Menorca with kids: the family travel guide, Family Traveller

The small but perfectly formed Balearic Island of Menorca offers families a chance to slow down and get back to nature. Holly Tuppen seeks out its family hotspots

Since being declared a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve back in 1993, Menorca has been putting nature and local heritage first. Rightfully so; Spain’s easternmost island is not only the home of mayonnaise, Xoriguer gin and Mahon cheese, it contains five national reserves, hosts one of Spain’s liveliest fiestas, Festes de Sant Joan, and has the highest concentration of megalithic monuments in the Mediterranean. 

While it doesn’t have Ibiza’s boho-chic glitz, or Majorca’s photogenic mountain passes, its untouched landscapes and home-grown flavours are guaranteed to leave you hooked. From the barren cliffs of Cap de Cavelleria to the calm, azure waters of Cala Mitjana, with such varied vistas on offer, it’s hard to believe that Menorca is no bigger than the Isle of Wight. 

Sandwiched between the quaint port towns of Mahon (East) and Cuitedella (West), the hinterland’s rolling hills, ancient settlements and rambling farmhouses are divided by old stone walls and wild-olive wood fences. Manageable distances and traffic-free roads make exploring easy for restless legs, while the island’s inherently slow pace welcomes those that want to stop too.

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