sept 14th 2019 , arrived into mahon intl airport saw some planes that presumably are for the air show tomorrow , couple of fighters and a troop carrier.
we are staying in Ciutadella [“sweet-a-day-a”] on the opposite side of the island, so we hired a MPV from “ok cars” … after heeding online advice and noting all the scratches and videoing eveything ! very cheap car hire must be said . after grabbing the c3 aircross , we headed straight to mahon which is the eastern capital as there is football match starting in an hour. found a place called restaurante pierro http://www.restaurantepierro.com/ who had a projector and a large tv showing matches right on the harbour side . 4 euro a pint not bad considering location , food was bang average tho . destination estrella and 3 points …great start !
after driving across quiet excellent condition and well signed roads navigating the island to the west side , that evening we hit some mex style street food in ciutadella town at “magi 24” , a really great vegan burger , super tasty pork and chicken tacos , guac and dips. and beer ! low cost and great service and food @ https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g187465-d16717994-Reviews-Magi24-Ciutadella_Menorca_Balearic_Islands.html
next day is first day proper, and a cracking result i saw online there was an air show display at Son Bou , a large beach on the south coast . traffic was congested but somehow by luck we managed to navigate right down to the front car park . hundreds and hundreds of cars got backed up on main road but we slipped thru a village and down to the beach . result indeed .
as the air show was 12-3.30pm, about 4pm after most people had dispersed went to Arenal Son Saura beach up on the north of the island to get away from the thousands at the air show . we wanted to get a canoe and row north , but at 5pm the guy had locked up all the canoes so we didnt end up going out on the water that day .
after Arenal Son Saura we headed back west , stopping at “hola ola” in cala blanca just south of ciutadella https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Pub/Hola-Ola-Mediterranean-Beach-178672065623487/
its a hipster hippie-esque beach bums surfer dude kinda hang out with ska reggae jazz blues and a random assortment of i guess eclectic ‘balearic’ vibe music where everyone crashes out onto communal tables or the grass alongside . a winner for us . its an almost unique place to most other places i discovered on the island . nachos rocked , so did cocktails, but a classic mojito made with coke was err…unusual lol. margaritas ruled there. and beer. of course being west facing sunsets dominate the agenda along with jumping into the cove .
and followed up into ciutadella town for more beer and junk
day 3 , went to cala galdana on the south coast. it was a toss up of cala galdana and cala en bosc to hire a boat . so we chose galdana and hired out a speedboat for 140 euro for 4 hours . cheaper than greece for sure, it was 100 an hour in lindos i think it was when we visited in june this year ? with a small outboard it was plenty fast enough for sailing from bay to bay . i planned out 3 coves to the west , 2 to the east . we loaded up a stack of beers with ice in a cool bag , lunch and snacks , and set sail for a day anchoring in each bay and jumping overboard to cool off . some of the finest beaches on the island are in this area .
cala galdana port
Macarella and Cala De La Macarelleta [a twin cove] , feeding the fish from our boat.
Cala en turqueta
Playa des Talaier
Cala Mitjana
we actually drove thru that hole and out the other side…risky …
Cala de Trebalúger
with a brilliant sunset later that evening
next day it was off to get a canoe and row out from from Es Grau , off the east coast in the Parc Natural de s’Albufera des Grau , to the island of illa d’e colom . there are two bays which looked nice . its a tiny island about half a mile long with no buildings or cars . upon arrival we realised what a good decision it had been planning this day out to the island .
southern bay
northern bay
and back to hola ola on the west side that evening !!
later that night more football was on so we looked for a ‘brit central’ resort on the west coast and hit “jimmy hills bar” lol . guaranteed uk champions league footy . and egg n chips . and beer . https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jimmy-Hills-Bar/119912501421533 . they don’t mess about with the gin measures here either !
next day over to the north of the island … cala pregonda . talked about one of the jewel in menorcas crown , for me it didnt compare to the southern beaches . sun is ‘behind you’ on the beach, sand is grittier, beaches arent as white , but its def worth doing and is a fine spot. its about a mile walk from the car park , round a couple of bays , over the headland round some dunes , up a cliff … its a decent half hour or so trek with a backpack full of beer and the days food and chill needs …
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that evening we had Estrella in a ciutadella town square , then a thai meal in “La Cayena” . luckily she managed to squeeze us in , as it was packed . varied fusion food , high quality and varied. totally get vegans . it really worked for us . chicken pad thai and a veggie thai curry i think the other was . https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g187465-d1790470-Reviews-La_Cayena-Ciutadella_Menorca_Balearic_Islands.html
once more into the jeep and mapped out a route along to the south west corner of the island . first up is binidalli . you walk down quite a few steps to the cove.
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after here on to our next cove just 5 mins drive away – binisafuller playa . after parking up on the main road we went to “opera ristorante & pizzeria” . run by Italians , this place really does knock the pizzas out the park . mrs robster who is very fussy on food quality says maybe the best vegan pizza shes ever had . I had salami and agree , spot on . the freshly made miss shapen dough we just so good . must do truly perfect pizza .
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we got really excited when sitting on the shoreline an octopus came right up near our feet . grabbed the camera and managed to grab a shot of it . when it finally moved away it shot off so gracefully with a few little fish chasing after it .
after all the excitement we then headed over the Instagram central …Binibeca . the crokked higgledy-piggledy all white ‘fishermans village’ . looks great in the pictures . a couple of the properties had for sale notices on for a few hundred thousand euro . small cheap properties now highly in demand .
on the edge of the village is “Sa Cuina de Binibeca & Bar Mar Blau” , a cool place to hang out with a pool , views , and a dj who was just setting up as we left .
https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g656875-d17629342-Reviews-Sa_Cuina_de_Binibeca_Bar_Mar_Blau-Sant_Lluis_Menorca_Balearic_Islands.html
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while over on this corner of the island we badly wanted to do the Mexican “la mexiterranea” . a decent looking Mexican we had found online , and god do we love mex !! took a drive and a while to find it , however it was an extremely limited menu , and when we said 1 is vegan they said they had nothing . we asked if we could have something really basic like a beans & rice burrito they said I don’t want to make it for you !!! WTF ?? when we said ok what veg have you got they said NOTHING . no veg at all , nothing ?!? not even corn carrots avocado , nothing at all . the restaurant was empty it wasn’t like they had anything to do . so we left . a restaurant with NO VEG ?
https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g642211-d14057359-Reviews-La_Mexiterranea-Mahon_Menorca_Balearic_Islands.html
after walking along a short distance to another mex inspired place [allegedly] that I had noted down , “maria bonita” , it turned out it wasn’t Mexican just tapas and very expensive too . but it worked out perfectly in the end . strolling along deciding what to do we saw a place very busy with the locals “café baixamar”and spontaneously decided to eat here . brilliant waiter could not have been better , compared to “la mexiterranea” service it was next level . we ordered lots of tapas and everything was delicious . everything so fresh and made to order . everything happens for a reason hey
https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g642211-d8735355-Reviews-Baixamar_Cafe-Mahon_Menorca_Balearic_Islands.html
further along the prom we headed to “akelarre” next to the ferry terminal , and stayed for drinks . sadly midweek it wasn’t busy , but a really cool venue . stunning area at the back that opens from a glass wall out to a vertical sheer cliff hundreds of feet high . a jazz and dance club with dj’s and live acts open till the am’s . also does food .
https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g642211-d3528896-Reviews-Akelarre_Jazz_Dance_Club-Mahon_Menorca_Balearic_Islands.html
next day was our last full day . we went to the centre of Ciutadella , took a walk around the streets , did some shopping and sightseeing , and headed to “Piqniq” , a take away in the back streets for organic veggie vegan specials , but also had a chicken option too . perfect for us both . food was very good , like the reviews .
https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g187465-d10438703-Reviews-Piqniq-Ciutadella_Menorca_Balearic_Islands.html
the fish market area
and our chosen beach for the final day was Son Saura , down towards the south western corner of the island . a drive out along farmers fields down dirst track roads , past livestock , and a huge car park at the end . there was not a single car park on the island we had to pay , although the 2 capitals had street meters in parts . on reflection the ‘tourist fees’ you have to pay to visit the island seems very good value , I nearly didn’t go at one point due to add ons at the final total . initially it put me off a bit seeing what some of the moneys got swallowed up on , but after visiting and seeing how immaculate the island was id happily pay it again and return . I think this was the only beach we visited that had any sellers , couple of blokes with ice creams and fruit .
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and once more off to “hola ola” to end the last night .
and next day we sadly have to leave ;-( I was shocked at how unspoilt menorca was . absolutely spot on . one of my fav places in Europe ive been to , spotless , awesome beaches , top notch food , not expensive like Ibiza for example , or full of ghastly high rise hotels on the beaches . friendly people , compact , great driving roads , loads to see and do …. just absolutely brilliant ! 1000% we will be back sooner rather than later to see what we missed .
this is the 5th time we have been overseas on a plane this year lol , and we aren’t done yet . so suck it up extinction rebellion crusties this ones for you!!! a nice clear day for the flight home with a window seat , football stadium spotting , mines , jodrell bank …and a good tan . adios
www.jodrellbank.net
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