Impressions of a Menorca Holiday
For those who have visited the Balearics over many years, thinking about a Menorca holiday brings to mind a world that has almost vanished elsewhere.
Halcyon days
Those lucky enough to have visited the Balearic Islands, the group off the coast of Spain that includes Menorca, during the early and mid-1960s, found a pretty romantic destination waiting for them. On just about any of the islands, development was relatively limited; many beautiful coastal resorts were still little more than fishing villages with perhaps two or three hotels attached to them on the outskirts. The hotels were almost invariably small, human in scale and strong in the local Balearic culture, including cuisine. With age comes a certain tendency to see the world of the past through rose tinted spectacles, however, most will agree that the islands during that time were comparatively unaffected by some of the less desirable elements of mass tourism.
The world changes but this island is different
When visiting Mallorca and Ibiza from the mid-1960s onwards, it was clear that this idyll was not going to last for long. Large-scale development was taking place just about everywhere, with the net result that by the 1980s, what had just 15 or 20 years before been small peaceful fishing villages, were now virtually major metropolises.
Yet for a number of reasons, on this small island things were simply different. Of course, modernisation and some resort expansion was undertaken, but the islanders were determined from the outset not to become simply a geographically smaller version of the sister islands, such as Ibiza.
What that means for today
A Menorca holiday today in many respects has reflections of those long gone days when tourists in the Balearics were still comparatively few and far between. A significant number of resorts on the island retain a quiet, low key and village-like culture that emphasises the joys of nature and their beautiful natural surroundings.
It's still possible to find small, secluded cove beaches, like Cala Mitjana, where you'll wonder if any development has ever taken place at all. Resorts such as Son Bou are based along magnificent beaches but development has been strongly controlled, so you're not going to see high-rise forests of mega-buildings on your Menorca holiday.
That theme is repeated across the entire island and, even although the major towns of Mahon (the capital) and Ciutadella (the ancient capital) are bustling and busy, they too retain a quaint charm that is not easy to find in some other Balearic destinations.
So, this island continues to appeal to those who seek a sense of the authentic Balearic way of life and where quiet charm is the norm, rather than unbridled hedonism and excess. In a way, those early travellers who €discovered' the Balearics in the earlier 1960s might see much today on a Menorca holiday that they'd remember. Some would say that's a good thing.
Halcyon days
Those lucky enough to have visited the Balearic Islands, the group off the coast of Spain that includes Menorca, during the early and mid-1960s, found a pretty romantic destination waiting for them. On just about any of the islands, development was relatively limited; many beautiful coastal resorts were still little more than fishing villages with perhaps two or three hotels attached to them on the outskirts. The hotels were almost invariably small, human in scale and strong in the local Balearic culture, including cuisine. With age comes a certain tendency to see the world of the past through rose tinted spectacles, however, most will agree that the islands during that time were comparatively unaffected by some of the less desirable elements of mass tourism.
The world changes but this island is different
When visiting Mallorca and Ibiza from the mid-1960s onwards, it was clear that this idyll was not going to last for long. Large-scale development was taking place just about everywhere, with the net result that by the 1980s, what had just 15 or 20 years before been small peaceful fishing villages, were now virtually major metropolises.
Yet for a number of reasons, on this small island things were simply different. Of course, modernisation and some resort expansion was undertaken, but the islanders were determined from the outset not to become simply a geographically smaller version of the sister islands, such as Ibiza.
What that means for today
A Menorca holiday today in many respects has reflections of those long gone days when tourists in the Balearics were still comparatively few and far between. A significant number of resorts on the island retain a quiet, low key and village-like culture that emphasises the joys of nature and their beautiful natural surroundings.
It's still possible to find small, secluded cove beaches, like Cala Mitjana, where you'll wonder if any development has ever taken place at all. Resorts such as Son Bou are based along magnificent beaches but development has been strongly controlled, so you're not going to see high-rise forests of mega-buildings on your Menorca holiday.
That theme is repeated across the entire island and, even although the major towns of Mahon (the capital) and Ciutadella (the ancient capital) are bustling and busy, they too retain a quaint charm that is not easy to find in some other Balearic destinations.
So, this island continues to appeal to those who seek a sense of the authentic Balearic way of life and where quiet charm is the norm, rather than unbridled hedonism and excess. In a way, those early travellers who €discovered' the Balearics in the earlier 1960s might see much today on a Menorca holiday that they'd remember. Some would say that's a good thing.
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