If you are planning a holiday in Menorca in the near future you may have been flicking through guide books in the hope of jotting down a few places to go to while you are there. Did you come across the Lithica quarries in those books? If you didn’t you should definitely add them to your list, because they are nothing short of stunning.

These are sandstone quarries and some of them date back as far as the Roman era. The various quarries are being turned into gardens and some of them are quite beautiful. This is a non-profit work in progress so you should expect to see work going on while you are there.

You can visit the Medieval Garden in the Quarry of the Prows. This is a very practical garden with herbs grown for medicinal purposes among other things. Even this corner of Lithica alone is worth seeing, but there is much else to see besides this.

Another part of Lithica consists of the Great Labyrinth Project. There are four labyrinths set aside for future development, and while nothing is happening with them at the moment the site is still well worth seeing. Just imagine what has happened here over the years – it is certainly a fertile site for the mind and imagination.

Above all it is the scale of the place that really takes your breath away. This is much larger and more sprawling than you might imagine. There is much to be seen and explored here, and even areas that have not yet received much attention are worth looking at. From some vantage points you can see mazes and structures below, giving you a day out you will remember for some time to come. Watch out for the maps as well – the botanic circuit is well worth doing while you are there.

As you can see the Lithica area is something of an undiscovered gem in Menorca. It may not be as well known as some other days out on the island, but it’s certainly a day out you won’t forget.

When you visit Menorca today you tend to focus on the modern side of it, and all the entrapments of the traditional summer holiday. For instance there are the beaches, the gorgeous blue sea and the many and varied places you can stay in when it comes to visiting this beautiful island.

But with any island like this, it also has a past to consider. And with Menorca the past is just as interesting – if not more so – than its present.

One thing you cannot miss when you visit Menorca is Naveta des Tudons. You may not be any the wiser initially when you see those words, unless you already know something of the history of the island.

The Naveta des Tudons is a burial site, and an ancient one at that. The chamber is roofed and it is the oldest one of its kind in the whole of Spain. Amazingly enough it was only uncovered in the 1950s, and it brought to light a whole new side of the island that was heretofore undiscovered.

This discovery meant that one hundred corpses that were buried there were suddenly revealed to the rest of the island. The site is located on the Mahon-Ciutadella road, and it is far over on the western side of the island. Happily it will cost you nothing to see the Naveta des Tudons, and it is definitely worth doing so.

As soon as you lay eyes on the building you will see that it is indeed thousands of years old. There are two levels to the construction and as you wander around the building you will see that the stones have been very precisely placed together. When you consider the art of modern building it is a wonder how expertly this ancient one was constructed.

Some say there is a distinct feeling and atmosphere about the place and this is hard to argue with. It is more crowded at some times than others, but if you can get there earlier in the day before the rest of the holidaymakers do you will have a better chance of appreciating the quiet and stillness there.

In many ways it is always a good idea to visit the highest point of wherever you happen to be visiting. Not only can you look down on where you are staying for your holiday, you can also see for miles on many occasions and get a whole new feel for the country you are in.

The same goes for Menorca. If you want to try this out, the place you need to head for is El Toro. This sounds quite dramatic and indeed the view from here certainly lives up to that. We cannot really call it a mountain – it is more of a hill than anything – but it still claims a height of over 350 metres so it is worth taking the trip to the top.

It isn’t too taxing for those who aren’t used to mountain climbing on a regular basis either. Just make sure you take plenty of water and some snacks with you, in case you find the heat a bit much. A lot depends on the weather conditions when you go, as well as the time of year.

The good news is that there is an easy path which winds its way right up to the top and this is wide enough for cars to use if you don’t fancy the walk. If you do take the car you will be pleased to know there is ample parking once you reach the summit.

And you can grab a snack here too as there will be a café awaiting you. This is the ideal place to plan your lunch, so make sure you leave in plenty of time to ascend El Toro before stopping for lunch at the top. You can then take your time looking around and getting plenty of photos of the view, which is quite spectacular.

There is also a church here and a statue of Christ, which also draws in the visitors. The church itself is not a busy one though, so you will find a moment to sit and enjoy the peace as you explore everything El Toro has to offer.

If you are thinking about heading out to Menorca for your summer holiday this year, it’s worth thinking about the kind of accommodation you want to stay in. Most people will want to stay somewhere that is nice and close to the beach – but are you ‘most people’?

There is a lot to be said for staying in a private Menorca villa during your stay, particularly if it has a nice swimming pool included with it. Make sure if you spot one of these that it doesn’t have a shared pool. If you are going to all the trouble of staying somewhere secluded and relaxing, it makes sense that you would want the pool to yourself as well.

This isn’t to say you wouldn’t fancy the odd trip down to the nearest beach of course. But if you dislike the noise and the crowds and you don’t really like swimming in the sea too much, a private pool can be so much more inviting. You still have the best of both worlds if the beach isn’t too far away, and you can also enjoy sunbathing whenever you like.

Oh and of course there is another great benefit to staying in a Menorca villa like this as well. You don’t have to worry about trawling all the way to the beach laden down with bags and snorkelling gear. Instead you can simply walk out of your villa onto the patio and hey presto, there is your pool ready and waiting for you.

As such it is also good if you have young children and you’re heading out to Menorca for the first time. Every parent will know the huge amount of gear that has to be carried around with you to cater for all child related eventualities. As such, having a villa to stay in with a pool right there on the property can make life so much easier.

So the question is this – are you going to be a dedicated pool and villa fan this year, or will you just head out to the nearest beach?

The southern coast of Menorca provides the perfect opportunity to introduce yourself to the island if you have never been before. With places such as Son Saura, Cala Torret, Punta Prima and Cala Mitjana to explore, you will never tire of finding out all that the south coast has to offer you.

There are plenty of good resorts and places to stay on this side of the island, so whatever you are looking for you have a good chance of finding it. Cala’n Forcat is a good bet for families as it offers good accommodation and a water park nearby as well. This will give you the chance to enjoy a day away from the beach if you fancy a change of scene while you are there.

Wherever you go though, there are some wonderful beaches awaiting you. If you want hidden coves you’ll find them in plentiful numbers on the south coast. Perhaps this is one of the main reasons why some people return to southern Menorca every year. It certainly has a lot to offer in the way of quieter spots to relax in. You can happily look for secluded spots away from the main beaches to enjoy all to yourself if that’s the kind of holiday you are after.

As you might expect from a popular holiday destination like Menorca, some of the beaches have been overhauled to better cater for holidaymakers. But many of them are still more natural and much quieter in appearance, and there’s no doubt many people prefer it this way.

If it is a peaceful holiday you want on Menorca, the south coast is the place to have it. With miles of sandy beaches and the sea gently lapping at each and every one of them, you will feel spoiled and steeped in luxury at every turn. You’ll have a hard time dragging yourself away when it is time to go home, but before then you can enjoy every single minute of calm and peacefulness that Menorca can offer you.

When you have the south coast, why go anywhere else?

Never heard of Cala Morell before? Don’t worry – it isn’t one of the best known resorts in the whole of Menorca. For that reason it is worth considering as a possible venue for your Menorcan holiday.

Size wise Cala Morell is pretty small and for that reason it doesn’t tend to get overrun by tourists. This makes it a potential destination for you if you happen to be looking for somewhere that is quiet and less touristy than some other destinations in Menorca.

Cala Morell is perhaps best known for its caves rather than its tourist scene. The caves can be explored quite freely and indeed many tourists make the trip here from other places in Menorca to see them. The most stunning aspect of them is that they are not made by nature. Instead they were carved and hollowed out by man. When you take a closer look at the caves you can see the various marks on them that illustrate this.

These caves were in use many centuries ago so it is really like going back in time when you step inside them and see how they were created. A necropolis, as you may know, is used to bury the dead. You will see various cavities and other smaller holes there as well, and although we don’t know what they were used for, many suspect they were used for burial urns after a cremation.

It might sound quite macabre but in fact a visit to the Cala Morell Necropolis is an eye opening thing to do while you are in the area. Even if you decide not to stay close by in Cala Morell you should certainly go there to see back into history as it was many centuries ago. There are fourteen caves in all, so it isn’t just a five minute visit either. You can see how they are all close together and look at the columns that hold up the ceiling. It is quite safe to enter these caves, and if you think about how long they have already been there, the chances are good that they will still exist many centuries into the future.

Many areas of Spain and the Balearic Islands are renowned as the venues to go to if you want to sunbathe by day and party by night. But in Menorca there is an altogether different atmosphere waiting for you.

This is the island of the beaches. We can call it that because despite its relatively small size it has beaches which number into three figures. Can you imagine having that many beaches to choose from when you visit this small island?

As you might expect they are dotted all around the coast, and there is something here for you no matter what you demand from a nice beach. Make no mistake though, Menorca offers a more relaxing and laid back view of the Balearic Islands, rather than the excitement of Majorca. If this suits you, let’s take a look at some of the beaches you could soon be laying back on.

Cala’n Porter is a good place to start as it is relatively well equipped without being packed with tourists. It does depend on when you go of course, but you can reasonably expect a relaxing time here. You can either drive down to the beach or brave the steps that go down there – but since there are nearly two hundred of them make sure you go prepared!

Santo Tomas is a great bet if you really do want to go to the beach for the day and be relatively uninterrupted. This is traditionally a quiet spot to visit but it does have facilities for you to use as well, which make it even more pleasant.

Punta Prima is about as far to the south east of Menorca as it is possible to get without wading into the sea. You can do that here too of course but be careful as the location of the beach makes the sea very exposed. And when you have had enough of the beach and of swimming you can visit one of the restaurants for a bite to eat.

And these beaches merely touch the surface of what Menorca has to offer. Which one will you pick?