Spain · Balearic Islands
Yacht Charter Menorca
A biosphere reserve with no high-rise on it, and the coves the other Balearics no longer have.
Menorca has been a UNESCO biosphere reserve since 1993, which is why there is not a tall building anywhere on it and why the coast still looks like the Balearics before the other three were built. It is the island that gets left off the itinerary and the one people wish they had kept — three hours east of Mallorca, and it sees a fraction of the traffic.
Two coasts, two colours
The south has the white-sand calas backed by pine — Macarella, Macarelleta, Mitjana, Turqueta — reachable from the water and barely otherwise, with a road that stops well short and a walk at the end of it.
The north is a different rock and a different colour: red sand at Pregonda and Cavalleria, wilder, more exposed, and shaped by the tramontana that blows down it. Between the two, an island that is only fifty kilometres across changes character completely.
The two towns
Mahón sits at the head of one of the largest natural harbours in the Mediterranean — five kilometres of deep, sheltered water that made the island strategically valuable for four centuries and makes it a very easy place to keep a boat now.
Ciutadella at the western end is older, smaller and Catalan Gothic, with a narrow inlet for a harbour and a cathedral built on the site of the mosque. The two towns have disliked each other since the British moved the capital in 1722.
Practical notes
- Three hours east of Mallorca; three of this fleet's yachts are based in the Balearics
- Mahón's harbour is five kilometres of deep, sheltered water — one of the largest natural harbours in the Mediterranean
- The south-coast calas are reachable from the water and barely otherwise
- The north coast is exposed to the tramontana; the south is the shelter when it blows
Reached from: Mallorca and the Balearics
Where to dine
A table by the water
Es Cranc
FornellsIn the fishing village on the north coast, doing the caldereta de langosta the island is known for.
Ca n'Aguedet
Es MercadalInland in the middle of the island, cooking Menorcan recipes with the island's own beef and cheese.
Mahón harbour
MahónThe quays along five kilometres of natural harbour, where the town eats with the water in front of it.
What to do
Anchorages & excursions
The southern calas
Macarella, Macarelleta, Mitjana and Turqueta: white sand backed by pine, reachable from the water and barely otherwise.
Cala Pregonda
Red sand and stacks on the north coast, wilder and more exposed, and shaped by the tramontana.
Mahón harbour
Five kilometres of deep sheltered water, one of the largest natural harbours in the Mediterranean.
Ciutadella
Catalan Gothic at the western end, with a narrow inlet for a harbour and a cathedral on the site of the mosque.
The fleet
Yachts available for Menorca
Vessels that operate here, from flagship motor yachts to smaller crewed boats. Every rate is quoted on enquiry.
Good to know
Questions we are asked about Menorca
- Why Menorca rather than Mallorca or Ibiza?
- It is a biosphere reserve with no high-rise development, so the coast still looks like the Balearics used to. Three hours east of Mallorca and a fraction of the traffic.
- Which coast should we sail?
- The south for white-sand calas backed by pine — Macarella, Mitjana, Turqueta. The north for red sand and wilder rock, when the tramontana is not blowing down it.
- What does a yacht charter in Menorca cost?
- It depends on the yacht, the season and the crew, so we quote on enquiry rather than publish a figure that would be wrong for most weeks.
Destinations
Nearby destinations
Charter here
Enquire about a charter in Menorca
Tell us your dates and how many of you there are, and we will come back with the right yacht and a full quotation.