Beaches for all pursuasions
Menorca – beach paradise
Whether you like sand castles and beach bars or perfect seclusion away from the hordes, Menorca has a beach for you. Menorca has more miles of sandy beach than all of its Balearic cousins – Ibiza, Mallorca and Formentera – put together. Some are harder to get to than others, some are busier than others, but all share the same common characteristic: stunning beauty.
The south coast of Menorca has the greater number of lovely sandy coves, from Cala en Bosc in the west to Punta Prima in the east, but the northern coast has some really stunning tucked-away coves which are well worth a visit.
The only way to decide your favourite is to visit them all, of course, but if your time on Menorca is limited, here’s a quick guide to some of those not to be missed:
Biggest and best
The miles and miles of golden sands that make up Son Bou beach are hard to beat. At the resort end of the beach are bars, sunbeds, pedalos, and all the attractions that the family hordes will seek, but a short walk away you will find large areas of near-deserted beach ideal for those seeking to get away from it all or take off all their clothes
Best for kids
Son Bou is of course ideal, but so are the resort beaches at Cala en Porter, Punta Prima, Santo Tomas, Cala en Bosc and Cala Blanca
From north to south…
Where to swim, where to bare
Best for the adventurous
It takes 30 minutes to hike to Cala Pregonda from the nearest car park, and that’s why it’s so rewarding. It’s beautiful and remote and well worth a visit. Presilli and Tortuga, also in the north, fall into the same category, as does Cala Trebaluger, a stiff cliff-top walk away from Cala Galdana.
Menorca has more miles of sandy beach than the rest of the Balearic islands put together
Best for going nude
Son Bou and Binigaus, near Santo Tomas, are both firm favourites with the naturist fraternity, and we would recommend also Cala d’Algariens in the north-west, near Cala Morell, which has two beaches from which to choose
Best for access and convenience
It’s hard to beat Sa Mesquida – less than 10 minutes by car from Menorca’s capital, Mahon, and a favourite with locals and tourists alike
Most beautiful… and best avoided
Cala Macarella and Macarelleta and undoubtedly very beautiful, but with that beauty comes heaving popularity and now a sledgehammer-meets-nut solution to the traffic problems which can occur with a park and ride system which is both hideously expensive and impossibly hard to book. If a visit to Macarella is top of your to-do list, you might do well to investigate a boat trip to the cove.
Menorca’s best beaches
Beaches for kids and beaches for grown-ups…