Holidays in Spain - a long-developed tourist destination. European service, high standards of guest service , many historical and natural attractions, charming color attract many vacationers to this country. But there is a place in Spain that has not yet been explored by many Russian tourists. It is called the island of Menorca. Administratively, it belongs to the Balearic archipelago. Probably you have already visited incendiary Ibiza, where fun reigns every night? Or in Mallorca, where the rest is very diverse - from the bustling Magaluf to the quiet Santa Ponsa. But Menorca, despite being close to these islands, was able to still maintain its uniqueness. We will tell about its beaches, hotels and the most striking sights in this article.
Location and geography
Menorca (Spain) - the second largest island of the archipelago. She got the name from her nearby neighbor Mallorca (Minorca, Menorca means "lesser"). But still, it is definitely more than Ibiza and the very tiny Formentera. The island in shape resembles a boomerang thrown on the turquoise expanse of the Mediterranean Sea. In the archipelago, it is the most northeastern. The area of the island is 694 square kilometers, and on this relatively small piece of land there are so many interesting sights that you can talk about them for hours. But the mountains on Menorca (unlike Mallorca with its ridge Tramontana) are not. The highest point - the hill with the ambitious name Monte Toro - is only 357 meters in height. In the north, the coast of the island is steep, there are many pebble and sandy beaches. In the southern part, “seasonal” (flowing during rains) rivers flow into the sea. Interesting beaches with a unique microclimate form in their dry deltas. The northern and southern parts differ from each other and the plant world.
Climate
The island is located in the Mediterranean climate. It's a hot summer. Air temperature usually fluctuates between +27 - +29 degrees. Winter is snowless. The thermometer bar rarely drops below the +15 mark. The beach season begins in April. You can swim comfortably until the end of October. But in August, the weather on Menorca can become overcast, with strong but short-term showers. But in winter the island experiences a “dead season”. Despite the comfortable temperature (compared to the cracking Russian frosts), strong and gusty winds of Mestral and Tramuntana blow here, and a storm rages on the sea.
How to get there
Regular flights do not fly from Russia to the island. All year round only Aeroflot planes ply the route Moscow-Barcelona. From the capital of Catalonia, Menorca can be reached by air (local airlines) or by sea. Comfortable ferries also depart from Valencia. But in the tourist season, the chances of getting to Menorca are significantly increased. Charter flights depart to the fabulous island. Tours to Menorca are very popular. Indeed, the price includes a direct flight, transfer to a place of rest, hotel accommodation, meals and insurance (visa is paid separately). Independent tourists - and most of them - get to the island through Palma de Mallorca or Ibiza. This method is unsafe, because connecting flights are sometimes fraught with unforeseen problems. How to make Menorca island more accessible for relaxation? Tours from St. Petersburg will help you with this. From the second half of June every week (on Sundays) charter flights depart from the city on the Neva to the miracle island in the Balearic archipelago. Such a tour lasts 15 days, and tourists are accommodated in hotels from two to four stars.
Undersized Hotels
Unlike Mallorca, and even more so from Ibiza, where the apple has nowhere to fall in season, you will not find noisy crowds in the resorts of the island of Menorca. The hotels here are small - no more than three floors. This is a strict requirement of local legislation prohibiting the construction of high-rise buildings, so as not to violate the landscape identity of Menorca. According to the same rules, it is not allowed to cover roofs with any unaesthetic slate or metal-plastic, but only with tiles. The walls of the houses are often painted in snow-white color. Thus, the resorts of Menorca do not have huge skyscrapers. But this does not mean that there are no exclusive hotels. More than half of the Menorca hotel stock is made up of apartments. And among the hotels 3-4-star prevail. For discerning customers, we can recommend the Insotel Punta Prima Resort in Punta Prima, the Sol Gavilanes Hotel in Cala Galdana and the Morvedra Nou Hotel in Ciutadella. Alcaufar Vell in St. Louis is located on a 14th-century estate.
Island history
Everyone is hearing the megalithic complex Stonehenge in England. Do you know that on Menorca there are more than one and a half thousand such monuments of an ancient forgotten civilization? Scientists believe that the island was inhabited by unknown tribes before the second millennium BC. Megalithic civilization was connected by cultural ties with the Phoenicians, Nuragians from the island of Sardinia and the Minoans from Crete. Throughout Menorca, strange mounds, towers and structures of stone blocks are scattered, the origin and purpose of which is still a mystery to scientists. Antique Rome included the island in the province of his empire. Since then, paved roads have been preserved here. During the Reconquista, Menorca for a long time remained the last outpost of the Arab conquest. It was captured by the king of Aragon in the 13th century. In modern history, Menorca (Spain) has long been in the possession of the British Crown. This explains the presence in the current capital of the island of Mahon, a large number of typically English houses made of dark brick.
Cities on the island of Menorca (Spain)
The map shows us that in this area of the Balearic archipelago there are only two more or less large cities. This is Mahon and Ciutadella. The second city, towering on the impregnable coast in the northwest, has long been the capital of the island. But in the 18th century, when the British captured Menorca, it lost its paramount importance. The conquerors were attracted by the very convenient natural bay of Mahon, which stretches for five kilometers. They moved the capital to this city. Mahon cannot boast of ancient buildings. In 1535, Turkish Barbarossa pirates destroyed the city to the ground. In the old capital of Ciutadella, time seemed to freeze. Ancient churches coexist with palaces in the Venetian style. The episcopal residence recalls the former greatness of the city. The center of the island with the highest point of Monte Toro is a fun mix of Scotland's landscapes with its green meadows and rocky desert.
Menorca: natural attractions
In 1993, UNESCO declared the island a natural and cultural reserve. Now about half of its territory is a protected, protected area. The government is vigilantly making sure that Menorca does not lose its identity. For example, the island has long been called the "Land of stone hedges." And these boundaries, created from boulders dug up by peasants during plowing, still adorn the landscape. There are quite few tourists here - after all, the hotel base of the island is small (only 40 thousand places). Truly your vacation here can be called elitist. The enchanting landscapes of Menorca are a joint fruit of the influence of the Mediterranean breathing in the heat and the cool Atlantic. Near Cala en Porte there is a complex of unique natural caves open to the public. And among other things, many tens of kilometers of pebble and sandy beaches make this island irresistible.
Paradise for lovers of antiquity
But the main wealth of the island of Menorca is the sights that people who inhabited its territory in prehistoric times left behind. Megalithic monuments are literally scattered around the island. They can be divided into several types. “Talayo” or “Talayot” are mounds of stones, like barrows, and round towers. There are also “libels”, so named because they resemble a boat turned upside down in shape. Scientists believe that they served as tombs for residents of the Bronze Age. And finally, the tauls are mysterious towers, built, as you know, without cement, but only by tight fitting the huge T-shaped blocks. Until the end, the purpose of these buildings has not been studied. It is believed that tauls served as a place of sacrifice, some Menorca dolmens. The largest cluster of megalithic cultural monuments is concentrated in the town of Torre d'en Galmes and in Talati de Dalt, which is 4 kilometers from Mahon. Archaeologists have discovered here a large settlement of Talayots, which existed from 5000 to 1400 BC.
Sights of Menorca from antiquity and the Middle Ages
The era of Ancient Rome left a monumental road on the island of Menorca (Spain) leading to the plateau of Santa Agueda, where the castle of the same name and the chapel of St. Agatha now rise. From this height (more than 200 meters above sea level) amazing views are opened to the gaze of the traveler. Monuments of late antiquity are preserved in Fornas de Torello and San Bow. These are V century churches decorated with beautiful Romanesque mosaics. In the old capital of Ciutadella, the Iglesia-Catedral de Menorca Temple, built in the style of Catalan Gothic, deserves attention. In Mahon, you can visit the baroque church and the monastery of St. Francis. We also recommend visiting the fair in the village of Alayor - the best cheeses on the island are made here. If possible, it is worth “conquering the peak” of Monte Toro, crowned by the Augustinian monastery of the XVII century.
Beaches
The best places for swimming are located in the deltas of dried rivers. They are called kaya here. The most popular beaches of Menorca are Kaya Galdana and Kaya Anna. They are a gentle sandy beach, built up by small hotels. Secluded bays at the northern tip of the island will attract lovers of privacy. True, you can get there only by boat or go down from the high bank, showing dexterity of mountain chamois. The south of Menorca, where sand dunes stretch for three kilometers in the vicinity of the resort of San Bow, was chosen by nudists. But in general, the island has more than one hundred and twenty beaches - this is more than on combined Mallorca and Ibiza.
When to arrive there and what to bring from Menorca?
As we have already mentioned, winter with cold barrage winds and constant storms on the island is a dead season. Therefore, in the summer, locals try to walk for the whole year. Menorca Island (Spain) is given under the patronage of John the Baptist. And Festa de San Joan, celebrated in late June, is the most important holiday. On this day, riders dressed in black and white on horses decorated with ribbons appear on the streets of cities. Riders demonstrate their skills, and spectators drink local brandy Ginebra and cocktail Lipstick (gin with lemonade). At the end of August, the island celebrates the Ecuin Fiesta (horse festival). Experienced riders in national clothes arrange a real performance - the Haleo. In memory of the rest, in addition to the usual souvenirs, you must purchase avarkes. These are traditional sandals made from beautifully crafted suede. Their style was known in ancient Rome. In other regions of Spain, such shoes are called menorkinas - sandals have become a real hallmark of the island.