Hi - can't say that I've heard of Doyouspain, so I would ask about before you consider booking. My husband thinks the petrol charges are reasonable- £50 for a full tank, we did use most of it but we do travel about quite a bit. Work out your charges for taxis then see how much difference it is to hire + petrol - the trouble is that taxi fares are quite high I think, compared to car hire. Our voucher this year with carjet says ‘Meet & Greet with Owners Cars. It also says that 5-day car hire or less you can have a full for full on the petrol. I don't think you have to worry about getting out of the airport before 20.00 if you land at 19.15 The airport isn't very big and it doesn't take that long to get through, just ask them about it first.

Have a nice holiday

Hullo Vick

We finally made a decision and have booked 10 day hire with Poppy Cars. We felt this being our first holiday with the girls abroad and in Menorca would be best to go for the convenience and Poppy seem to have very good reviews here. Thanks for helping us make a decision. We would have used Carjet but realised we could get away with a smaller car for our double buggy with Poppy as they supply a roof rack in the price.

Well, now I just need to get first passports ordered for our munchkins then I can perhaps think about the nice bits of the holiday - where and what we are going to do.

Have a great holiday as well.

Hi - so glad you got sorted out, I'm sure you have done the right thing. Make sure you have a contact phone number in your hand luggage, though I'm sure you wont need it. We were met by an English couple last year, going with Poppy cars, who took us to the car over the road. We sat in the car while we signed etc and they were very helpful.
A few ideas now you have a car: On the way to Cala Galdana you pass through a town called Ferrerias, and turn left just after a very steep climb. If you go back to Ferrerias on a Saturday morning, they have a market, the market isn't very good but the atmosphere is great. They have a live band in the square and the children dance in front of it, in the street. Also they have a great butchers & mini hypermarket too. You mentioned going to Fornells - turn left just before Fornells to Tirant, for a good supermarket. If you fancy going further while on that side of the Island, take a left turn on the way home to Son Parc. Just before the centre, turn left into the golf range. You can walk along the side of the golf range, no fee and you don't have to play golf, it also has seating to watch the golfers, go to the end and the children will love the duck pond with ducks & peacocks, take plenty of bread. A nice beach there but not much else. Park up at Mahon harbour if you go into Mahon, lots of free parking spaces and a flat walk all the way along - you will have a climb to the shops though. Have a great holiday - Vick

hullo vick

Many thanks for the recommendations. The market sounds fun and very spanish. We always try and hunt down the 'real spain' where there is authentic food, culture, architecture etc. Any other tips on where to go, where the twins wouldn't get too bored either, gratefully received. The capital looks like a must as does Mahon. Have you been there when the festival of St Joan is on during June? I think we will try and visit if we can as it sounds very lively and fascinating.

Bye for now.

We almost always go on holiday when the festival is on, around 20th June. We went to watch it one year arriving at Ciutadella early in the morning - the market was large and ‘buzzing' as everyone was preparing for the festival. The streets were layered in sawdust (not all) ready for the horses. We spoke to someone who told us it got VERY crowded; unfortunately I don't like crowds so we didn't stay. About 5 minuets away from Cala Galdana, you pass it on the way in, is where the actual horses etc are kept, and they do shows about 3 times a week, so that's another option. Be warned, if you don't go to the festival, don't venture out anywhere on that day as everywhere will be shut, even the shops. Ciutadella is a very old town full of interesting buildings, park at the bottom (free parking) near the harbour and walk up - a bit of a climb though, with a flat walk along the harbour. They have boat trips, as do Mahon. If you get to Mahon harbour about 10am you will see the huge ships turning, and setting off for Ibiza, Majorca etc a really nice sight. Monte Torro is very interesting, but not for the faint hearted, the drive up to the top is VERY steep! Once there the views are fantastic and it's very interesting too - twins might be a bit bored but great for adults, worth going. It's near Mercadal, which is very old Spanish. Cala'n Blanes & los Defines are more for the twins, a bit Blackpool-ish- having a aqua park at Delfines, not huge but big enough to keep the children happy. Let me know if you find anywhere interesting and I'll have a look myself - bye Vick

we have decided that we will now more than likely hire a car for a few days in the middle of our holidays. can you hire car seats for the kids[is the law the same as uk]?
what documents do we need to hire a car ?
thank you in advance

Yes you can hire child seats. Document-wise, you just need your driving licence and passport with you. If you pre-book your car online, make sure you also take the car hire voucher they email you as well.

I have always hired a car and pick up/drop off at the airport. So much easier. The roads are really easy to drive on and its impossible to get lost as all roads go off from the central main mahon/cuitadella road. Definitely the best way to see the island.

Does anyone have any advice on car hire in Santo Tomas please?

James

We have never usually bothered with a car when staying in Menorca but last year had a car for 3 days which we got from Avis and organised in resort, it was great to be able to do a bit of sightseeing around the island. This year we plan on having a car for at least one week, maybe for both weeks so wondered who you have used and who's proved the cheapest/most reliable? We will be in Calan Bosch so local ones also considered if they've proven reliable.

Thanks.

Just trying to figure a holiday out and it's working out cheaper to book it all seperately. However, we've only hired a car abroad once and we're a bit nervous.

Is it worth hiring a car in Menorca? (we did it last year in Majorca and enjoyed going to diff beaches)

What's the drive like from airport to Cala n Bosch and about how long does it take?

Thanks

Claroj

If you hired a car in Majorca then driving in Menorca will be a piece of cake (less traffic and good roads).

Drive from airport to Cala'n Bosch is between 45-60 minutes if no traffic problems.

Enjoy.

Regards

Dave.

Definately recommend hiring a car. We did it for the first time last year and it made our holiday. There's some fantastic places to visit and easy to get to.

We were in CB a few years ago and hired a car from a local company just behind the marina shops. Can't remember the name but there were a few companies there so check the prices - I'm sure you'll find good deal.

If you are going during school holiday times I'd definately recommend prebooking as most places when we went in Aug last year had signs in windows saying 'no cars'. After shopping around well before we went last year we found the cheapest quote from Holiday Autos who sourced the car from Owners Cars at the back of the marina (opposite Paradise Club). Although we found the member of staff at the office quite rude and the car had a few little bumps and scratches, we didn't have any other problems. As advised by someone else on here make sure you take pictures of any marks on the car and that they are all marked down on your agreement. You have to be aware that although cheap, the excess should you have a bump is high (around 600 euros) but you can take out additional insurance to cover this.

I have also heard that Poppy Cars are good, although more expensive, but they do not deliver to resort during peak times. Perhaps you could pick up from the airport though if you're going to have the car for 2 weeks?

we hired one last year poppy cars very reasonable

Hi it maybe a bit late but a company called suncars put this in the search engine or the website onairportcarhire it wont let me put web addresses on lol but put dot com and you will find it.....

Hi - I've just joined the forum today as we have booked to stay in Cala Galdana for a week at the end of August. We've never been to Menorca before (usually go to the Greek islands) and are trying to decide whether to hire a car for the week and drive ourselves to and from the airport or book a taxi/shuttle transfer to our resort and maybe just hire a car for a day's sightseeing. Any thoughts or ideas greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Hi and welcome to the forum. We're off to Galdana in August too after visiting for the day last year. You have picked a stunning resort for your first visit to Menorca, I really do think you'll love it.

We hired a car for the first time last year and found getting around pretty easy and have booked one again for this year. We pick up from resort though as it means we don't need such a big car and works out a lot cheaper as the transfer is included in our package anyway. I'd definately recommend car hire, just weigh up the cost though against the cost of the shuttle.

Where are you staying? Self catering or half board? If you are catering for yourselves the car is good for getting to the large supermarkets out of resort as they're much cheaper.

Menorca is a beautiful island and a bit of exploring there is a must IMO.