The low season in Menorca is the best
Menorca is small, quiet and sophisticatedly simple. It is sound and visually silent. It is a shy and discreet island that is given to whoever chooses it among other more mediatic and bubbly ones. That in these times and in the middle of Europe an island has achieved remain untouched and untouched it is revolutionary.
Spending a few days at this time on the Balearic island is a great idea. We can fill them with everything or nothing, walks, the sea, cheese and wine and the horizon. That's already a lot. Serrat said, so Mediterranean he, that dreams shrink . You have to dream without fear, because then the cuts come. So let's dream high: this is the idea of an idyllic off-season weekend.
Read, relax, live
THE TIME WILL BE KIND
Is not difficult. The average temperature of Menorcan October is 22 degrees and that of the Novembers is almost 18 . We admit that it is not hot in the summer, but on our perfect days there will be sun, the wind will be compassionate and we will hide a bath from the sea. The world belongs to the brave and to those who bathe when the water is cold. We will be practical: we will rent a car or a motorcycle but we will use it for the essentials.
WE WILL SLEEP SOMEWHERE BEAUTIFUL PLACE
On those weekends that we steal from the routine, the place where we sleep is important; above all, because the idea is to use it for something other than just sleeping. The hotel level in Menorca is contained but excellent. You have to be strong to compete here. we choose Great Cugo . The format of this villa is hybrid: it is a house but also a hotel and also a deluxe bed&breakfast . During the summer the entire room is rented (there are eleven rooms) but out of season can be booked by rooms and it works as a Bed&Breakfast.
A villa to be booked for rooms only out of season
It is the first five-star agrotourism on the island ; this means that the standard of service is very high. It would be possible not to leave here and we would already feel that we are taking advantage of the island. It is in a huge and green farm with its orchard, his chickens that give away eggs for a perfect omelette; has its own lavender field (who doesn't want their own lavender field?) and even a heliport, which, in this case, we won't need.
Here we can spend hours reading in their lounges in front of the fireplace (if needed) or swimming in the majestic 26-meter pool, weather permitting. You can only hear the whistling of the air: the sleep is restorative and the healthy food. If this is not enough, we can enjoy a Kodo massage, a type of Australian ritual that is carried out with the Li'tya brand, of which Cugó Gran has the exclusive rights in Spain. This place only has one danger: we don't want to go out. Let's force ourselves to do it. It will be worth it.
It is in a huge and green farm with its orchard
Parenthesis: if we look for a more “urban” weekend It is a good idea to sleep at ** Hotel Jardí de Ses Bruixes, ** in the center of Mahon ; Located in a very quaint 1812 house, it's new and stylish and, good news, it's open all year. The same happens with Can Faustino , a 16th-century palace located in Ciutadella and decorated by Olivia Putman, daughter of Andrée Putman herself.
In the center of Mahon
ALL SEAS IN THE SEA
Let's go find the sea. Menorca has coves and beaches that make us rub our eyes and wonder if we haven't sneaked into a photo like characters from The Purple Rose of Cairo . Transparent water and all possible colors of blue and green that makes it unnecessary any filter on instagram . If you ask four locals what their favorite beaches are, they will tell you four different ones. Some like them with sand, others prefer the coves, some want them small, others familiar and others isolated. Here there are no overcrowding problems of other beaches, not even in summer. or, so out of season much less.
Several names are often repeated: Ironworks, Binidali, Cala Tortuga, Cala Pregonda, Cavalry . The latter is known because she is going to be smeared with mud all over her body. They all work, they're all different and it is impossible to fail . The water will be transparent and around it there will be silence and no urban nonsense. If the weather is good, we can rent a little boat to tour the island. Doing it without more boats around (and at a much better price than in summer) will not be forgotten for the rest of the year.
Binidali
WALKING, THAT WAY OF MEDITATING
A few years ago, in its attempt to conserve and enhance the cultural and natural heritage of the island has recovered Camí de Cavalls. It is a historical path that has its origin in the fourteenth century and that runs through the entire island; It allows you to see the differences between the north coast, with darker water and a more rugged landscape, and the south, with white sand and turquoise water. can be followed walking, cycling or, as originally, on horseback . We will choose the first option: the quietest. It has twenty well signposted stages ; doing it all can take a week, but since we have little time and we want to do everything (or nothing) we will choose only one section. we will walk from Cala Canutells to get to Cales Coves . A fact: in Cala Canutells there is a simple restaurant, ** Es Canutells **, but it serves fresh fish, almost alive, that the fishermen bring in every day. The route does not take more than an hour but it is an exhilarating experience.
Camí des Cavalls
LET'S VISIT A WINERY
Wherever we go we will eat and drink what the land gives. This simple commandment has become revolutionary. In Menorca it is easy to comply. We will take advantage of the out-of-season route to learn more about its wines. For this we will visit the Bodega Binifadet. This is the project of a family that projected it as a dream: make wine on the island . A unique building was built in the "most beautiful town in Menorca ", Saint Louis.
Until the end of November you can walk through the vineyards, visit the winery or have an express tasting if there is less time, buy local products in their store (from wine jellies to cheese macerated with them, passing through cushions or bags) . Also offers late breakfasts (beautiful expression) and brunch on sundays . Or, if we prefer, a lunch or dinner among the vineyards. From December the activity declines, but visits can still be made during the week. The restaurant is stylish, it offers local cuisine with a twist and the wines are rich and friendly. It is impossible not to comment on the curious labels of the White Hake and the Red Hake, designed by Jordi Duró. On their website there is information about schedules and practical data. This plan is a very good plan.
Binifadet Winery
GASTROMENORCA
In Menorca, as in any place where nature and the environment are respected, you eat very well . The kitchen is simple, like the island, but refined, like the island. It is nourished by the cultures that have passed through here; so it's easy to find Arabic, French and English references . The latter are important: the British occupied the island intermittently from 1713 to 1802; a century goes a long way.
If we go to Mahón we will concentrate several gastronomic activities. We can visit the ** Claustre del Carme **, which works as open air market , order a manolito (flea) at ** Gradinata ** and have lunch or dinner at ** El Rais **, in the port. This restaurant has good views and good rice ; They serve it in small portions so that it is also a good evening dish.
Manolitos from Gradinata
Outside the city we can go to Cap Roig . It serves fresh fish and has a sea view which is the best dish. Locals also handle other data, such as going to the town of Fornells to eat Lobster stew and to the Bergantín restaurant for good homemade food. Another place that does not fail is the ** Cranc Pelut **, one of the best known on the island. We can't go back without trying Mahon cheese He is so charismatic. In ** Hort Sant Patrici ** they do guided tours that teach us how to make this delicacy. It is completed with a tasting of sweet wines from the island accompanied by sobrasada, carnixulla, pastissets, carquiñols or gin.
For allusions, it is worth mentioning the ointment, the local drink. Is natural lemon drink and local gin, Xoriger, It is halfway between cocktail and juice. It is perfect for mid-afternoon, as an aperitif. If it is taken at the edge of a swimming pool or curled up on a sofa with silence in the background, everything improves.
Cranc Pelut
I SHOP THEN I TRAVEL
This is what many think. We, at times, too. It's not about buying but to take home memories , to look for company for the return. In Menorca you have to buy, of course, you encompass . We will find them all over the island but those of Ca s'Eparter , in Mahón they are famous because they have been walking the streets for 200 years. If we are looking for more contemporary design we can go to the chandlery , with a pampered selection of objects, candles and clothes, or to ** Boba's **, where they sell espardenyes handmade author. The contemporary traveler loves these attributes.
Anything else? Yes, quite. If we have time left we can, in line with the ointment , make a gin tasting at Xoriger , in the port of Mahón. Many do not know that this distillate has been produced in Menorca since the British occupation, when the English couldn't live without Gin . The custom continued to this day. You can also ride a horse Son Bou Beach ; in fact this can only be done out of season. Or we can stroll through picturesque villages to get an idea of the quiet life of the island: a very interesting one is Binibeca, designed in the 60s by Barba Corsini. The photos come out beautiful. Something very unique and very Menorcan is to go to the opera . Here, the musical tradition is powerful. The Mahón theater is gorgeous and is one of the European theaters with the greatest operatic tradition. Going to the theater one autumn night on an island is something we want to do so we can tell about it.
From here, and after having proposed this idyllic and feasible getaway, we ask Serrat to please, in this case, dreams do not shrink us too much.
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Traditional shopping in Menorca