“I’ve got an idea!” is how many of our best trips have begun. Heather and I had been searching for a location for a spring trip, something to take the chill off a long winter in Colorado (our first in ten years). I had been looking at a couple of possibilities for a month-long stay: the Adriatic coast of Croatia and the Algarve region of southern Portugal. Then Heather made her exclamation and suggested Menorca. “What does a Jewish candleholder have to do with our trip planning” I thought to myself. Seeing my curious stare, she clued me in to what would turn out to be a little gem of a spot.

Lying in the western Mediterranean Sea, the Balearic islands sit just off the Costa del Sol of southern Spain. Ibiza is probably the most well known, famous as one of Europe’s hottest party spots. Mallorca, the largest island of the group, boasts mountain scenery as well as beautiful beaches and the cosmopolitan city of Palma. Tiny Menorca sits on the eastern edge of the group and has several stunning beaches of its own, the same clear aquamarine waters along its coast and enjoys the same sunshine as the others, all with just a fraction of the visitors. Along with being much quieter than its neighbors, Menorca also boasts a bevy of locally produced products such as gin, cheeses and sobrassada – a pork sausage found on cheese boards and in stuffing (such as the stuffed calamari I enjoyed our first night). Another unique asset to Menorca – the Cami de Cavalls, is a 110-mile walking trail that rings the island, connecting a series of 14th century stone defensive towers and offers opportunities to access remote beaches and affords stunning coastal views. And there’s also the wind. I’ll get to that later in the story. Suffice it to say, we were excited to begin our three-week visit and feast on seafood, sip local wines and pomades (a drink combining the local gin and fizzy lemonade), bask in the sunshine and get a fair bit of walking in as well.

Sobrasadda hanging in Ciutadellas market

A pomade with a view from our apartment

Our base for our stay would be in the small community of Cala Blanca, on the islands ‘south coast’, which actually faces west. We had rented an apartment overlooking the sea, with killer sunset views, a pool, an on-site restaurant (which would prove to be one of the best we visited on the whole island), easy access to the Cami de Cavalls and a village center with well-stocked grocery stores and several other dining options. We had rented a tiny Fiat 500 for the duration and picked it up just after arriving at the airport outside the capital city of Mahon. After a 45-minute drive along the main highway we arrived to Cala Blanca, got settled, dined on stuffed calamari and roasted chicken and then promptly fell into bed, exhausted from a 26-hour travel day.

Apartamentos Blancala – home, sweet home

One of the crystal clear coves outside Cala Blanca

Over the ensuing days we crisscrossed the island in our car, visiting small seaside villages, walking sections of the Cami, strolling the cobblestone lanes of Ciutadella (Menorca’s second largest city) to peruse the fresh produce stalls and cheese shops in the market square, sip and snack in a variety of tapas bars and generally gorge ourselves on the incredible seafood – sea bass, snapper, bream, scallops, squid, octopus, prawns, tiny clams and mussels.

Wandering through Ciutadella – “Where was that tapas bar?”

The Cami de Cavalls follows the coast past a peaceful anchorage

Quenching our thirst after walking the Cami to Cap d’Artrutx

Just another pretty beach found along the Cami

During our second week the wind made its appearance. I suppose it was inevitable – only after our arrival did I find that Menorca bills itself as ‘the windy island’. I learned that the locals have named the winds, depending from which direction it happens to be blowing from. We got to experience the tramuntana, the north wind that barrels down from the mainland, picking up speed as it sweeps across the open sea. A welcome relief in the height of the summer when temperatures are scorching hot, in May it meant the temperatures dropped to an unseasonable mid-60’s. Still pleasant but blowing sand made for a couple unpleasant beach outings. When the wind abated as our visit came to a close, we enjoyed stellar weather and made trips to the long white sand beaches at Son Bou (enjoying prawns with garlic and a pitcher of sangria afterwards) and Son Saura (dining on steamed clams, grilled calamari and sea bass along with a bottle of Rose).

We visited tiny Fornells, known to have some of the best restaurants on the island, three times

The trail passes some pretty impressive beaches – Platja Binigaus outside Sant Tomas

We couldn’t be more pleased with our decision to visit Menorca, getting to know this little Mediterranean jewel before the summer crowds arrive. We got our fill of delicious seafood (all simply prepared with local olive oil on the grill); tasted crisp white wines, fruity roses and floral gin; snacked on a variety of local cheeses and succulent olives (I think they brine them with smoked paprika – amazing!); walked miles of ancient trails past rugged coastline, scrubby pastures surrounded by limestone walls, lighthouses and inviting coves.

Seafood paella for two . . . or more

There are worse places to work . . . or not work

With our visit winding down over the last week of May, it was time to head back to Colorado, at least for Heather. I had a stop to make on the way. In the next post on The Rhumline, I join some friends to explore Cornwall, in southwestern England.