The best resort on the island!!! all centered around a horseshoe bay. Perfect for families or anybody wanting a complete chill out!!!!

Very laid back and quiet, most places shut by midnight. good selection of restaurants. A few supermarkets and car hire places.

Entertainment for the kids, is mainly at the hotels, isla paraiso or the aguamarina.

On entering arenal you go past a complex called coves noves which has a childrens area (tramopolines, motorised bikes, inflatables) and restaurants in a little square.

cheers deb. coves noves rings a bell. I have actually been to Menorca a few times before and once was at Playa Fornells which was not to far away. Sure we spent a couple of days on Arnell's beach. The childrens area sounds just the job . thanks for that.

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I'd say just a little out of the main resort area, but certainly easy enough to get to beach.

For kids stuff - best try one of ther 2 big hotels for a mini disco at night.

Coves Noves is too far away to walk from you.

Enjoy.

thats a bit of a bummer that Cove Noves is too far to walk. Hopefully there might be a bus service.

I don't think Coves Noves is too far to walk........although from White Sands it is further than from where we were at Castell Playa. (WS is nearer the beach though!)

We walked from Arenal d'en Castell to the fishing village of Na Macaret...

Anyway there is a "road train" that would take you most of the way, and it operates in the early evening as well. It's fun too!

how about with a 3 year old acorncup???

the road train sounds just the job tbh.

Ah.....then you might well need the road train!!!

And/or you could hire a buggy......there was a hire shop downstairs in Isla Paraiso apartments when we were there in 2005.

I'll tke a buggy with me, for sure. Is it all up hill or is it reasonably flat from White Sands to Cove Noves?

W'eve stayed in Arenal many times just over the road from the white sands (which by the way looks lovely) the walk to coves noves is a bit of a trek if you've got small children. It's a good 25 minutes up two hills going out, okay when your coming back. Your best staying local to the white sands. Paradiso next to Arepar has mini disco childrens club and nightly entertainment and you could easily carry the kids home to bed. On alternative nights la samarada a little further over does the same. After a long day playing on the beach you wont want to venture too far anyway.
Coves Noves is good for the kids just be prepared for the walk. Another tip Paradiso is great for evening meals give it a go you'll enjoy it .

I always think that the resort of Arenal starts at coves noves and ends just past white sands, the whole walk is no longer than 15 mins!!! When you get near the resort just look to your left, and you will see rows of flags and the inflatables may be up depending on what time you arrive, this is coves noves.

Believe me, the furthest I ever walk is to my car, and our 2 boys are the same, and even we manage this one!!

the walk is pretty flat until you get to the aguamarina hotel where you get to the small hilly bit. There is a very deep kerb just outside the hotel and a deep ravine which is not well lit so best to hang on to the children in this area.

We stayed at the White Sands Country Club, the other Sunterra resort on the island in June and had a good holiday, with the accomodation up to the usual Sunterra standards (3 to 4 * self catering)

If you are not a member it is possible that the Sunterra rep will try to sell you points, but we just said that we were not interested and heard no more about it.

The whole of the beach round from White Sands Beach Club to The Arenal beach bar/restaurant is really nice and sheltered and the water is warm.

From my Sunterra resort report
Restaurants
"Es Pescadore" in Fournells, on the harbour front, is very good, as is the ice cream parlour, 2 doors down. At "Es Pescadore" it is very easy to spend 2 or 3 times as much on your starter, as on your main course. Strange but enjoyable.
The Arenal beach bar/restaurant is quite good, with a picture menu, where the food looks better than the pictures. A nice place to watch the sun go down either over a meal or just cool drinks
Reclau at Playa Fournells had also been recommended to us, and although it was not bad, it was more style than substance and, in our opinion, over priced.
The cafe on El Toro is OK for a drink or ice cream, but the food is sub motorway service station standard. Bacon & cheese baguette, where the bacon was microwaved! Yuck!
In general the restaurants do not seem to do much in the way of veg with your main course.

Laundry
The laundrette at the Beach Club is one domestic washing machine and one domestic tumble dryer.
There is a laundry in Fournelles who will wash dry and iron 6Kg of dirty clothes for €24 in 24 hours. To find this drive into Fournelles and turn right ASAP, down to the water. Then drive along the seafront to the harbour, following the right, left round the harbour, and then into the very narrow road by the church, where there is a hard left corner. At the roundabout 10 yards in front of you, again go right, and then take the second right, back down to the seafront. Turn right onto the seafront and after about 100 yards you will see the sign to the laundry in the turning to your right. The laundry is on your left. They speak English.

Sundry
If there is a festival being held during your visit, and it includes a Jaleo (a sort of horse parade, with dressage and rearing horses (Olay!) it is worth going to see, even if you don't fancy hanging about for 5 hours until the dancing starts at midnight. We went to the one at Es Mercadal for the horses at 7pm, but did not stop long, after as it was going to be a long, loud, drunken evening/night.

We went on the Yellow Catamaran trip (glass bottom boat) trip round Mao Harbour. Pretty good value for the price.

Beware of the cash machine next to the tourist information at Mao harbour. After I had pushed the buttons to tell it what I wanted, it told me to take my receipt, didn't offer me one, and then sat there beeping at me for nearly 2 minutes before finally spitting out receipt, card and cash. I thought for a while I had lost my card.
I also used the cash machine in the lobby of the bank on Fournelles Harbour. This did not play up at all.

Mao is Menorcan. Mahon is Castilian.

Chip and Pin is not fully implemented. It is chip and pin and signature. And slow.

The locals don't like the speed limits, and will try to pass in some daft places.

Foreigners caught speeding get an instant cash fine, which can be over €200! Anybody stopped for any reason by the police will be breathalysed. Menorcan drink driving limit is 0.25 compared to 0.80 in the UK (1/2 pint of standard beer?)

Try the "Herbes de Menorca" liquor. You might like it. We do.

Blue parking spaces are free, but you need to write your time of arrival on a piece of paper and put it in the front window of your car, and only stay for as long as it says on the signs.

You will need either a car or taxi to get to the country club.

Have fun

Hi, are you quite sure that' the blue parking spaces are free'? Usually
if you park in a 'blue space' you need to purchase a ticket, price depending on how long you intend staying.
Parking fines and retrieving ones car from a Police Pound is very expensive here. Ask me how I know !!

"Hi, are you quite sure that' the blue parking spaces are free'?"

Well the ones in Mahon harbour are, according to the lady in Tourist Information. And when I looked at the other cars parked along there they all had bits of paper on the dash with times written on them.

There was a 2 hour limit (I think it was 2 hours) which was long enough to do the Yellow Catamaran trip.

Cheers