Lusso Travel Ltd, No. 1 Glasshouse - 1LG1,
Alderley Park, Alderley Edge, Cheshire, SK10 4TG
Second-largest of the Balearic islands, Menorca is the unsung hero of Spain’s island territories, home to picturesque harbour towns, sheltered horseshoes of white-sand beaches and scores of prehistoric stone monuments.
Menorca feels notably measured, shaped by a long protected status that has limited development and preserved the island’s rural character.
The Camí de Cavalls circles the island, offering walking and riding routes that reveal coastline and farmland at an unhurried pace.
Mahón’s natural harbour defines the east - long and sheltered, with waterside dining that feels rooted in everyday local life.
The prettiest town on Menorca, Ciutadella cuddles up to a narrow harbour, its network of cobbled lanes flanked by a string of handsome mansions.
Aside from its pin-up beaches, Menorca’s claim to fame is its smattering of prehistoric stone monuments, mostly dating from the second millennium BC.
Boomerang-shaped Menorca stretches west from the enormous natural harbour around the capital Mahón to the smaller port of Ciutadella, a distance of just 45 kilometres. Both towns have preserved much of their 18th-century grandeur, though Ciutadella has the aesthetic edge, its still harbour flanked by bobbing yachts and waterfront restaurants, its ancient centre shadowed by fine old mansions and an impressive Gothic cathedral.
Linking the two through the pastoral interior is Menorca’s only main road, off which winding roads snake to craggy coves and sandy beaches – arguably the most beautiful the Balearics have to offer. Highlights include Turqueta, Macarelleta and Trebaluger in the south and Platja de Calalleria in the north, a wide scimitar of sand beneath a flawless blue sky.
Set in gorgeous countryside close to many of Menorca’s best beaches yet just 20 minutes from historic Ciutadella, Son Vell is a lovingly restored agricultural estate with a handsome 18th-century manor house at its centre.