National Geographic Traveller (UK)
DAY ONE HISTORY & HEADLANDS
MORNING
Mahón, the island’s capital, makes an excellent base. You won’t be the first to think so, either — a threemile-long natural harbour made the city a strategic stronghold for the British in the 18th century. You can learn about the island’s British connections at Fort Marlborough; built in 1726 to see off French and Spanish flotillas, it’s now open for visitors to explore. If art’s your thing, hop on a boat to Illa de Rei in the harbour. The small island is home to Hauser & Wirth Menorca, which opened last summer. The Spanish outpost of the Swiss-based international art gallery is housed in a former military hospital and is home to beautifully landscaped gardens as well as compelling modern art exhibitions. Book ahead for lunch at its excellent restaurant, Cantina.
AFTERNOON
Just outside Mahón, you’ll find Talatí de Dalt, a prehistoric settlement built by the Talaiotic people, who inhabited Menorca and Majorca between 1500 BC and the second century AD.
This scattered collection of dwellings, towers and taulas (huge, Stonehenge-like structures) is one of the best examples of Talaiotic culture on the island. A short drive away is the Parc Natural de s’Albufera d’Es Grau. The heart of the island’s Biosphere Reserve, its dunes, marshland, tamarisk shrubland and olive groves — all wrapped around a lagoon — offer some of Menorca’s best walks and birdwatching. Afterwards, drive up to the Favàritx Lighthouse to enjoy the peace of the headland’s black-slate landscapes, roamed by a handful of hardy goats.
EVENING
There’s no finer place for dinner than Torralbenc, a former farm whose terraces are surrounded by lavender and cypress trees. The restaurant-hotel — the epitome of Balearic style, all minimalist white walls and rickety beams — offers an outstanding tasting menu paired with its own wines. Nearby, the Cova d’en Xoroi is a live music venue-cum-club set in cliffside cave overlooking Cala en Porter. Alternatively, the tapas bars at Mercatapas, housed within Mahón Fish Market, are packed six nights a week, serving the likes of goat’s cheese croquettes and cones of fried anchovies. There’s also live street music all over the city centre on summer nights (from around 9pm onwards), so be sure to arrive early to nab a kerbside table and cold beer.