Exploring Menorca

To make the most of Exploring Menorca you will need a car and a good map (Best I've found to date is "Menorca Tour and Trail" - ISBN 1-904906-03-8 which is available though Amazon etc for around £5.) If you are walking to some of the remoter spots travel light but take essentials (water sun screen, towel, good footware hat etc) and dont forget you mask and snorkel or your camera.

Attached to the Can Digus apartments in Fornells, This is an excellent bar/restaurant which is an alternative to the pricey seafood restaurants there. Not easy to find but it is on the shore past the port offices at the far end of the harbour.

Excellent restaurant in a small village near Arenal D'en Castell. Pleasant location near the shore. Interesting menu (inc good veggie options). Leisurely but attentive service, great atmosphere. Best to book or go early

A bit of a strange choice but I am strangely drawn.... An unselfconsciously British owned (as opposed to British themed) bar/restaurant in Addaya. This is a largely residential (ex-pat) village with some holiday apartments and a lovely big harbour (lots of boats but not suitable for swimming). Bar Pins serves cod chips and mushy peas on Thursdays and a Sunday roast.

Take a try dive - you might get hooked (I did) or if you are already qualified, dive some of the sites in the north if the island (caves, marine reserve). I've used ULMO dive centre in Addaya for several years. 5 star padi, very friendly and professional.

Most northern location on the island. This is a lovely spot with a great beach. Access is from the minor road between Es Mercadel and Fornells and then along a good road north which takes you as far as the lighthouse. Walk around the cliffs at the lighthouse and, visit the Roman ruins, build your own personal cairn to add to the hundreds already created. Visit the small museum and have a drink or coffee in the shade of the pine trees with the cicadas chirping all around. Idyllic.

Secluded beach. Accessed from a secondary road then a track off the main road west of Ferreries. There is a small car park from where you take a 35 minute walk over a wooded hillside with lovely views. A very secluded spot with no facilities but surprisingly popular. Get there before 10am for that Robinson Crusoe experience. The red earth is used to make mud to smear on the skin which is very theraputic and a mild exfoliant. It does stain clothing so take an old cozy if you are shy.

The best beach in the north of the island. Vehicle access is from the minor road between Es Mercadel and Fornells and then along a wide but rough stony unpaved road to Binamel La (a reasonable beach with toilet facilities) park your car there but be careful not to get it stuck in the sandy areas of the car park. Take the path to Cala Pregonda (about 20 minutes walk). Llovely views. You can swim or snorkel around the island off-shore. Popular but seldom crowded.

Idyllic beaches. Probably the best beaches on the south of the island. You can drive there from the Cuitadella ring road but the single track road down to the car park is a bit of an ordeal. Try parking at Santa Galdana and taking the path from there, 25 minutes on a good woodland path. Macarella has a bar and some facilities and can get busy. Macaretta is about 10 mins further and the track involves a little bit of scrambling. However it is a lot quieter with the option to bare all if you dare! It is an easy swim between the two bays, particularly if you are wearing a snorkel - lots of fish to see in the crystal clear water.

Another excellent beach on the south coast and a fair trek through pine woodland, Park at Cala Mitjana car park near Santa Galdana. Cala Mitjana is an excellent beach but gets very crowded. Find the start of the park to Trebaluger The route is marked with green painted stones but you may have to get one of the car parking attendants to point it out. The path is very rough and overgrown to begin with and a little bit of a scramble down to the beach but most of the way it is pretty good. The beach itself is a pine clad inlet with torquoise water at the end of a wooded gorge. Very quiet, if not deserted first thing in the morning but some boat tours will off-load their passangers there late morning so go early.