Just returned after a week staying in a villa in Binibeca - 5 minutes from the main village, 15 minutes walk from the beach.
It was everything we wanted. Fantastic villa, not overlooked and own pool (for sale for £400,000 I wish!). Handy for Binibeca for the restaurants and very well located. 10 minutes drive from Mahon, plenty more to see within half an hour drive.
Only 10 minutes from the airport, of course downside to this is you get aircraft noise, but the airport isn't busy and we were out during the day so it didn't disturb us too much ( we also live close to an airport so are used to it!).
Agree that food isn't cheap and some isn't top quality.
The worst meal we had was in Fornells which is supposed to have some of the best seafood restaurants on the island. A "mediterranean seafood salad" was sold as a salad with a mixture of locally caught seafood. It consisted of loads of lettuce, one tomato, three prawns, four mussels and a load of Marie Rose sauce and it was €13!
The best was the small harbourside bar in Es Grau which served fantastic tapas at a couple of quid each. €20 was good value for the amount of food we had.
The Miramar restaurant in Es Castell near Mahon did a large portion of tapas, a racion, for about €8-10, but a portion served 2 and it was excellent quality.
All drinks seemed to be about €1.80, whether this be a bottle of coke or a small beer. Brandy was cheap at €3 for a huge glassfull!!
A meal for four at La Queseria in Binibeca with four starters, four mains (two fish two meat courses), four sweets a bottle of wine was €110 about £77 which we didn't think was OTT.
The large supermarket near St Lluis was not expesnive, unless you bought British brands - a bottle of Robinsons was about £2.50 and a bottle of Magners cider £3. A litre of local beer was 60p and other local food was excellent value.
Despite going out every day there is still loads we didn't see and we will definately be going back.
Been to Menorca 3 times so far and am heading there again next week! I think you have to find the right resort for you - they all offer different things.
1st time went to Cala Blanes (I think) Kids about 3 & 4, it was great but very few places to eat out.
2nd time Arenal Den Castell, kids 6 & 7 - fantastic holiday one of the best, 10 years ago now.
3rd time Santo Tomas, kids 13 & 14 - bad choice! Lovely quiet resort, perfect for young children - boring for teenagers. Me & Hubby loved it, did lots of lovely walks but kids not into that!
Next week - just me & 16 year old daughter - heading back to Arenal Den Castell - cannot wait to see that beautiful bay!
Have done loads of touring on all the holidays and for me Arenal is the best on the island.
1st time went to Cala Blanes (I think) Kids about 3 & 4, it was great but very few places to eat out.
2nd time Arenal Den Castell, kids 6 & 7 - fantastic holiday one of the best, 10 years ago now.
3rd time Santo Tomas, kids 13 & 14 - bad choice! Lovely quiet resort, perfect for young children - boring for teenagers. Me & Hubby loved it, did lots of lovely walks but kids not into that!
Next week - just me & 16 year old daughter - heading back to Arenal Den Castell - cannot wait to see that beautiful bay!
Have done loads of touring on all the holidays and for me Arenal is the best on the island.
Love it, just back after a brilliant week.........hadn't been for many years and it has changed but it is still totally beautiful.
just back myself after a week in son bou with the wife and daughter. it was the fourth time we went. booked privately this time, and booked the flights separately - i estimated that i saved about £1,000 based on the tour operator quotes when i was doing the booking.
met some couples out there who were getting some bargain basement prices to get out there - one couple got a week out there , in son bou, for 350 quid each.
eating out wasnt too pricey - went to one of the best restaurants in son bou, casa andres, and it was 48 euros including sangria. and thats me ordering their most expensive steak.
you can have a meal for two or three quite cheaply if you want (chicken/pizza). cheapest we had was about 30 euros , and that includes beers and ice cream and meals for the three of us.
there's three supermarkets there as well, so you could always do it on the cheap and just have a cheap tapas style dinner if you wanted. cheap wine too - 1 euro 50 for spanish table wine. nice enough stuff.
met some couples out there who were getting some bargain basement prices to get out there - one couple got a week out there , in son bou, for 350 quid each.
eating out wasnt too pricey - went to one of the best restaurants in son bou, casa andres, and it was 48 euros including sangria. and thats me ordering their most expensive steak.
you can have a meal for two or three quite cheaply if you want (chicken/pizza). cheapest we had was about 30 euros , and that includes beers and ice cream and meals for the three of us.
there's three supermarkets there as well, so you could always do it on the cheap and just have a cheap tapas style dinner if you wanted. cheap wine too - 1 euro 50 for spanish table wine. nice enough stuff.
Hi, just back from Viva Menorca, the Hotel was ok, but the rooms were like butlins, absolute nightmere trying to get a sunbed.So a hike every day to the beach, not my idea of a relaxing holiday but i must say the beach is very nice.
Every one seemed to be picking up the sickness bug up including my daughter and that day she swallowed the pool water,the rest of our party were ok. but their were also some other people with the same bug.
Calan n Bosh is a very pretty place and if you like going on lots of walks, this is the place for you. The weather was not very good we had alot of cloud and the a few drops of rain and also to end of the holiday the night before we was going home we had a amazing thunder storm.
Maybe it was just one off holiday but i must say it was one of the worst holidays i have been on.
I wont be booking menorca again as their is many more things i could tell you about our week in menorca good and bad but i dont want to put anyone of their holidays, just go and have a good time we tryed to but it just was not what we were expecting after reading such good write ups for viva menorca!!!!!
Every one seemed to be picking up the sickness bug up including my daughter and that day she swallowed the pool water,the rest of our party were ok. but their were also some other people with the same bug.
Calan n Bosh is a very pretty place and if you like going on lots of walks, this is the place for you. The weather was not very good we had alot of cloud and the a few drops of rain and also to end of the holiday the night before we was going home we had a amazing thunder storm.
Maybe it was just one off holiday but i must say it was one of the worst holidays i have been on.
I wont be booking menorca again as their is many more things i could tell you about our week in menorca good and bad but i dont want to put anyone of their holidays, just go and have a good time we tryed to but it just was not what we were expecting after reading such good write ups for viva menorca!!!!!
Love it 
Visited Menorca for the very first time from 28th July - 7th August 07.
Had a great time, weather was fantastic the whole time we were there.
We stayed in Calan Bosch (Menorca Mar apartments), the whole place is clean and everyone was pleasant and friendly. The marina and the beach are lovely.
We didn't visit any other part of the island while we were there, but intend returning to stay at some of the other resorts.
Visited Menorca for the very first time from 28th July - 7th August 07.
Had a great time, weather was fantastic the whole time we were there.
We stayed in Calan Bosch (Menorca Mar apartments), the whole place is clean and everyone was pleasant and friendly. The marina and the beach are lovely.
We didn't visit any other part of the island while we were there, but intend returning to stay at some of the other resorts.
Has anyone come home recently from Viva Menorca. We are due to go on the 10th Sept and am now panicking!!!!!!!
Anne
Anne
Couple of recent reviews of VIVA MENORCA here -
http://www.holidays-uncovered.co.uk/frames.htm
http://www.holidays-uncovered.co.uk/frames.htm
In the words of Soccer AM......" WE LURVE IT LURVE IT LUVITLUVIT LURVE IT!!!"
Just come back from a marvellous fortnight. I felt totally relaxed from day 1...... only happened to me once before. Our first but, most definitely not, our last time. Very laid back.
Thoroughly recommended.
Just come back from a marvellous fortnight. I felt totally relaxed from day 1...... only happened to me once before. Our first but, most definitely not, our last time. Very laid back.
Thoroughly recommended.
we went back to Menorca this year hoping to find some quiet beaches but im afraid that we found the menorcan beaches we tried were busier than some of majorcas, especially around cala maccarella galdana and turquetta .For beach quality you cannot beat these two islands but unfortunately there are too many of us trying to get there
We went to Cal N Forcat in June for a week, it cost us £1050 for self catering from manchester with Thomsons, we stayed at the Vista Picas and thoroughly enjoyed our week there, this was our second visit to cala n forcat, last year we were there when the tsunami hit citudella harbour, that week was apparently one of the worst of 2006 summer, we had 2 days of rain (light rain in the evenings) and the dark overcast and very windy hour or two whilst the tsunami hit. other than that it was brilliant, that was the 2nd week in june, this year we went out on 23rd june and had a full week of unbroken sunshine.
it was on occasions a little breezy but it cooled you down which was a good thing.
we should all realise that as spain is a member of the EU, their cost of living is slowly coming in line with our own, i would therefore expect to pay 30-40€ for a meal for the 4 of us, compare this to england and it isnt much different.
i would certainly go back again and probably will next year as the kids loved it there, and as far as i am concerned....long as the kids have fun then i dont care where i go.
people who complain about another country/resort have a choice, if you dont like it, dont go again....try somewhere else until you find somewhere you do like, and when you do please put it on here for others to help them choosing their holidays
out of the 3 balearic islands i have found menorca to be the quietist and most relaxing of the 3, ibiza is my next favourite with majorca last due to all the lager louts from england who think they have the god given right to pee and vomit in the streets every night, that disgusts me and makes me ashamed to be british.
it was on occasions a little breezy but it cooled you down which was a good thing.
we should all realise that as spain is a member of the EU, their cost of living is slowly coming in line with our own, i would therefore expect to pay 30-40€ for a meal for the 4 of us, compare this to england and it isnt much different.
i would certainly go back again and probably will next year as the kids loved it there, and as far as i am concerned....long as the kids have fun then i dont care where i go.
people who complain about another country/resort have a choice, if you dont like it, dont go again....try somewhere else until you find somewhere you do like, and when you do please put it on here for others to help them choosing their holidays
out of the 3 balearic islands i have found menorca to be the quietist and most relaxing of the 3, ibiza is my next favourite with majorca last due to all the lager louts from england who think they have the god given right to pee and vomit in the streets every night, that disgusts me and makes me ashamed to be british.
My wife and I have been holidaying on the island since 1997. Our first holiday together was staying with a friend at his villa in S'Albufera (Shangri La) and we loved the peace and quiet there and I guess our memories of that time have given us a slightly rose tinted view of the island.
I think that over the 9 years or so we have been going back, the prices have shifted quite dramatically for eating out, from being cheap, to being comparable with reasonable quality pub restaurant food in the UK. If you eat out in Mahon Harbour, you should be expecting to pay a premium, but because of the competition you would have to work at it to find a bad restaurant.
The introduction of the euro did seem to have a disproportionate effect on prices for just about everything!
I think that over the 9 years or so we have been going back, the prices have shifted quite dramatically for eating out, from being cheap, to being comparable with reasonable quality pub restaurant food in the UK. If you eat out in Mahon Harbour, you should be expecting to pay a premium, but because of the competition you would have to work at it to find a bad restaurant.
The introduction of the euro did seem to have a disproportionate effect on prices for just about everything!
Love it.
Just returned from Sur Menorca (see thread).
This was my 3rd visit with our 3 year old son (his 6th overseas holiday) and was by far the best we've had.
I expect his 7th and 8th hols will be in Menorca before his 5th birthday too!
Just returned from Sur Menorca (see thread).
This was my 3rd visit with our 3 year old son (his 6th overseas holiday) and was by far the best we've had.
I expect his 7th and 8th hols will be in Menorca before his 5th birthday too!
As the saying goes "you can please some of the people etc, etc" and obviously menorca wont please some people. But as far as we are concerned one or two less people on Menorca means more space and more peace and quiet for us next time.
As others have pointed out: prices are going up in the Med, thats more to do with the fact that the Euro countries are now far better off than Britain and their currency is strong thanks to the disastrous mess made of the British economy by Brown and his cronies.
I have fortunate in holidaying in most continents and lots of countries but I can honestly say that Menorca is just fabulous:
The weather has always been kind
The local people are friendly, genuine and honest
We have witnessed just one or two incidents of loutish Brits
We use a brilliant hotel in a brilliant resort
2 hrs from Manchester
Quiet roads
Superb scenery
Georgeous beaches
Beautiful cities of Ciutadella and Mahon
Perhaps I should just agree that Menorca is crap and deter some other people, that would actually suit just fine if they all ended up in Benidorm or Blackpool.
As others have pointed out: prices are going up in the Med, thats more to do with the fact that the Euro countries are now far better off than Britain and their currency is strong thanks to the disastrous mess made of the British economy by Brown and his cronies.
I have fortunate in holidaying in most continents and lots of countries but I can honestly say that Menorca is just fabulous:
The weather has always been kind
The local people are friendly, genuine and honest
We have witnessed just one or two incidents of loutish Brits
We use a brilliant hotel in a brilliant resort
2 hrs from Manchester
Quiet roads
Superb scenery
Georgeous beaches
Beautiful cities of Ciutadella and Mahon
Perhaps I should just agree that Menorca is crap and deter some other people, that would actually suit just fine if they all ended up in Benidorm or Blackpool.
Hi All 
, decided I would resurrect this thread as some interesting comments made by lots of people over the last few years and thought that recent visitors could add their comments and thoughts on Menorca.
I personally love Menorca and cannot think of anywhere I'd rather go with my children at the ages they are(4 and 8 ). Am due to go for the 5th time in August and cannot wait. Pre children I visited many places for holidays including Greece, mainland and islands, Cyprus, Turkey, Canaries, Portugal and other Balearic islands. I enjoyed all of my holidays (except Fuerteventura and Praia da Rocha!) but the reasons I return to Menorca are:
Only 2 hour flight
Clean resorts
Child friendly
Beautiful picturesque island - very green landscape, lovely beaches
Friendly people
Easy to get around with car, easy to see other resorts
Never experienced any lager louts
Resort entertainment quietens at a reasonable time so you get a decent nights sleep
Not 'too' hot in peak season (would not take kids to Cyprus/Turkey for these reasons)
Restaurants cater well for children
Could go on and on but will stop for now. What are your thoughts?
, decided I would resurrect this thread as some interesting comments made by lots of people over the last few years and thought that recent visitors could add their comments and thoughts on Menorca.I personally love Menorca and cannot think of anywhere I'd rather go with my children at the ages they are(4 and 8 ). Am due to go for the 5th time in August and cannot wait. Pre children I visited many places for holidays including Greece, mainland and islands, Cyprus, Turkey, Canaries, Portugal and other Balearic islands. I enjoyed all of my holidays (except Fuerteventura and Praia da Rocha!) but the reasons I return to Menorca are:
Only 2 hour flight
Clean resorts
Child friendly
Beautiful picturesque island - very green landscape, lovely beaches
Friendly people
Easy to get around with car, easy to see other resorts
Never experienced any lager louts
Resort entertainment quietens at a reasonable time so you get a decent nights sleep
Not 'too' hot in peak season (would not take kids to Cyprus/Turkey for these reasons)
Restaurants cater well for children
Could go on and on but will stop for now. What are your thoughts?
Just thought of more to add to the list -
No lucky lucky men
No timeshare touts
No hassle from bar/restaurant staff to go in
Just very relaxed and laid back - brilliant!
No lucky lucky men
No timeshare touts
No hassle from bar/restaurant staff to go in
Just very relaxed and laid back - brilliant!
Have to agree with everything Nic has stated
Going back to Cala n Bosch for our 2nd year in a row. Its a perfect resort for us with our nearly 3 year old who loves the beach and the Goody Goody Park!
Its clean, its friendly, its peaceful and laid back.
Love it.
Going back to Cala n Bosch for our 2nd year in a row. Its a perfect resort for us with our nearly 3 year old who loves the beach and the Goody Goody Park!
Its clean, its friendly, its peaceful and laid back.
Love it.
We have found a great deal for going in 2 weeks time. I'm looking at staying at the Apartments Las Palmeras on the S'Agar resort! I must say, I've read great reviews.
I will wait for the husband to return from work to have a look, then hopefully we will book it!!
I will wait for the husband to return from work to have a look, then hopefully we will book it!!
i first went in 1996 when it was the pesata and very cheap indeed . i have been back a few times since then and still enjoyed the island , a car is needed to get the most from the island as there is some stunning scenery and small out of the way beaches where you wont see any other person . went back last sept to the ai cala blanca hotel . typical spanish ai in my opinion tying to cut corners every where.. my favorite place on the island is calan porter stunning beach and enough to keep you busy. 10 mins from airport and 15 the mahon so close enough for shopping trips etc..
i will be returning , it will be calan porter and a villa ...
i will be returning , it will be calan porter and a villa ...
We have found a great deal for going in 2 weeks time. I'm looking at staying at the Apartments Las Palmeras on the S'Agar resort! I must say, I've read great reviews.
I will wait for the husband to return from work to have a look, then hopefully we will book it!!
nice place but not a lot to do . not a bad dive centre did it a few years back . close to airport so a quick transfer..enjoy
I will wait for the husband to return from work to have a look, then hopefully we will book it!!
nice place but not a lot to do . not a bad dive centre did it a few years back . close to airport so a quick transfer..enjoy
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