Best area of Menorca or Majorca with 8 month old please?

[Horseyradish]

Hi, can anyone help with the above please. We usually like quiet holidays in unspoilt areas, can anyone suggest a resort please?

We absolutely love Menorca. We normally stay in a villa in Santa Anna, just outside Es Castell, just above a lovely little harbour with restaurants etc with a lovely cove a few minutes walk, and a really nice unspoilt beach about 10 mins drive away (but Menorca's tiny, and buses are good so car not essential). Owners Direct are good for villas/appartments.

That sounds perfect, thank you.

For Menorca I would only suggest avoiding a few resorts (Cala en Porter, Cala'n Bosch, Cala en Forcat, Cala en Brut, Calan Blanes - these are quite built up and not particularly traditional. (Purely my opinion, don't want to offend anyone).

I would recommend you look at:

Son Bou: very pretty, great long white sandy beach, nice resort centre, very family friendly.

Cala Galdana: smaller resort, but even more beautiful, cliffs, greenery, sandy horseshoe bay, quite upmarket.

Santo Tomas: small, family friendly, great beach, good reputation for family holidays.

Some of the South Coast villages are gorgeous and very Spanish (Binissafuller, Binidali, Canutells) Punta Prima is very nice and was very quiet, however there is a huge hotel (Insotel Punta Prima) there now, which is a 5* AI thing. Not my cup of tea but has a good reputation.

Perhaps the most traditional place is Fornells, a gorgeous fishing village on the north coast, but the beach is a couple of km away in Playas de Fornells (mostly private rental apartments and villas via Owners Direct and similar). Very nice though and totally Menorcan.

For Majorca, it sounds as though you want the North Coast, places like Soller, Deia and Valldemossa, but I have no first hand experience to draw on.

Thank you Diablo

This is a useful website. You can register for the Talk forum if you wish and get personally tailored advice.

www.menorca-net.co.uk/

Ok so we've finally booked our holiday to Son Bou in Menorca (thanks for your help Diablo and Treblesallround), now for the packing!

Does anyone have any tips for what to take, and not to take for that matter, for an 8 month old please? Also any travel tips gratefully received :0)

We've also booked a car - do you have any must see places or secret beaches that you can share with us?

Thanks.

So glad you have booked a car: Menorca is a small Island with lots of hidden gems.

Mahon: walking along the harbour on an evening is a delight. Huge boats, people watching, great food (Pierro's is super).

Ciutadella: opposite end of the Island and former Capital city but you could be in another world. Architecture to die for, atmosphere to kill for. It is our favourite place, can you tell??????

Fornells: Pretty authentic fishing village (unlike purpose built Binibeca), a huge number of fantastic fish restaurants, again it has an atmosphere all of its own. If you visit during the 4th Saturday of July, its St Antony Fiesta is a must.

Monte Toro - the highest point of Menorca is worth a trip, even if you save it for a bad weather day. You can see every coast, north to south, east to west, and it has a gift shop, church etc. Free parking.

Son Bou beach is lovely. But don't just stay near the main hotel bit. A 5 minute walk towards Santo Tomas will give you sooooooo much more space to spread out, but beware, it is optionally nudist. The beach is 4km long and has marshes behind with an abundance of wildlife.

Other, off the beaten track beaches to try are:

Es Grau: perfect for babies, very warm and shallow sea and extremely pretty as a bonus.

Sa Mesquida: populated mostly by Menorcans and Spanish holidaymakers, very pretty, but still has a lifeguard and toilets. Never too busy.

When are you going? I have already booked next summer, but we stay inland in a residential area and just drive to where we want to go.

Also Horsey, there are loads of stunning "virgin" beaches, but most are a good half hour walk (or more) from a car park or resort, which might be very difficult to get to with your little one.

Binimel la and Pregonda on the North coast are easy-ish (car park behind Binimel'la and a further 15 minute walk to Pregonda along a clearly marked path).

Son Saura on the South coast is now easier to get to - follow signs from Ciutadella.