Family holidays in Menorca in August
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Hi everyone, I have a family with two children aged 13 and 10 and we are thinking about a holiday in Menorca for August this year. We are attracted by the beautiful beaches of this island which seems to be less touristy and hopefully not so crowded in high season. Can you tell me what the weather is like in early August? What are the usual high temperatures and how do they feel? Are they above 34 – 35 degrees Celsius? Is the humidity high? I have searched for an apartment on AirBNB and Booking but there are not many available and most do not have air conditioning. The last 2 years we spent our holidays on the coast of Croatia but the apartments we booked had air conditioning. Without it I think we would not have been able to sleep all night because of the heat. Are the beaches and towns very crowded during high season in the sense that you can hardly find a free spot on the beach? Can you use local buses to visit the island or do you really need a rental car? Any other tips and advice would be welcome as well. If you know of any local websites to search for holiday apartments to rent, please post them as well. Thanks in advance for your help!
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The island is so small that if you are in a tourist hotspot you will be able to access most of the island by bus. The buses are air conditioned and come with the rule (as do the main towns) that you must be dressed correctly, so a cover up is needed over your bikini and men must wear a shirt/top.
From ciutadella or mahón you can get a bus to almost anywhere, the most beautiful unspoilt beaches are a good distance from the bus stops but that is for good reason, it keeps them unspoilt, pack a picnic and drinks as these beaches have no cafes or services.
I wouldn’t really bother renting cars as a transfer from the airport will be less than an hour and a half drive regardless of where you stay.
If you want to see some of the harder to get to beaches and not have the kids walk too much in the heat, I suggest booking any of the glass bottom boat or big boat tours you’ll find in many of the port areas. You’ll go out for the day to see the island, see some coves, get dropped off at the actual beaches and then there’s a boat there with toilets and usually drinks so the kids don’t hate it.
You’ll find some beaches are very crowded but there’s usually always a spot available.
I lived on the Ciutadella side so my experience is mostly based on using that as a starting point, everywhere is accessible by bus.
You can head north west from Ciutadella and find Cala’n Blanes and Los Delfines which are very very touristy and very based on entertainment and kids stuff everywhere, it has a beach in each place and some coves to swim in between, buses go to both places from Ciutadella every 20 minutes or so, there is plenty to do, see, eat and drink here.
To the north of Ciutadella you will find Cala Morrell, a really beautiful and mostly quieter area, although it has become more popular, there are also buses that run here regularly.
In Ciutadella there is a beach called Platja Gran/Playa Grande which is very small and can get very busy as it is the main pedestrian beach in town, there is a bus stop here and most buses going to Ciutadella pass by this stop.
From Platja Gran and Ciutadella you can head south and buses go to each of these beaches every 20 minutes… The south/west of the island has all white sandy beaches and the north has more pebble rocky beaches. Diskont supermarket is very close to this bus route and you can walk from ciutadella and Sa Caleta. Sa Caleta a very small but beautiful beach and a little fortress to explore on the rocks, some cafes, shops and hotels locally. Santandria two joined beaches with a lovely shallow area to paddle in, some cafes and hotels here. Cala Blanca is a more touristy area with lots of public pools and slides by the beach, lots of restaurants and evening entertainment, children’s playgrounds. Cap D’Artrutx – Cala’n Bosc/Cala en Bosch is beautiful (I’m biased, I used to live here too) there’s a beautiful lighthouse, supermarkets to eat at and entertainment by the lighthouse, then there’s a boardwalk from the lighthouse to the marina with boat tours where you’ll find restaurants, entertainment, pools, Cala’n Bosc beach which then almost connects to Son Xoriguer beach which is more of a golden sand beach, all three are on the bus route. All of this is walkable.
Cala en Bosc and Cala’n Blanes both have water parks… I’ve never been to Blanes but at Bosc you have 4 “big” slides and lots more little things, I wouldn’t bother going for a whole day, it’s something like half price after 2pm so do something else, have lunch and then go there for the 3 hours until closing. I think Xoriguer has one of those inflatable fields on the beach sometimes, it also has more water sports opportunities. Bosch has pedalos and Blanca too… The others I’m not sure about.
Beyond here Galdana is a lovely huge beach with its own tourist area, it’s really pretty.
Turqueta Mitjana Mitjaneta are lovely beaches further away, but there are bus stops near the beach.
Also if you’re into hikers try the cami de cavalls or the natural biosphere area. If you’re renting a car Monte Toro is our only “mountain” and there are 360 degree views of the whole island there, plus a pretty impressive monastery to look around, complete with nuns!
Hope some of this helps a bit 😊