach is so popular. Despite the algae the water was very clear and at this time of the year very cold. So we spend most of the time just relaxing on the beach, having some snacks. We really had missed this feeling of just reading a book and hearing the waves of the ocean in the background. After soaking up the sun and regaining the much needed energy we took the path back to the car and headed back to Ciutadella for dinner.

Climbing around the lighthouse Far de Favàritx

After having a relaxed day at the beach, we decided to be physically active the next day. Our plan was to drive to Es Grau which is a small village in the North-West of the island. From there we wanted to take a taxi to Far de Favàritx. From this beautiful lighthouse we intended to walk the 10 km back to Es Grau along the Camí de Cavalls. So far so good, the plan was set…

No taxis in Es Grau…

When we arrived to the place in Es Grau where a taxi stand was supposed to be, there were no taxis and no sign or anything. The village itself only consisted of a bakery, a cafe and some houses. After a few minutes of waiting, we admitted to ourselves that there probably no taxis will come. So – Plan change! We got back into our car and drove ourselves to the lighthouse Far de Favàritx. As it is a well known attraction, we thought maybe there are taxis there.

When we approached the lighthouse, there was a big parking lot near the road. As the GPS told us that we had still 2 km to go, we decided to continue following the road. This was a good idea as there is another, smaller parking just at the lighthouse. I can imagine that this is really full in high season but we were lucky. Of course there were no taxis here as well. So, no hiking for us today. We decided to take our time to explore the area around the lighthouse and postpone the hike to the next day.

The beautiful lighthouse Far de Favàritx

Visiting the Menorcan vineyard Binifadet

After leaving the light house we decided to grab some food. One thing we had on our list was to visit the vineyard Binifadet. It is located south of Maó and as we had to pass the city anyways it fitted perfectly. As we went to Binifadet spontaneously we could not do a tour through the vineyards and winery. Instead we just wanted to eat something. When we arrived there we were guided to a table on their beautiful terrace. The terrace is located directly next to the grapevines and the location overall is very idyllic. So all in all a great place to have some lunch or dinner in a beautiful setting. Or you just try some of their delicious wines.

Food-Love

As it was already in the late afternoon we were really hungry. So we decided to have some starters first and try the wine. We both ordered a dry white wine which was really good. As starters we had chicken cannelloni and tuna tartar. Both dishes were incredibly good so we were excited about the main dish which we ordered shortly afterwards. Here we had hake with green aspargus and boneless chicken with eggplant hummus. The main dishes also were simply delicious and we enjoyed every single bite of it. We left the place full and happy and took the road back to Ciutadella.

Hiking the Camí de Cavalls

As we were a bit sad that we could not do the hike along the Camí de Cavalls, we decided to give it a second try on the next day. This time we prepared better and ordered a taxi the evening before. The taxi should pick us up in Es Grau and drive us to Far de Favàritx from where we wanted to start the hike (You can order a taxi on this website). So we drove to Es Grau, parked our car and waited for the taxi. Everything worked out perfectly and after 30 minutes we arrived at the lighthouse we visited the day before. The hike was around 10 km and we calculated it to take two to three hours. We started the hike around noon so that we have enough time. If you are in Menorca in summer we recommend to start earlier to avoid the midday heat.

Starting the hike

Passing through Cala en Tortuga

A few minutes later we reached the first beach, Cala en Tortuga. The way begins some meters above the beach. If you look towards the heartland you see the wetlands of the nature reserve S’Albufera des Grau. We had to climb down some stairs and rocks to reach the fine sands of this beautiful beach. As we had to walk 40 minutes already to reach this place, there were almost no people around. So if you like remote beaches that you almost have for yourself, this is a great option. It has very shallow water and almost no wind so it’s the perfect beach to relax. As it was a bit chilly that day, we just took a short break to have some water and continued our way.

Watch out! Horses on the road!

The best ist yet to come

The highest mountain of Menorca – Monte Toro

The next day after the hike we felt a bit lazy – after all we we were on vacation. So we slept in, had a late breakfast and just relaxed for some hours. In the afternoon we decided that we should do at least something. So we decided to check out the highest mountain of Menorca, Monte Toro. The mountain has an impressive height of 357 metres. On top of the mountain there is a monastery and a big Jesus statue, similar to the one in Rio de Janeiro. From Ciutadella we took the road to Es Mercadal, a nice little city at the bottom of the mountain. From there the road is going up to the monastery in narrow serpentines. We had no problem to find a place to park the car as there is a big parking lot.

From the top of the mountain we had a very nice view across almost the entire island. We took some photos to capture the view. As it was a bit windy and chilly, we decided to have a coffee break at the restaurant inside of the monastery. The restaurant was nothing special but the only place up there. As we had booked the experience at Cuk-Cuk in the evening (see the restaurant recommendations in the Ciutadella part), we soon drove back to Ciutadella. You can see we had a very relaxed day but could cross out Monte Toro from the things to do in Menorca.

The view from Monte Toro over the island of Menorca.

At the monastery there is this statue of Jesus, very similar to the one in Rio de Janeiro.

The inner courtyard of the monastery on top of Monte Toro.

Exploring the West coast of Menorca by bike

In the first days we spent on Menorca we were surprised how many people were riding the bike here. There were plenty of mountain bikers and people on racing bikes. The roads were really good for biking and there was enough space to not interfere with the cars. As we like biking we decided to also rent a bike for a day and make our way across the western part of the island. There are several bike rentals in every city. We chose Tot Velo as it was close to our accommodation. We had to book the bike one day in advance so that they have enough time to prepare everything. The next day, we picked up the bikes and helmets and got on the road.

Heading West to Pont d’en Gil

Our first stop was Pont d’en Gil West of Ciutadella. From Ciutadella we followed the road and passed some roundabouts to reach Cala en Blanes. Cala en Blanes itself is one of the last places that is worth a visit. It just consists of hotels and tourist facilities. Due to the pandemic, it seemed that everything in this town was closed and it felt like a ghost town. At the end of the road to Pont d’en Gil there was a parking lot where we locked our bikes. From the parking lot, it was a short walk to reach the breathtaking natural wonder of Pont d’en Gil. In our opinion, this was the most impressive natural spectacle on the island. Pont d’en Gil looks like a suspension bridge formed by the sheer force of the ocean. It is a headland reaching into the water with a big hole in it that is big enough so that boats can pass through it. Of course it is an awesome place to take pictures and although we were there around noon, we could imagine that this must be one of the best spots to watch the sunset.

To the north – Punta Nati

At Punta Nati there was a big car park which was almost empty. Unfortunately there was nothing to lock our bikes. So we decided to lift them over a small brick wall and take them with us to a point where we could keep an eye on them. At Punta Nati there is a small lighthouse with some sheep as well as some strange building that look like round pyramids. These barracks were supposed to shelter animals as well as humans against the strong winds. We could even go into these buildings to explore them. As we already cycled around 20 km, we took a short break at this place to enjoy the sun and the rough nature around us for some minutes.

All the way to the South – Far d’Artrutx

BIRTHDAY SURPRISE – We’re on a boat!

Riding along the northern coastline

After our boat was ready to go we left the port. We rode to the northern part of the island where it was a bit less windy. Soon after we left the port we stopped in a little bay where we had breakfast. Although it was not really warm, it could not have been more perfect. We just brought some tapas and enjoyed the soft waves and the incredibly clear water. When finishing breakfast, we continued our way to the north and passed Pont d’en Gil. It was breathtaking to see this spectacle also from the water. On the northern part of the island we stopped at another bay next to two groups of older people having a blast on their boats. Also here we relaxed for some time before continuing riding along the coastline. We made a third stop in the most beautiful and calm bay. After 3.5 hours on the boat we started heading back to Ciutadella as the wind was freshening up. The way back was a bit bumpy as the waves got bigger. It started to get a bit chilly but on the other hand we had a lot of fun jumping the waves and getting soaking wet. We finally made it back to the harbor safe and happy (and wet).

Ending the day with a nice dinner

After the boat ride we headed back to our hotel to take a shower and make ourselves ready to go out for the night. In the late afternoon we went to the city center to grab some drinks before dinner at our favorite place, Bar Reina. For dinner we booked a table at Rels Restaurant, a fancy place which is listed in the Guide Michelin. There we enjoyed the last hours of Tiziana’s birthday.

Trying to get a COVID test in Menorca

Getting tested once

On our last day in Menorca, we needed to organize some things for our return to Germany. The most important thing to do was to get a COVID test. As it only needed to be a rapid test, we did not think it would be a problem. German as we are, we even made an appointment at the facility. The company conducting the test was called Juaneda. On their website they stated that you could do the rapid test and get the results in 15 minutes. So everything should be fine – at least we thought so. When we arrived at the testing facility, nobody had an appointment and they just threw away our appointment ticket. Okay, no problem but when we got the appointment, they told us that it is absolutely necessary. Then they asked us when our flight would leave. When we told them it would be the next day, they said the results should be there on time but they can’t promise it. Of course we were really upset as it was a 15 minute rapid test and we had 18 hours until our flight was leaving.

Getting tested twice

Staying optimistic, we decided to wait for some hours. If the result has not arrived until 4 p.m., we would drive to the airport where another testing facility existed. Of course, no result came until then. So we got into the car and drove across the entire island to the airport. At this test center, they told us that there would be no problem and we would have our results in 20 minutes. So we headed back to Ciutadella. When we arrived, we had the result of the first test in our inbox. So everything worked out in the end. We just had to pay the tests twice – each test costs 30€. Although it has cost us some nerves and money we were really relieved. So we decided to enjoy our last hours in Menorca with some good drinks and a nice dinner.

On the day of departure, we needed to leave quite early as the flight left at 09:10 a.m. We had to drive across the island and return the rental car. Everything worked out perfectly and we could fly back to our hometown. By the way – the result of the second COVID test arrived when we landed in Frankfurt.

General tips

• If you are looking for a place to stay, we recommend to search for accommodation in Ciutadella. We liked the city much more than Maó with its beautiful old town center.
• You definitely should get a rental car as there is almost no public transportation. With a rental car it is really easy to drive around the island and also explore more remote places.
• If you want to park your car in parking lots, there is a certain color code. This color of the parking spot indicates if it is for free or if you need to pay. In the parking lot we always left our car in Ciutadella, there were some white marked spots which were free. If you park in the blue marked spots, you need to pay and can only stay for a certain time.
• Plan your day around the siesta! Most shops (even grocery stores) are closed between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. So if you want to do some shopping, do it before or after.
• Menorca is also a great place to visit with your family or a group of friends. There are many really cool fincas with own pools at reasonable rates.
• Menorca is a good place for families with small children as well. We met a couple with a baby who came to Menorca twice already. They told us that the island is very family friendly and a very safe place.

Things to do next time

• We would have loved to go the restaurant Moriarty in Ciutadella. It is one of the best restaurants on Tripadvisor. Unfortunately it just reopened shortly after we left after being closed due to the pandemic.
• Come back with a group of friends and rent a finca with pool. We saw many cool fincas when we drove around the island and they have really affordable prices.
• Do a tour in the Gin Xoriguer distillery. Unfortunately it was closed on the day we visited Maó.
• Visit some more beaches. This time it was still quite chilly in May so we did not want to spend to much time at the beach.
• Visit the fortress La Mola in Maó. It closes quite early in the day so we did not manage to get there in time when we were in the capital of Menorca.

Our take on Menorca

In our eyes Menorca is a really underrated destination if you want to do a journey for one or two weeks. The island is incredibly clean and you can do all different kind of activities. It is perfect if you want to explore beautiful beaches which are also well-suited for families with kids. But also if you are looking for a possibility to be physically active there are tons of possibilities to hike, bike or surf. Especially the Camí de Cavalls left us stunned. As we are a bit of food-lovers we were surprised by the amount of extremely good restaurants at reasonable prices in Ciutadella.

For us, the ten days we spent in Menorca were enough and we were able to do almost everything we wanted to. If you would like to spend some more days at the beach in the warmer season, you could also stay longer.

What is your view on Menorca? Have you been there already? Let us know your experience and additional tips in the comments!

Safe travel and spread the love!