Menorca - Cala en Forcat - not been before - bit worried

[Liciaflorrick]

A friend of a friend has kindly offered his holiday villa in Menorca in Cala en Forcat on a cheap deal for next year to my family (me, DH, and 3 DDs -aged 18,12 and 8) . We are thrilled- we would not normally be able to afford this kind of holiday at all.
I am super lucky but I am a bit worried as DH in particular is not great travelling and I just want to check for people who know the area

1. joined some Facebook groups and people are quite mean about Cala en Forcat (our villa is apparently quite near the small aqua park) and say very much like Blackpool, but closed up with many shops closed down now. We are quite relaxed shooed restaurant and thing ms to do is great but definitely need things for the 8 year old to do out of the villa that’s easy.
2. middle child has a dairy and egg allergy - will eating out be hard (she has the allergy card from allergy uk). She is also very small for her age and still has to use a car seat
3. we won’t hire a car - I don’t like driving and husband drives for a living and needs a break. But I think most taxis are for four people also we would need two to get around (or use bus) to get to Citudella . And would we need to bring booster car seats with us or do most taxis carry them? How do mother people manage? Is crime a thing on the Island burglaries from villas? sorry I realise I am over thinking this but middle child has been seriously ill and we have had various challenges this year on top so I want to get this right. thank you

We stayed near here last year. It is a bit British pub- Blackpool-like however it's not loud or loutish at all. There are lots of Rocky coves and areas with beautiful blue sea to jump into. Ciutedella is lovely and cheap and very near on the bus. It's a very easy regular circular route. There's a market and stalls every night by the harbour. I really liked Ciutedella.

We hired a car for three days (got automatic one to make it easier) from the car hire place on the main stretch. It was very reasonable and laid back rental. Enabled us to visit loads of lovely places on the east side Mahon, son bou etc. It's easy to drive there if you want and you can decide last minute when you are there if you find you want to see more of the island.

my son has allergies and it was fine eating out. None of the restaurants were outstanding imo and a lot of the time we bought food from the supermarket and ate at home as I dislike spending lots for a meal out that you can make yourself! But the cava was very cheap €3 a bottle I was very happy.

I also had to use the hospital there (using U.K. health card) and I was very impressed.

the aqua park is half price in the afternoon which is a bargain and enough time. Husband went there with the kids

Happy to answer anymore questions!

Thank you that’s really helpful. Were the buses easy to get onto (or were they a squeeze)
cava sounds great!

They were easy to get onto, we always got a seat. They get fuller at the latter stops. Coming back you get on at the main bus stop so that was easy too

If you really want to experience Menorca and get away from the tourist trap I'd hire a car. It's a really easy island to drive around and you might find it more of an inconvenience than taking taxis or the bus.

There are so many unspoilt beaches to discover that you'd really need a car for.

We had a lovely holiday there a few years ago. Depending on where the villa is you might be near Cala en Blanes beach aka Pirates Cove, which is/was quiet, clean and had blankets and cushions under all the palm trees. The “beach” in between has little walkways and bits to swim in, ours loved it there at a similar age. The water is very warm and clear.

Ciutadella is gorgeous and very easy by bus. Worth an evening visit for the night markets. Lovely restaurants along the marina. Forcat itself is a mixture but there are traditional eateries as well as the more touristy stuff.

Get your daughter’s allergy card translated into Spanish and make sure you both have a copy. The supermarkets are good, there was one big chain one (Eroski?) if you want to buy food to eat in occasionally.

Menorca is easy to drive and navigate, but I think there’ll be buses to other areas if you want days out. You should definitely take the opportunity, it’s such lovely little island!

Why would you need booster seats? Just take the bus anyway it's easy enough.

Thanks - It was to give us the option of taking a taxi if we didn’t feel like taking the bus.

I was in a different bit of Menorca this summer. Didn't hire a car but then actually did get one for 3 days, to allow us to see more of the island. It was cheap to hire a car from the local place (ie not airport) and was great to be able to get about. Taxis will only take 4 (it's the law) so you'll need to go in 2 if there are 5 of you

Can't help with your other queries, but we found eating out with our DD who's allergic to peanuts to be the same as at home - slightly varied from place to place but they were all informed. EU regs and all that! Obviously dairy and egg are much more difficult to deal with than peanuts, but if you eat out at home I would think you'd be fine.

We went start of the 6 weeks this year, honestly it's not as run down as people make out online. It's a resort I went to a lot as a child so it was nice to go back. Yes there are some bits closed but if you stay between the water park and the dolphin roundabout I think everything was mainly open.
I don't think taxis carry booster seats however for your 8 year old I'd have thought you'd be fine? Buses seemed regular although I didn't use them - it reached 40 degrees whilst we were there so didn't venture outside the resort as was too hot.