Hello there, I hope you're all enjoying this late summer as best as you can. It's a difficult year but we should never lose our hope and stay positive that better times are coming. To me personally, one of the hardest part of this year was not being able to travel. As you know I live on an island in the Mediterranean called Mallorca and I love living here cause my life feels like I'm constantly on vacation. However, every now and then it's nice to get away for a bit. One of my biggest passions is traveling, exploring new countries and their landscapes, cities, cultures and food. So this year was a bit tough for me in this regard. I spent a week in the Maldives at the beginning of the year and it was an amazing trip but that was about it for this year. So my boyfriend and I took two short island escapes this year to our neighbor island Menorca which I love so dearly. Menorca to me is like a vacation from Mallorca. It's more quiet, laid-back and more virgin. And even though it's a small and relaxed island there are thousands of things to do! I picked a few of my favorites for this post, so here we go.
Best Brunch in Menorca
My boyfriend and I started our second two-day trip to Menorca this year with an amazing brunch at Quitapenas Menorca. Our friend picked us up from the ferry in the morning and we went straight to Biniali, where this unusual restaurant is located. They call themselves a 'chiringuito de campo' which is an open-air restaurant in the countryside. I found this place on Instagram and because their food looked so good we decided to give it a try. And let me tell you, we were amazed by the place! Quitapenas really does what its name promises: It takes away your stress and pain. The restaurant is such a beautiful, laid-back place with so many details and cool retro vibes. You really do feel carefree when eating here. And their food, seriously, I haven't eaten such a delicious brunch in a long time! At Quitapenas you can expect healthy, colorful, tasty and surprising food. I kicked off my meal with a yummy matcha smoothie followed by an avocado and carrot hummus toast, both delicious! The boys tried toast with salmon, avocado and popcorn and benedict eggs with beetroot salsa. Omg, it was all so yummy! We ended up sharing our plates and I loved each and every one. For the sweet touch we ordered a French toast that came with vanilla cream and bacon, ugh I wanted to lick the plate. Never has a restaurant surprised me so much. Thank you for an amazing brunch, Quitapenas Menorca, we will surely come back!
Next Stop Binibeca
When visiting Menorca I always love coming to Binibeca. It was one of the first places I visited on this island (see the post here) and I fell in love with it back then. Binibeca is such a charming little town with its whitewashed houses and narrow, winding alleys. It's just a five-minute drive from Quitapenas and other beautiful little towns like Binisafuller. You can spend an hour here or two, depending on how many photos you take, haha. You can also go for a coffee here or just chill and wander this magical, white little town. It's up to you!
Cova d'en Xoroi, a truly magical Experience
We spent a relaxed afternoon at our friend's home and decided to go for a sunset drink at the Cova d'en Xoroi. Now I have to be honest, you better plan your visit of this 'cave club' in advance (you can even buy tickets online) because otherwise you may have to wait in line for over an hour like we did that day. We caught the last sunrays just in time before the sun eventually set because we really had to wait that long before they would let us in. Once inside though, you will not be disappointed. The Cova d'en Xoroi is an impressive club located in a natural cliff with several tunnels and terraces on which you can enjoy spectacular sea views day and night. It really is a unique place in Menorca (and mabye the world) that you should definitely visit when coming to this island. We were lucky because that day they had a live concert with an amazing duo that made the setting feel even more magical. Sipping rosé and listening to 'Your Song' by Elton John in a cave right next to the open sea, is there anything more romantic really?
S’Albufera des Grau Natural Reserve
On our second day of this trip it was a bit grey and cloudy so decided not to head to the beach directly but go for a relaxing walk in the natural reserve of S’Albufera des Grau which covers more than 5,000 hectares in which a large variety of animals and plants live. We have a similar natural reserve in Mallorca, just ten minutes from where we live, and we love going there for walks in nature. It just helps you disconnect from daily life, which can be stressful at times, and reconnect with Mother Nature. Miguel and I went for a two-hour walk with a picnic stop in between and we saw only three persons in the entire park. It was beautiful to have this calm, soothing place all for ourselves... and some turtles and birds.
Paella in Sa Mesquida
We ended our trip with a relaxing break at the beautiful beach of Sa Mesquida which our friend had recommended. The beach was absolutely amazing. Almost empty, surrounded by lush dunes, with golden sand and crystal clear water, what else could we have asked for? We spent a quiet hour here and swam a bit before meeting our friend for lunch at the nearby Cap Roig Restaurant. We ordered their seafood paella for lunch which was heavenly! The restaurant offers stunning views of the Sa Mesquida bay and surrounding cliffs. All in all, it was a short but very sweet trip to Menorca. We have discovered many new places, tried new restaurants and were beyond happy with all of them. A perfect island escape <3
