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Menora Or Mallorca

By: Mark Bartley

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Menorca may be about a fifth of the size and have only ten per cent of the population of Mallorca but it still has very healthy tourist figures from a customer base who have done their research into the island and know exactly what they want from a holiday. Of course there are some things that Menorca cannot offer such as dynamic nightspots aimed at young holidaymakers who spend as much time and money on their evening entertainment as they do during the day. Menorca cannot hope to compete with Mallorca on its choice of large beaches or the choice of international nightclubs of Magaluf. It also has to give second best to Mallorca when it comes to the sphistication of the city of Palma de Mallorca, its neighbour's capital. For travellers the scale and efficiency of Palma's airport is hard to beat. Mallorca's recently modernised international airport is certainly an impressive travel hub.

Given that, Menorca does hold its own in most other areas and the charms that make rural Mallorca so attractive to more adventurous travellers and international celebrities seeking a warm weather island villa, are equally abundant on Menorca. Menorca can match Mallorca when it comes to quality beaches, secluded coves, boat moorings, hillside villas and luxury hotels. It also manages to attract a very healthy quota of visitors, more than half of whom comes from Britain with a significant portion of the remainder coming from mainland Spain. Unlike the older outskirts of Palma, that succumbed to the ruthless property developers during the 70's and 80's, Menorca has managed to avoid most high-rise hotel development and each town and village still retains a certain island charm.

The capital city, if city is the appropriate term, is Mahon and has a population similar to that of UK the market town of Newbury in Berkshire. As far a cities go it is one of the smaller, but has a wealth of history having been inhabited since around 200BC, that's around 250 years before London was established. The building style of Mahon is mainly Georgian, originating from the British rule of the city for around 80 years in the eighteenth century, when the British navy established a base there and switched the island's administrative centre from the previous capital of Cuitadella, at the other end of the island.

So why do so many tourists, almost 1 million every year, fly to Menorca for their summer holiday? Of course weather conditions are very important and just like Mallorca, Menorca has a wonderful Mediterranean climate and around 300 sunny days every year. If you come to Menorca between April and November and you can almost guarantee warm temperatures, minimal chance of rain and many hours of sunshine. To make the most of all that fantasic weather, most people prefer to spend their days on a beach or by a villa pool and Menorca has both of those in abundance.

Family holidays are a feature of Menorca, with more relaxed and smaller resorts proving popular for those with children. Safe beaches with calm waters can be found all along the coastline of the island, especially in the south-west. The biggest resort is to be found at Cala Santa Galdana, where bigger hotels can cater for thousands of visitors, but most other areas are much smaller, offering a more relaxing and secluded holiday. The longest beach on Menorca can be found at Son Bou, where a wide sweep of sand, stylish bars and a choice of water sports make it a real summer playground for those on holiday. The beach is reached via a wooden board walk which opens out onto a 1.5 mile stretch of amazing beach. Lifeguards monitor the waters from watchtowers which look just like those found on Miami's best beaches and the scene is very similar. The beach offers a choice of two styles. a more lively end close to the town centre and shops, which is easily reached and, although sometimes crowded, has space for everyone. At the other end of the beach, reached via a longer walk along the dune footpath or from the next beach at Sant Thomas, the beach is very quiet and unaffected by any shops or other facilities. The seclusion of this end of the beach also makes it popular with nudists. It's unusual to find a mix of lively and quiet beach areas so close together.

Great beaches can be found in other parts of the island such as those at Cala Turqueta, the quiet bay at Playa Son Saura and the family beach at Cala n Bosh. Walkers are also choosing a holiday on Menorca now that the island authorities have finished the coastal footpath, the Cami de Cavalls, which circles the entire island. Originally a way for those on horseback (Cami de Cavalls means path for horses) that was used for transport and to defend the island, the footpath was first built in the seventeenth century and after new legislation was granted in 2000, has been fully renovated and opened for public use.

So Menorca has something for all types of tourists, from young families and older couples to active walkers and sports fans. It may be less busy than its bigger neighbour but Menorca can challenge Mallorca on most fronts.

Article Source: http://depositarticles.com/

Take a look at flights to Menorca if you are considering a holiday on Mallorca. It has some fine resorts and may just be a more suitable option for your style of holiday.

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