‘Menorca,’ introduced our vacation rep Sharon, ‘is the right place to do… nothing.’
This was music to our ears. After arriving within the resort of Punta Prima on the island’s south-eastern tip, we instantly set about seeing if she was proper.
A Jane in Spain: The Horrocks household decamped to Menorca for a wonderful week within the solar
Our villa, Sa Cova, was an excellent place to begin – a shocking, curvy, spacious whitewashed creation on the water’s edge, full with swimming pool and desk tennis desk for moments of heightened exercise. Truly ping-pong was an actual boon as a result of, at 14 and 16 respectively, my youngsters Molly and Dylan are relative newcomers to the ‘doing nothing’ idea and wish the odd distraction.
The villa takes its title from the ocean cave sited slightly below it, and it appears out in direction of Illa de l’Aire just some a whole bunch of yards out to sea. This tiny island not too long ago attracted the attentions Sir David Attenborough as a result of it is the house of a uncommon species of black lizard – and it is also dwelling to a lighthouse whose beacon winks and twinkles prettily into your bed room at night time.
The channel between the shore and the island is a reasonably busy thoroughfare for boats, offering an infinite hive of exercise as you stare out to sea.
Sa Cova is located on the quiet western fringe of Punta Prima, a 15-minute drive from the island’s capital, Mahon (or Mao in Catalan).
Punta Prima is a really nice, restful resort. The seashore is a bit oasis of white sand smoothing the rocky coast, and the water is similar stunning turquoise that one can find all around the island.
Being located on the south-easternmost level of Menorca, the seashore will get the solar all day and so is often busy with out being unpleasantly overcrowded.
Much better than it sounds: The fishing village of Binibeca Vell was constructed within the Seventies
There can apparently be robust currents at instances, however there’s a flag-warning system at work on the seashore to let you realize whether or not it is secure to wash or not.
Behind the seashore there is a host of respectable eating places and a few mini-markets so there isn’t any cause to stray too far should you do not wish to.
On the mini-markets you should purchase ensaimadas – this speciality of the island is a pastry the scale of an extra-large pizza that can feed a household of 4 for a few days.
A lot of the eating places cater for the tastes of the extra conservative British holidaymakers in addition to providing a variety of scrumptious Menorcan and Catalan specialities, which makes consuming out with pickier youngsters that a lot simpler.
In addition to the standard paellas additionally, you will discover the Catalan favorite fideua right here – it is a form of paella made with brief vermicelli as an alternative of rice. My companion Nick additionally ordered a scrumptious arroz negro one night time: rice and prawns cooked with cuttlefish and its ink.
It left an enormous smile on his face – a smile that stayed black for some days afterwards. I found an exquisite dish of aubergine and goat’s cheese glazed with cane honey. Scrumptious.
If you happen to really feel like venturing past the eating places of Punta Prima with out having to get in a automotive, then I undoubtedly advocate taking the vacationer ‘prepare’ to Binibeca.
Affectionately recognized domestically as ‘the Wally Practice’, it is the sort of automobile that you’d often discover full of kids because it pootles round an amusement or safari park in Britain. However right here it shares the roads with regular visitors, with the driving force tooting away on the whistle and going alongside at speeds that may make health-and-safety officers blanch again at dwelling.
The Wally Practice: Jane and household rode Menorca’s brightest piece of public transport – to her youngsters’s horror
It takes about 20 minutes to get to Binibeca Vell, travelling alongside what is admittedly the one stretch of coastal highway on the island.
Binibeca Vell itself is a fishing village that was purpose-built within the Seventies. Which will sound hideous, however it’s actually not – it is a picturesque huddle of whitewashed cottages with a bit harbour and a few good eating places and a comfortable environment.
We loved a very beautiful meal at La Queseria, whose first-floor terrace appears out over the rooftops in direction of the ocean. After a few glasses of the native rosé, I discovered myself waving and calling out excitedly to passers-by as we headed dwelling on the Wally Practice – evidently, my youngsters refused to talk to me afterwards.
Whereas the Wally Practice is nice enjoyable, it is no actual substitute for hiring a automotive to discover the remainder of this beautiful island. Menorca’s coast is studded with stunning seashores, whose white sands and clear waters supply loads of room for everybody.
You’ll be able to drive from one finish of the island to the opposite in about an hour, so nowhere is out of attain.
The island’s highway system was described to us as wanting just like the skeleton of a fish – the primary highway from the port city of Ciutadella to Mahon types the backbone of the island, with numerous smaller roads jutting off alongside its size like little bones in the hunt for the coast.
If you happen to observe these roads one can find indicators to a bewildering variety of resorts, seashores and coves, from abandoned inlets on the finish of filth tracks to the two-mile-long stretch of sand at Son Bou, with its attendant crowds and a variety of seashore bars.
We tended to favour the mid-sized seashores – we loved very nice visits to each Fornells and Es Grau, which had been each populated primarily by Spanish households.
A spot within the solar: Jane fell in love with the Sa Cova villa the place the household stayed
Playas de Fornells was notably beautiful.
Located in a sheltered bay south-west of the city of Fornells itself, the beautiful blue waters had been calm and clear. You’ll be able to wade out 100 yards or so with out the water going a lot over your waist, so it is completely excellent for households with younger youngsters.
Our youngsters employed kayaks whereas Nick and I did nothing – once more.
A phrase of warning/recommendation when visiting seashores in Menorca: there is a basic rule of thumb (or ‘rule of bum’, should you like) that claims the additional you stray from the doorway to the seashore, the extra probably you might be to be confronted by full-frontal nudity. In different phrases, enterprise a few hundred yards alongside any stretch of sand and Spanish bathers appear to be fairly free and simple with their nakedness.
Wherever we occur to be on vacation, Nick has an uncanny capability to smell out the closest winery, after which insist on sticking that very same hooter out and in of infinite glasses of purple wine whereas we watch.
This yr there was a mutiny and Nick was pressured to journey to the close by Binifadet vineyard on his personal.
The set-up he described on his return sounded pleasant: a glowing new vineyard with an attractive vine-clad terrace the place you possibly can attempt the wines and eat scrumptious tapas in a shady spot.
The wines are extraordinarily good (available within the minimarkets of Punta Prima in addition to from the vineyard store) and workers at Binifadet will ship circumstances of your purchases again dwelling for you.
A uncommon cloudy day in Punta Prima inspired us to ditch our lazy methods briefly and go to Mahon. It is a actually fairly city set above the biggest pure harbour within the Mediterranean.
We visited boutiques alongside cobbled streets and meandered down for a unbelievable lunch of blue cheese and courgette croquetas and wild asparagus at Es Fosquet d’en Ruben, a tiny harbourside restaurant that Sharon had beneficial.
Come for the get together: Menorca is alive with native festivals – a few of them greater than a bit quirky
One other of her suggestions was to forgo indolence for one night time, to embrace Menorcan tradition and head to one of many many fiestas that carry the island alive in summer time.
We duly attended the competition of Sant Llorenc within the city of Alaior, which was full of folks ingesting domestically made Xoriguer gin and bitter lemon whereas awaiting the arrival of the jaleo.
The jaleo (which apparently means pandemonium) includes extremely expert riders driving horses by means of the crowded streets, making them rear and stroll on two toes for so far as attainable.
Locals consider it is humorous to hurry ahead and attempt to contact the horse’s coronary heart for good luck. The occasion is noisy, boisterous enjoyable, and due to this fact in all probability greatest prevented with young children.
However for us it was a busy spotlight of an in any other case extraordinarily restful vacation.
Thanks, Sharon, you had been proper – Menorca is a good place to do nothing.
Journey Information: Plan your individual household dose of Balearic bliss
Mediterranean villa specialist Villa Choose (www.villaselect.com, 01789 764 909) presents a seven-night keep on the four-bedroom Villa Sa Cova in Menorca from £295 per particular person.
The value is predicated on eight sharing and contains transfers and flights.
