If you are a beach lover like us, then you may be already browsing the best places for a new beach home. Travel isn’t as easy as it used to be, but if you are in for the long run, then it is worth all the hassle. Our suggestion for the summer? Menorca.

We had the pleasure to call this little paradise ‘home’ for a whole month last year, and we were so delighted we wanted to share all our tips on where to stay, which beaches to go to and of course, where to eat. Don’t miss out on this blue gem, it is worth every penny.

A WEEK’S STAY IN CIUTADELLA

Ciutadella is a beautiful port city on the west coast of Menorca and its known for its old quarter and medieval streets. Staying in this cute little city is a favorite option for many, however we branched out and stayed at this airbnb 5kms out of the city (and near the beach), which turned out to be the best spot in the island to see the sunset. The first evening we were there we couldn’t believe how gorgeous it was.

There’s plenty of things you can do for a week near Ciutadella, we loved visit the old town and goind for dinner in the evenings and planned days out at different beaches during the day, but also made sure we booked different activities such as boat riding and mountain biking to keep ourselves entertained :)

One of the advantages of being nearby a port city is the paramount of options to book a boat for the day, which is a must do activity in the island. Entering all those little beach bays by the sea is breathtaking (and lots of fun!).

After much research and a lot of haggling, we found Iguana Boats, which is probably the most cheap and cheerful rental boat company in the island. As long as you have a driving license and 200€ to spare for the day, you are good to go. And you don’t even need a skipper!

Ciutadella is definitely the foodie hotspot in the island, and our favorite picks were S’moix, Mon and Rels. Excellent produce, delivery and customer service, all in beautiful settings and at a decent price tag. What else could you ask for?

Favorite Beaches nearby Ciutadella: Cala en Brut, Cala Turqueta, Cala Macarelleta, Cala Mitjaneta, Cala Trebaluger

STAYING OFF THE BEATEN TRACK: FORNELLS

If you are looking for a quieter village where to stay, we recommend wandering off to Fornells, another beautiful fishermen village right in the middle between Ciutadella and Mao.

Despite having less than 1000 inhabitants, Fornells has a lot to offer: great beaches nearby, excellent food and beach bars to hang out, a home made ice cream shop and a few clothing boutiques to browse.

This airbnb was a delight and if you are keen to try on of the local delicacies (Caldereta), Es Cranc is a must. If you are missing a bit of meat in your life, Ca Na Marga is possible the best steakhouse in the island and Isabella a few km away is the place to be seen for sunset cocktails and/ or apres dinner fun times.

The biggest and best silver lining that the pandemic has brought to us is the ability to become digital nomads.

More frequently than not, businesses are allowing employees to work from home, but where is home these days? As long as you have access to good Wi-Fi and a computer, the world is your oyster.

A WEEK’S STAY IN MAO

If you are staying in Menorca for a long period of time, we suggest jazzing things up by setting your home up in the other side of the island. Mao is the largest city and the capital of Menorca, and whilst it is very different from the beautifully old Ciutadella, it is definitely worth a visit.

Here you’ll find great restaurants such as El Rais and Es Musclet, and you will be able to visit Gin Xorigue’s distiller, the island’s very own gin.

Once again, there are a variety of things you can do to spend a week in this part of the island, but five are a must do:

Visit the Binifadet Winery. We were unaware of this beautiful spot and so our experience was both a surprise and a delight. You can book a guided tour with a tasting and then have lunch overlooking their beautiful vineyard. They cater for weddings so you can get the drill of how gorgeous this place is. Surprisingly, this was also a cheap and cheerful delight! They have a prix fix menu and their wine is delicious yet affordable. Needless to say we left drunk!
Visit Llatzeret Island. There are guided tours to the island running on a regular basis (either in Spanish, Catalan and English), and the 18th century quarantine island’s history is worth knowing. Little fun fact: Though it is no longer used for such purposes, the island belongs to the Spanish Health Ministry and government workers can use its for their summer holidays.
Wonder through Alaior. Spend the day by the pool at Menorca Experimental, have a wonder through the streets of Alaior’s village before you head to Coves d’en Xoroi for live music overlooking the sunset (note: you must book in advance as these places are quite famous).
Wonder through Binibeca after a day at the beach. This made up town will make you feel you are back in Greece! Plus you can grab a yummy cocktail and asian styl tapas for dinner at Bambu.
Spend the day in Es Grau Natural Park. We rented bikes and wondered through its wetlands, skinny dipped in their beaches and washed away all of our worries.

Take care of yourself careless readers, and happy travels! I know these are scary times, but we travel do not travel to escape life, we travel for life not to escape us.

TCB xx

Santorini, the romantic escapade. Known as the best greek island to see the sunset (OK I agree, but wouldn't it be the same from any other island?), Santorini amazed me since the moment I got there.

Hot, fuzzy weather. Lovely white & blue villages on a cliff. The people, the food. And of course, the Sea. It was stunning waking up to a clear blue sky and diving into the deep blue sea, with nothing else surrounding you. Oh man, what a feeling that was.

Santorini has many things to offer. However, I'd say it is mainly an island to relax. Take a good book, lots of drinks, a towel & a swimsuit and you are good to go. Red Beach, Black Beach, White Beach, you name it. They have them all.

As for where to stay: Oia. Not because I stayed there, but Oia is the most iconic village of the island. Forget Fira, Firostefani, Kamari or any other touristy village. All locals (and foreigners, of course) travel most of their evenings to Oia just to see the sun go down. Yep, that impressive.

But that's not the only reason why I would stay there. Tourists only grasp a bit of what Oia has to offer because they come for the sunset and then go, leaving without knowing that Oia is not as busy as it gets during sunset time. The scenario changes completely when you wake up, everything is more chilled out and you can get a nicer feeling about the place.

This cute village is in the north west edge of the island, along the northern edge of the caldera that forms the island of Santorini, at a height of between 70 and 100 metres (230 and 330 ft) above sea level. It is built on the steep slope of the caldera and the houses and restaurants are built into niches carved into the caldera on the seaward side. There are lots of charming passageways and a central square, with a little church.There's also a little footpath to access to the sea and the harbour, where I've tried really good seafood. Because, let's not forget the food...

Ok, let me go back. Eventhough we went in August, we managed to find an apartment for a very decent price. Marcos Rooms, a lovely aparthotel run by a greek family and few minutes away from the main street of the village. The rooms are lovely (they are the typical white and blue calderas) and you have a massive patio where you can bring your own food and drinks while enjoying the view. I highly recommend it!

As I had no clue where to eat, I asked them where could we go for lunch/dinner and we tried all the places they suggested, being my top 3 the following:

Thalami, my favourite restaurant by far. Everything we tried was excellent. Grilled octopus, tiger prawns, zucchini fritters, ... and they make the best Tomato Fritters (a traditional Santorini dish).

Skala, next to Thalami, it is also a good option to dine. Both Thalami and Skala's locations are sublime as you can sit in the terrace and have a view of the Aegan Sea. However, considering both cost about the same (€20/person, with no drinks), i'd rather stay in Thalami.

Kastelli is more like a greek taverna, very local. And I guess that's why I liked it so much. Their specialty is kalamaki, so this place was a must for meat lovers like me.

As for dessert, there's one place and one place only where you should go: Lolita's Gelato. Quite a new and next to the bus station, this gelateria is anything you would wish for. With a gelato machine brought from Italy, they use fresh milk, fruit and nuts and come up with original flavours like a gelato made from Santorini's local wine. Seriously, not to be missed.

I could keep talking about how nice Santorini was, and how many other things you could do (like going to hot springs, visiting the active volcano islets, visiting Santorini Monkey Brewery...), but I think you got and idea. So don't miss a change to get there when you can.

TCB x