I wish I could go back to Menorca and it’s turquoise waters, perfect beaches, calas overlooking unbelievable vista points, and amazing food. Menorca is one (3rd biggest) of the Balearic islands off the East coast of the Iberian peninsula. Our weekend in Menorca was the perfect escape from reality and mini-moon spot. SGDF and I went there for 3 days and 2 nights and we spent most of our time either eating our weight in food or lying at a cala. Here are some notes from our travels.

General observations

• Renting a car / Driving: If you plan to explore the island, then I recommend renting a car to explore its beautiful coastline. Additionally, it would likely be cheaper getting a car than a taxi if you need to get across the island a couple of times. However, a few things to know beforehand if you decide to rent a car:
• • People drive really fast in Menorca. SGDF would drive at or over the speed limit, and yet cars would still tailgate us.
• • Menorca can get hilly and there are some bad roads so get a good car / don’t try driving manual for the first time here if you don’t know how.
• • Parking in Ciudadela: Hotels in this town typically do not have onsite parking, but there are several open / free parking lots in town.
• Language: Catalan is the main language, but they also speak Spanish
• General vibe: Don’t expect a crazy party island, this is the perfect place to relax. We saw a lot of families and couples, especially from Spain, Italy, and France.
• Local food: Get the local sweet pastry (ensaimada is a round pastry with powder sugar and sometimes with some filling), Rice dish that is like a more soupy seafood paella (caldereta de la costa), cheeses, lemonade with gin (pomada), and any seafood dish
• Where to stay: Menorca is small, it takes only ~45 min to drive from one end to another. You can stay in Ciudadela, a quaint historic town on the West end of the island, which was recommended to us by several friends. We decided to stay in Ciudadela and splurged and stayed at Hotel Can Faustino.

Day 1

We took the earliest flight out from Barcelona (~45 min flight) and picked up our rental car. We had some time to kill before we could check in so we decided to explore the south eastern part of the island, which was a short drive from the airport. If you are short on time though, then I would say pass on the sites below.

1. Cala Rafalet: Great views of the ocean but not worth going out of your way. There is street parking along the cala. We heard there is a beach that connects to the other nearby cala but we couldn’t find the access point.
2. Cala de sant Esteve: There is a parking lot located at the top of the town, but you can also drive down through town and park at a small parking lot at the bottom. The cala was pretty rocky and there wasn’t much to do so we left shortly after.
3. Favaritx Lighthouse: We ended up driving out of the way to the lighthouse to find out only buses or taxis can enter. Learn from our mistake and order a taxi or go on a tour next time!

We weren’t able to see much so we went to the beaches up north. The northern part of the island is so beautiful. I highly recommend stopping by Platja de Cavalleria. There is a large parking lot at the front, which is a 10-minute walk, down some stairs, to the beach. The water was so clear and had so many shades of blue, bring your snorkel gear. There are also some great walking paths and vista points. Unfortunately we couldn’t make it to Platja de Binimel.là or Cala Pregonda since the roads were too rocky for us to drive on, but they are on our list for next time. 

After exploring the north side, we headed to Hotel Can Faustino, and parked nearby at a 24/7 free parking lot. The hotel really deserves its 5-star rating, from its service to amenities (free use of the spa facilities, Hermes products, great pool and premium breakfast buffet) to design. For lunch, they recommended S’amarador for their menu del dia. It didn’t include drinks, but they made up for it with their amazing and generous-sized caldereta de la costa. 

We eventually headed to Punta Nati, a lighthouse nearby, to catch the sunset. This is a popular spot for sunsets and the road / parking lot was full of people, but it’s well worth it. It’s a gorgeous setting to watch the sunset since you are surrounded by cliffs and the ocean. Get there early and wear good shoes since it’s rocky.

For dinner, we ended up at Smoix, another recommended spot for local cuisine. Make reservations since this place is popular. SGDF and I both loved their modern take on tapas and left extremely stuffed. We had to walk off our food comas and wandered around Ciudadela. The city was bustling at midnight, I imagine everyone was out then as it was so much cooler than earlier in the day. Many stores opened late and a lot of market stands popped up post sunset. 

Day 2 

The next morning we had an amazing breakfast buffet at the hotel (includes made-to-order coffee, omelets, and crepes, unlimited cava, and full continental breakfast spread). We then headed to the pier for our excursion to explore the island. SGDF booked it so unsure the name, but there are various boat tours including lunch (most likely a paella lunch). I highly recommend it since we got to see other beaches and calas in the south. The water is surreal and I couldn’t believe how clear or turquoise water can be (literally looked like someone dumped millions of turquoise highlighters into the ocean).

We rested before ending the night at Rels, another great local restaurant with an amazing patio. 

Day 3 

We spent the morning and afternoon poolside at the hotel and enjoying the free spa facilities. We went to Molls Bakery, near the cathedral, for lunch and to grab some pastries for our flight. As we were driving back to the airport, we made a pitstop at Cova d’en Xoroi, a bar / club located in the cliffs. You have to pay an entrance fee, which includes a drink ticket. My Spanish coworker told me I had to visit and now I can see why. It is built within the cliff so it offers some incredible views of the sea. As expected, the drinks are pricey than expected, but it’s worth coming to see at least once. Sadly we had to leave for the airport so our stay was short, but I would have stayed for the afternoon. As we both boarded the flight, we both agreed that Menorca is worth coming back to.