Minorca Island Travel Forum

Hello!
I already posted a question on the world forum asking for help if anybody could help me find a nice place for my mother and her boyfirend to go to for a vacation. I was stating that I am looking for a small island in tropical climate, preferably with palmtrees ( my Mom loves those =D) , quiet and not too expensive. Menorca was suggested to me there and so I was wondering if anybody from here can help me out with some details.
They would like to travel within the time of May - June. for maybe a week or two. My Mom would really like an island that is so small that she can walk around it, or at least manage in a day trip. Is that possible with Menorca?
Also, is there an area to recommend, where there is a palm tree beach with as few tourists as possible around? They would not like staying in a big crowded hotel. Since they don't have kids , they don't need entertainment for children and just the same they are very humble about any other special features that might serve as entertainment, for they would just like to relax after working too much and too long.
Since I think they greatly deserve it , I try to be as much of a help as I can to find something nice for them, and I am truly greatful for any suggestions or advice that might lead to them having a pleasant journey.
Thanks very much!
Maria

Minorca (35 miles by 9) is not a tropical island, although it should be warm in May and June. You are much more likely to find beaches with pine trees than palm trees, but Fornells is a possibility: http://www.excellence.es/fornells/fornells/puerto_eng.htm
Gozo (off Malta) is smaller (9 miles by 5), it's rather rocky although you will find some palm trees around, see http://www.nettravel.ro/kempinski.san.lawrenz.hotel.gozo.malta/
However I think my vote would go to one of the Aeolian Islands off Sicily, easily reached by ferry from Milazzo, which itself is not hard to reach from the airport at Catania, see http://www.italiantourism.com/island6a.html. My personal favourite is Stromboli, http://www.traveleurope.it/see2.php?id=3995&lingua=eng.

PS Surprised to learn from this that Minorca is bigger than Corfu! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_islands_in_the_Mediterranean

Menorca is a beautiful island but you could not walk around it. Its an island of two halves really - the east and the west. Unfortunately we found there were really no buses across the island and we always hire a car but we do prefer the west around Cala n' Blanes. The beach here is small but unfortunately busy.
Fornells is nice but I don't think there is a lot of accommodation in the north. There are some good pages here on VT.

First of all Menorica IS NOT a tropical island but a mediterranean one, so it means that you will not able to find palm treets in any of the balearic islands at less they have planted it for any other porpouse. All the balearic islands have a meditarranena climate that means not very very cold winters (althought not war ones, that's sure) and moderate summer ( so it means hot summers but not very much hot, around 29-30ºC). So if you are going to menorca you must advice your mother that she is not going to go to a tropical place or any place like that. Spain as the balearic islands are not a tropical or a warm place, they are only warm on summer and not very very hot. If you come in may don't spect even swim in the sea since the water will be cold and even the weathe can be little cold too. Menorca is a very , very nice mediterranean island but not a tropical one, and about a to be able to walk around the island, well that is not possible in menorca or in any of the other balearic islands, they are small but not so small! they are good to do day trips since the islands are not very big but you will need a car or a motorbike or some public transport like bus to move around.

I recomend you to look for some information about Menorca or even about spain to know where are you going exactly.

Good luck! :)

ah and i want to say that the original trees of Menorca as in all the balearic islands the same as in other mediterranenan regions like italy, sardinia or greece is not the palm tree but the pine, so you will be able to find nice pine beache sin menorca but of course not a palm tree beaches, cuba or dominic republic or caribe etc have palm trees since they are tropical places but not menorca, balearic islands or spain.

Hey, thanks for the answers so far. I suppose I knew about the tropical island issue, but I was hoping for something very similar since they are fortunatly not so far away from switzerland where they live. I will still suggest it to her, since I found indeed some very nice rural places that seem wonderful for relaxing.
Thanks to everybody!
maria

The only international flights to Menorca is from London. If you fly from Switzerland you have to go via Madrid.

I think this period Ibiza it is a very good place couse it is not so expensive and very quiet this time.
You could look for Hostal Mar y Sal.: + 34 971396584. Look for Nieves.

They are very helpfull.

The hostal is just in front of the beach and it is on Natural Reserv. Ibiza it is not only party.

Regards, karina

Hello...let me add some more confussion to your thoughts ;)

Menorca is one of the 4 islands that compose the Balearic Islands. I live in the big one, Mallorca. Menorca is the 2nd in size, after it Ibiza and finally Formentera. The 3 first islands are very, very touristic and May-June is already the high season so U'll have a crowded island. Formentera is the smallest and also the one that still preserves it's quietness and loneliness. Small enough to walk around it in a day and with quite good places to swim and enjoy the sunrise or the sunset in good company.

As laready posted, these are not tropical islands but U'll find palm trees indeed but not the caribbean kind of palm trees but the mediterranean ones...yes, there are mediterranean palm trees. They are not too tall and usually grow near the sea line.

Finally I could suggest U to take in mind the option of staying in Mallorca, the bigger island. The city, Palma de Mallorca, is overcrowded in high season but there are many other small and quiet towns and villages. Check out my Mallorca and Balearic Island travel pages for detailed info and pics...good luck on your quest!

Hi, Menorca is nice but is not what you are looking for. May / June would be a good time to visit but wouldn't match your expectations. Full marks for puting the effort into finding the ideal destination for your Mum but unfortunately this is not it. Good luck with your search.

Hey!
Cheers, to everybody for that much information it was not just helpful, but I learned a few things too =)
I will keep looking then, but maybe I go to one of these islands one day, since day sound really nice ;-)

Hey!
Cheers, to everybody for that much information it was not just helpful, but I learned a few things too =)
I will keep looking then, but maybe I go to one of these islands one day, since day sound really nice ;-)