Holidays in Spain is a long-established tourist destination. European service, high standards of guest service, many historical and natural attractions, charming color attract many tourists 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 the incendiary Ibiza, where fun reigns every night? Or in Mallorca, where the rest is very diverse - from noisy Magaluf to quiet Santa Ponsa. But Menorca, despite its proximity to these islands, still managed to maintain its uniqueness. We will tell about its beaches, hotels and the most striking sights in this article.
Location and geography
Menorca (Spain) is the second largest island in the archipelago. She received the name from her nearby neighbor Mallorca (Minorca, Menorca means "smaller"). But still, it is definitely larger than Ibiza and very tiny Formentera. The outline of the island 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 there are no mountains in Menorca (unlike Mallorca with its Tramontana ridge). The highest point, the hill with the ambitious name of Monte Toro, is only 357 meters high. In the north, the coast of the island is steep, there are many pebble and sandy beaches. In the southern part, "seasonal" (filled during the rains) rivers flow into the sea. In their dry deltas, interesting beaches with a unique microclimate are formed. The northern and southern parts are different from each other and the flora.
Climate
The island is located in the Mediterranean climate zone. It's a hot summer here. The air temperature usually fluctuates between +27 - +29 degrees. Winter is snowless. The thermometer rarely drops below +15. The beach season starts from April. You can comfortably swim until the end of October. But in August, the weather in Menorca can become overcast, with heavy but short-lived downpours. But in winter, the island is experiencing a "dead season". Despite the comfortable (compared to the harsh Russian frosts) temperature, strong and gusty winds of Mestral and Tramuntana blow here, and a storm rages on the sea.
Howget there?
There are no regular flights from Russia to the island. All year round, only Aeroflot planes fly on the Moscow-Barcelona route. From the capital of Catalonia, Menorca can be reached by air (local airlines) or by sea. Comfortable ferries also depart from Valencia. But during the tourist season, the chances of getting to Menorca increase significantly. Charter flights go to the fabulous island. Tours to Menorca are very popular. Indeed, the cost of the tour includes direct air travel, transfer to the 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 not safe, because connecting flights are sometimes associated with unforeseen problems. How to make the island of Menorca more accessible for recreation? Tours from St. Petersburg will help you with this. Since 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 Inns
Unlike Mallorca and even more so from Ibiza, where there is nowhere for an apple to fall during the 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 the roofs of anyunaesthetic slate or metal-plastic, but only tiles. The walls of the houses are often painted white. Thus, there are no huge skyscrapers in the resorts of Menorca. But this does not mean that there are no exclusive hotels. More than half of Menorca's hotel stock is made up of apartments. And among the hotels 3-4-star prevail. For discerning clients, 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. And Alcaufar Vell in St. Louis is located in a 14th century estate.
History of the island
Everyone is familiar with the megalithic complex Stonehenge in England. Do you know that in 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. The megalithic civilization was connected by cultural ties with the Phoenicians, the Nuragians from the island of Sardinia and the Minoans from Crete. Strange mounds, towers and structures made of stone blocks are “scattered” throughout Menorca, the origin and purpose of which are still a mystery to scientists. Ancient Rome included the island in the province of its empire. Since that time, paved roads have been preserved here. During the Reconquest, 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 present capital of the island of Mahone of a large number of typically Englishdark brick houses.
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. These are Mahon and Ciutadella. The second city, towering on the impregnable coast in the northwest, was the capital of the island for a long time. But in the 18th century, when the British captured Menorca, it lost its paramount importance. The conquerors were attracted by a 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, the pirates of the Turkish Barbarossa destroyed the city to the ground. In the old capital of Ciutadella, time seemed to freeze. Ancient churches coexist with Venetian-style palaces. The episcopal residence reminds of the former grandeur of the city. The center of the island, with Monte Toro as its highest point, is a fun mix of Scottish green meadows and rocky desert.
Menorca: sights of nature
In 1993, UNESCO declared the island a natural and cultural reserve. Now about half of its territory is a reserved, protected area. The government is vigilantly watching to ensure that Menorca does not lose its identity. For example, the island has long been called the "Land of stone fences." And these boundaries, created from boulders dug out by peasants during plowing, still adorn the landscape. There are quite a few tourists here - after all, the hotel base of the island is small (only 40thousand places). Truly your vacation here can be called elite. The enchanting landscapes of Menorca are a joint fruit of the influence of the heat-breathing Mediterranean and the cool Atlantic. Not far from Cala en Porte there is a complex of unique natural caves open to the public. And among other things, many tens of kilometers of pebbly and sandy beaches make this island irresistible.
Paradise for antique lovers
But the main we alth of Menorca is the sights left behind by the people who inhabited its territory in prehistoric times. Megalithic monuments are literally scattered around the island. They can be divided into several types. "Talayo" or "talaiot" are mounds of stones, like mounds, and round towers. There are also “slanders”, so named because they resemble a boat turned upside down in shape. Scientists believe that they served as tombs for the inhabitants of the Bronze Age. And finally, tauls are mysterious towers, built, as you yourself understand, without cement, but only by tightly fitting huge T-shaped blocks. Until the end, the purpose of these buildings has not been studied. It is believed that the tauls served as a place of sacrifice, some kind of Menorcan dolmens. The largest concentration of monuments of megalithic culture is concentrated in the town of Torre den Galmes and in Talati de D alt, which is 4 kilometers from Mahon. Archaeologists have uncovered a large Talaiot settlement here, which existed from 5000 to 1400 BC.
Sights of Menorca from antiquity and the Middle Ages
The era of Ancient Rome left on the island of Menorca(Spain) a monumental road 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 open up to the gaze of the traveler. Memoirs of late antiquity have been preserved in Fornas de Torello and San Bou. These are churches of the 5th century, decorated with beautiful Romanesque mosaics. In the old capital of Ciutadella, the temple of Iglesia Catedral de Menorca, built in the Catalan Gothic style, 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 Alaior, where the best cheeses on the island are made. If possible, it is worth "conquering the summit" of Monte Toro, topped by a 17th-century Augustinian monastery.
Beaches
The best places for swimming are located in the deltas of dry rivers. They are called "kaya" here. The most popular beaches in Menorca are Caia Galdana and Caia Anna. They are a gently sloping sandy shore built up with small hotels. Privacy lovers will be attracted by secluded coves on the northern tip of the island. True, you can get there only by boat or go down from the high bank, showing the skill of mountain chamois. The south of Menorca, where sand dunes stretch for three kilometers in the vicinity of the Sun Bou resort, was chosen by nudists. In general, there are more than one hundred and twenty beaches on the island - more than on Mallorca and Ibiza combined.
When to go there and what to bring from Menorca?
As we have already mentioned, winter with cold heavy winds andconstant storms on the island - off season. Therefore, in summer, locals try to walk for the whole year. The island of Menorca (Spain) is given under the patronage of John the Baptist. And the Festa de Sant Joan, celebrated at the end of 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 show off their skills while spectators drink local Ginebra brandy and a Pomade (gin and lemonade) cocktail. At the end of August, the island celebrates Equin Fiesta (horse festival). Experienced riders in national clothes put on a real performance - haleo. In addition to the usual souvenirs, you need to buy avarkes as a keepsake of your vacation. These are traditional sandals crafted from beautifully crafted suede. Their style has been known since ancient Rome. In other regions of Spain, such shoes are called menorquinas - sandals have become a real hallmark of the island.
