subject: Menorca - a personal guide [print this page] Menorca - a personal guide
Menorca is refreshingly different, a unique beach paradise close to home. Few holiday destinations have managed to retain their original charm, attraction and culture under the pressure of tourism. Menorca is one of the few exceptions and is typically less than a two and a half hour flight away. The island can boast more miles of golden sandy beaches than neighbours Mallorca and Ibiza added together, that's fact. There is even a place (in the east of Menorca) called Shangri-La!
It's a place that allows you to have fun, relaxation and mediteranean flair all without many of the compromises you find in so many other destinations.
Is it for you?
Menorca is ideal for families, romantic and scenery seeking couples, young and old, who want the perfect beach holiday and more. It has purposely rejected the brashness and noise of mass packaged holiday resorts prefering a balanced mix of nature, relaxation and tradition - that doesn't mean though there are'nt places you can kick your heels up too!
Too often you will find that many holiday destinations force you to make compromises. If you wanted safe resort beaches complete with all facilities then you would have to forget dreaming about lying practically alone on remote virgin beaches. If you wanted to enjoy sun filled mediteranean lifestyle, people watching and shopping, or dancing the night away then you would have to forget about walking or cycling in beautiful, ever changing landscapes, alive with wildlife and history.
Everyones' tastes are different and Menorca offers a wonderful and perhaps surprising buffet of beaches, shopping, nightlife, cuisine, activities and landscapes. The great thing with Menorca is you can pick and choose, nothing is very far away. In fact Menorca is the resort, not just the location of your accommodation.
Mahon and Ciutadella
The island is truely a tale of two cities - Ciutadella at the far west and Mahon ( Mao) at the far east end of the island. There is friendly rivalry between these two Cities, which is good for the visitor as they both have a charm all of their own and trying to out do each other with what they offer. Ciutadella's centre is very "elegant 16th century spain" with its narrow streets and former landowners palaces. Mahon is more modern with lots of Georgian and Jugendstil elements in it's architecture - perhaps more international and cosmopolitan. Both are defined by their picturesque harbours, bloody histories with invaders and BOTH are definitely well worth a visit.
The nature of Menorca
Due to its volcanic origins and ancient river systems the landscape on Menorca varies richly in such a compact area. The harder stone in the north is tinged red and characterises the northen cliffs and the red tinged beaches of the northern coast. The south is dominated by beautiful valleys that formed when rivers from the center flowed south through the softer limestone regions. Often these old, some now extinct rivers, have left behind beautiful deep lush gorges ending in "paradise beaches" where they reached the sea. They formed small hidden and larger bays of breathtaking beauty fringed by pine tree claded cliffs. Often you'll find somewhere at the back of the beaches the "stream" that was the original river. Fabulous examples of this are the beach at Cala d'en Porter and Cala Galdana.
The island is just 48km long and 20km wide - which means with a bus, taxi, or better still a hire car, you are never far from anything. The sea is absolutely crystal clear and as many of the beaches have very shallow falls it means even early on in the year and late into the year the sea is warm.
If you are fed up of grey skies and brown winter landscapes then visit Menorca in Spring ( april,may ). The island is a firework of spring flowers, green 'see for miles' landscapes and early summer sunshine to warm the face. The beaches and mediteranean look fresh faced after their winter breaks.
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