Walkabout Gourmet Adventures

 
















































































Guided Walking Holidays

Menorca spain

Menorca, the Balearic hidden gem

Traveller notes DISCOVERY WALK


We didn't know quite what to expect while adventuring onto foreign ground, and had no idea about its wonderful diverse corners, but during our week of exploring this delightful Spanish island, we kept falling further and deeper into its wild and wonderful charm... by Nastassja Clarke | November 2017

Guided Walking HolidaysWe didn't know quite what to expect while adventuring onto foreign ground, and had no idea about its wonderful diverse corners, but during our week of exploring this delightful Spanish island, we kept falling further and deeper into its wild and wonderful charm!

Being off season was an absolute blessing and we could really connect with the natural and local aspect of the island. Our days were greeted by the warmth of the sun and the down to earth vibes of the local community made us feel right at home.

We decided to base ourselves in the historical center of Ciutadella - a peaceful port town with meandering medieval streets - full of magic and character.

Our boutique hotel "Tres Sants" is set in a magnificent multi levelled 18th century mansion and tastefully decorated with artistic touches around every corner. Not to mention the local sweet treats, wonderful music spa facilities and a rooftop terrace, overlooking the old town were great additions to make it a pleasure to come back each evening!

We immediately spotted our new favourite morning coffee "Bar Imperi", which had a friendly local vibe with great cappuccino and delicious homemade Menorcan sandwiches and amazing sweets, such as the famous "ensaimadadas" (a light flaky pastry that soon became a morning necessity!).

Our days were filled with the unknown! It is always such an adventure to explore a new part of the world and to slowly uncover all its secrets.

Our first day greeted us to a warm 21° which was a pure blessing in mid November! We decided to follow a section of the "Camí de Cavalls" an ancient path of 186km that encircles the entire island. Our walk started at Cala Morell where we could also view the necropolis caves before making our way to the lighthouse of "Punta Nati" and then continuing back to Ciutadella. A rather rocky but pleasant terrain, with superb views overlooking the Menorcan coastline which seemed to be full of wild herbs! We also had the opportunity to take a closer look at the traditional dry stone walls which can be found all over the island.

The British influence from the 18th century is still prominent in various forms on the island, and it came as a pleasant surprise to hear that they even produce their own gin "Gin de Mahon" which we obviously had to try!

An absolute "must do" was the wonderful corner located in the biosphere reserve of St Albufera des Grau National Park. Cap de Favaritx is another lighthouse highlight point on the northeast side of the island. We stopped here in the late afternoon, just as the sun was setting and the last bit of light went down shimmering onto the sea. Nothing could compare the magical sight of the bare black rocks surrounding its rugged coastline slowly getting darker and darker!

It was as if we stepped back in time when we first laid eyes on the village "Es Grau" located in the nature reserve. From there it was also possible to access some boardwalks discovering the diversity of the wetlands and spot various bird species and later on to stroll the beautiful sandy beach. A sanctuary haven for bird and nature lovers!

We obviously could not leave the island without stopping at a local cheese factory and trying out their favourites. Next time we will be sure to stop earlier and have amazing cheese tastings ready for us at picnic time!

With this in mind, we concluded our final stop at the "Binifadet" vineyard which is one of the main wine producers on the island - a lovely setting where food can be shared while tasting the different wines they have on offer.

We got quite used to our island life and felt a sense of nostalgia when leaving this little gem behind… Surely this is just the beginning of another great find which we are now so happy to share with our Walkabout guests
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Walking tour  See Walking Tour in Mallorca and Menorca, Spain
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