H: Keith Betton, host
E: Emily Herreras-Griffiths

H: Hello and welcome to Holiday 07, the program on the Internet that allows you to ask questions of my guests and we’ll try and find all the answers for your holiday plans. My name’s Keith Betton and today we’re going to be looking at the island of Menorca. Now you may remember on the previous show we looked at the island of Mallorca, well it’s a smaller island, very close by, similar in many ways but also very different with its own distinctive feel, and joining us in the studio to answer your questions about Menorca is Emily Herreras-Griffiths, Emily thank you very much for joining us this afternoon

E: My pleasure, good afternoon

H: Good afternoon. Now you’ve been to Menorca many many times indeed, but in fact you’re really from Mallorca aren’t you?

E: I am originally from Mallorca but as you say I still have family in Menorca, I’ve been there countless time, so yes

H: How many trips have you made?

E: I can’t remember, 15 years of going back and forth, so lots of summers spent there.

H: Although you from Mallorca someone from Mallorca would want to go to Menorca for a holiday.

E: Yes definitely from mainland Spain they do like it, especially Catalonia. They like catching the boat, the ferry, over spending August, August is a very popular month for the Spaniards.

H: It is a very popular destination for British holidaymakers, whereas Mallorca has lots of Germans as well, really it is British people who tend to dominate the holiday making scene in Menorca.

E: British market is definitely the most important for the Island. People feel that i9t has had a good British legacy.

H: Well if you have never been to Menorca you may be wondering what it looks like. We have got some amazing video footage for you to have a look at. So here comes some amazing shots of Menorca

Video Running “Once upon a time there was an enchanted Island, almost unreal lost in the midst of the sea. An island of fantasy a beautiful heavenly Island. A nostalgic Island rocked by mythical winds that chiseled out its 200 km of coastline, unspoilt coastline and the 700 sq km of smooth rolling countryside. An Island of lost civilizations who worship stone, mysterious stones; 4,000 years old the tombs of giants perhaps raising their very foundations up to the sky. An Island visited by mariners from all the Mediterranean countries, plundered by pirates and for a time an English and French Island. An Island which now every morning wakes up with Spain’s first sun. An island bathed in magical golden sunlight, in that Mediterranean sea of green and turquoise. The home of shipwrecked sailors of all nationalities, grounded on the pure pleasures of its hidden coves, of its tranquil beaches. All under that bright blinding sunlight and in the path of that wind, ever the sailors ally. An island of transparent waters crystal clear. A reflection of that calm peaceful life where the pulse of time, time that has stopped maybe, is the measure of the man.”

H: Well wasn’t that amazing. That was the island of Menorca. Very moving I have to say that piece of music always gets me stirred up. We are her with Emily Herreras-Griffiths who is going to answer your questions. Just to remind you, you can send in questions, now, live to us on the programme. Email them in and we will get the answers for you so you can plan your holiday. So that was pretty amazing footage wasn’t it?

E: Stunning I particularly like lying on the beach.

H: Lying on the beach just about to be drowned. Is it really like that, you know sometimes promotional videos can make it look better than it really is.

E: It is absolutely stunning. The Island is amazing. It does get quite busy in the July and August months, but you can find a quiet spot.

H: And as I was saying not so many Germans, lots of Spanish people go there.

E: Lots of Spanish people. It is a stunning island there is a lot of sailing to do on the island. It is small but there is a lot of diversity. It is an open museum, as many call it, and there is a lot to see and do.

H: So talking about the Island as a destination lets talk about, first of all, Ciutadella which I think was the capital originally.

E: It used to be yes.

H: What is that like?

E: It is gorgeous again I am going to repeat my words quite a lot. It has an amazing Gothic Cathedral. It is great. It is very quaint, small. It is not too far away from beaches you have got a lot of coves around that area, there are a lot of cliffs so it is not flat beaches like you might find on the other side of the island, closer to Mahon the actual capital.

H: Mahon is the capital now. That has got a very very deep harbour hasn’t it? One of the deepest in the world.

E: It has. The second deepest in the world.

H: Well the second deepest natural harbour after Pearl Harbour isn’t it

E: Hmm.

H: So do they have lots of cruise ships calling in there.

E: They do cruising is quite, is very popular. There is a lot to see, you can have a couple of days on the island and so cruising is very popular

H: We have got a question in from Danielle, she says “Away from the beaches, which are the best known towns for a young couple to roam around. Me and my boyfriend get a bit bored after a couple of days on the beach.” So what are the towns you can go to?

E: Of course Cuitadella and Mahon are popular. There’s Fornells which is great for wind surfing, great for food as well. My biggest recommendation is that if you are going to Menorca hire a car, get out there drive, it is only 47 km from one end to the other. You won’t be driving for hours on end.

H: You can actually go by bus if you are somebody who does want to drive.

E: If you don’t want to drive you don’t have to drive, there is public transport obviously if you go as part of a package holiday there are specific tours organized. You can go to Monte Toro which is the highest point. It is nearly 400 m above sea level, amazing views. There is an actual convent/church up there and obviously it is the highest point that makes it quite interesting because it is not very high really and the Island is very flat.

H: You can actually see Mallorca from there can’t you on a very very clear day?

E: Not from Monte Toro but from Cuitadella on a very clear day you can actually see the capital islands so too speak.

H: the weather is obviously very pleasant which is why so many people go, but some people have said to me it is very windy and it is known as the windy Island, something like 150 days a year it is blowing quite strong. Tell me about the weather, what typifies Menorcan weather?

E: Well apart from the wind as you very well mentioned in the summer it can get quite humid, especially the July and August months. They do get quite warm. The ideal time to go if you are not really keen on the heat would be May June time, September October time. When it is not as busy and obviously not as warm either.

H: We have actually got a question in about this, Rupert he says “Hi Emily. I am not one for the really, really hot weather so can you tell me when it would be best to visit when it is not so hot.”

E: Again yes as I have said at the beginning of the summer season. If you want to go in April most resorts will start opening up during Easter. So now that would be the beginning of April. April it does rain a bit so if you want a holiday beach thing, you have to go July/August.

H: Does the wind, in the summer, keep the temperature down?

E: It does, you find the difference if you did head to Mallorca, I know we’re talking about Menorca, if you went to a city, you would feel it definitely and because the Island is so flat there is always a nice breeze coming in from the sea.

H: I guess also you could end up getting the breeze so much that you end up getting sun burnt because you didn’t realize the temperature

E: Yes.

H: So looking at the south coast, I have been to Menorca once, I stayed at Cala Galdana I think it was. Can you tell us a bit more about the other resorts along that coastline?

E: The other resorts, you’ve got Santa Tomas, there’s lots of different ones. They’re usually quite close to beaches, and as I’ve mentioned Santa Tomas has an amazing really long beach, nice hotels in the area, very quiet, it’s not so resorty. You have Ciutadella which just outside the city there’s other resorts like Cala n’ Blanes and Cala n’ Forcat, they’re slightly more built up, more directed to the tourist, so yes there’s quite a large variety for everyone

H: Ok now Russ has just logged on, he wants to know, he says “him and his wife have been to Mallorca for many years, but they are getting too old for Magalouf. Is Menorca the hot Balearic destination this year?”

E: It could be! They’re all hot

H: Well I had Eduardo Gomero sitting in that seat a few weeks back, he might have to be a little bit on the shelf on that one, not knowing quite sure whether it is or not, but if you wanted to go to nightclubs you will find them, but I guess the difference is in somewhere like Mallorca it’s very obvious whereas in Menorca you have to sort of hunt them out

E: Yes Menorca usually Cuitadella and Maon, they’re – the ports in particular of those two cities are the ones that would have the club and the bars. They’re very – you don’t find that many British tourists in those areas, it’s more particular for Spanish and local people to go there. The resorts will have their bars, and they are frequented by British tourists or other tourists for that matter. If you want to go clubbing Menorca isn’t the island to go clubbing, obviously Ibiza would shout out its name to that, although it has a lot more to offer than clubs, but yes so Menorca – if you want to go out, you want to go and have a drink, you want to go dancing you can, but it’s not known for that

H: Well I think Russ is actually looking for a bit of quieter holiday -

E: Yes I think -

H: The impression I got is he’s looking for a sort of rustic lifestyle which is clearly what you do get on the whole of Menorca, I mean it really is not the place to go for a stag weekend is it?

E: No not really and I mean, it was declared a Biosphere Reserve about what 14 years ago, which meant that the actual buildings in Menorca had been very limited so it makes it even more rustic, you know they can’t build over two storeys high

H: Is that across the whole island you can’t build over two storeys?

E: Pretty much yes, basically by Unesco naming it a Biosphere reserve it meant that it’s tries and compliments the human activity and the natural resources of the island so that they can be combined and -

H: So tell me about the Albeferra area, I mean what does Albeferra first of all, what does it mean?

E: Albeferra is like a reserve, it’s like where you know it’s great for birds, for animals, for the ecosystem, it’s usually very protected areas

H: What does it mean though Albeferra?

E: Albeferra is like – I can’t think of the word right now

H: Marsh, is it like marsh?

E: Yes it’s like a marsh, it’s got marshes and lagoons and planes

H: Because there’s an Albeferra in Mallorca as well

E: There is, there is, there are a couple on the islands

H: I remember going there and seeing a number of houses that had been built on the reserve but had never been finished because the government took this whole thing very seriously, they’d never got planning permission and so they actually stopped them from building them and they’re still there now

E: Yes

H: It’s impressive that they do actually take this seriously and they do try and stop people don’t they?

E: Yes Unesco giving the island that title was very very important for the island and you know we’ve learnt a lot, the Balearic islands have been in the tourist industry for many years so they learn from those

H: Well just to remind you that you can send in your questions live to us and Emily will give you answers, and we’ve got a question actually from Leonard, he says that “is this the type of island I can bring teenagers to? Would there be enough cool bars?” Well we they are there, these cool bars

E: They are there, it depends what is cool for them really. There are bars and most hotels will have their bars, their entertainment, so it just really depends what the teenagers are after and if the parents want to let them loose

H: So I mean but if they’re teenagers, how old do you have to be before you can drink in a bar?

E: You should really be 18

H: Ok. You should really be?

E: You should really be – you have to be 18

H: Are they going to check your passport as you go in?

E: In most hotels and areas they will yes

H: Ok now I like food, and Frank does to. Frank has said he wants to know what the food is like. Is there a national dish in Menorca itself?

E: National dish – there’s national produce, products – very, lots of national dishes in the sense that it wouldn’t be only for Menorca, it was also be for Mallorca and the Balearics, so you know there’s the Pa amb oli which is the usual bread where they put tomato and olive oil on them and you can put which is Jamon Serrano - smoked ham and you can put the local cheese which is gorgeous, it’s called Queso Mahon

H: And this is the cheese that’s got this international certification –

E: Yes like denomination of origin as they like to call it

H: Like Rioja wine -

E: Yes

H: But some of it’s very mild and very creamy but I mean I did try some and it was pretty strong too so you have to be careful

E: It is quite a strong cheese, but you can get it semi-cured or cured, so you can have a variety of them, but the cheese is gorgeous

H: Now Frank also says do they make their own wine, so what about local wines?

E: They do make their own wine, they made wine a long time ago when the British were on the island, and they made wine for over 100 years but then it stopped and they’ve restarted it again. They have wines denomination of origin, very new wines so obviously not as well known as for example Rioja wine in mainland Spain, but they do, they do have wines

H: Now you mentioned there about the British so let’s have a little bit of history, back in the 1800s, how come so many British people were there?

E: Well it was part of colonization, Spanish and French were also there but the British ruled for over 100 years, or 100 years if I’m not mistaken

H: Ok. And part of that legacy I believe is gin?

E: Yes yes

H: Tell me about that

E: They left a good legacy, it’s called Gin Xoriguer, it’s spelt with an “x” – very prominent, very nice, and it was left by the British so I think Menorcans have something to thank them for.

H: So what does the gin taste like, is it distinctively different from what you might have in Britain?

E: It is, it is, they tend to mix it with lemonade and create the drink which they call pomade, and very traditional, that’s the traditional drink of the island, so lemonade and gin Xoriguer. It is not like the usual gin we are used to but it is very nice, aromatic.

H: Well I have to say I quite like the idea of gin, we only have water here today sadly that is a bit of a let down but never mind we will try and find some as we watch this next piece of video which is going to give you another sight of the beautiful Island of Menorca.

Video running “An Island of 70,000 inhabitants. People who love life, who live well and work well. An Island of balanced harmonious nature with half of its natural terrain protected. A biosphere reserve. An Island that surprises even the most demanding traveler at every turn, constantly making him feel like he is the only visitor there. An Island of blues, of intense greens inland, okras of its stately palaces, the whites of its lime brushed houses. An Island where the two main towns Mahon and Cuitadella conflicting rivals of old understand that the melancholy of their strengths or the poetry of their natural borders, picturesque and majestic. For the momentary transformation of their tranquility into an unrivalled explosion, that ritual elegant dance, form part of that savoir de vie, deep rooted an ancient where medieval traditions are still compatible with the present. An island, a mirage of time, one that progresses slowly until the maturity of dusk. Where the beauty of these magical moments will reoccur unexpectedly in every nook and cranny of the island. An island of intense twilights, that awaken the imagination of visitors, their deepest fantasies. Once upon a time there was an enchanted island, Menorca.”

H: Well amazing video there of the island of Menorca and I’m here with Emily Herreras-Griffiths whose going to answer your questions, so do send in and email if you want us to give you some information about the island. Now we saw in that piece of video some pretty amazing looking, huge stacks of stones and things, these pre-historic monuments – can you tell us what those are all about?

E: I mean a lot of people say that Menorca is an open air museum, that’s how they describe it, and it is, there’s lots of burial settlements and burial grounds. There’s one which is like a T-sign, La Taula, which is stunning and it’s part of the rituals of burials etc. And then there’s the Naveta de Es Tudons, and that’s massive, I can’t remember – it must be about 6 metres high, 13 metres deep and you can actually go inside it and as I say it’s stunning and there’s lots of different settlements around the island, it’s quite a big legacy for them

H: Now Jamie’s actually just asked us about that, he wants to know more about these megalithic stone monuments – there’s one particular one just outside Cuidadella isn’t there?

E: There is, the Naveta de Es Tudons, not far away, it’s on the main road from Cuidadella to Mahon, if you’re coming from Cuidadella it’d be to the right. You can walk there, tehre’s also a cave you can go to and have a look at, so it’s definitely worth it and you’ve obviously got information. If you want to find out more you can call us at the Spanish Tourist Office, go online onto our web page, the Balearics web page, find out more about it, yes

H: Ok. Now the caves, is this the one with all the stalactites and stalagmites?

E: It’s another one

H: That’s another one, ok

E: They have I think about 50 caves and 10 underwater caves on the island

H: Gosh. And actually can you get to the underwater caves and dive in them -

E: I think some of them you can and obviously you can go with scuba divers in particular and there will be some that you can go and see yes

H: Ok we’ve got a question in from Rowan, he says “that looks beautiful. Can you hire bikes and get around the island easily?” I mean first of all how big is it from one end to the other?

E: It’s about 47km from Cuidadella to Mahon, on the main road. There’s one main road linking it, you can’t really get lost which is great. Yes it is a very flat island so, in that way for non-experienced bikers it’s good, but yes of course you can hire bikes and the local governments of the Balearic, the Balearics, are actually setting up special cycle paths and everything adapted for people who want to go on cycling holidays, so yes

H: That’s good, that’s excellent. So Nigel’s emailed, he says “I’m a keen bird watcher, so I saw with interest the bird watching on the video. Are there specific bird watching holidays I can take?”

E: There are. Many tour operators here in the UK will organize trips for specific people who enjoy bird watching, so it’s again, call us at the Spanish Tourist Office and they can get a bit of information, get a list of the tour operators that do it and see what they’re interested in, but yes Menorca is great for bird watchers

H: Yes, particularly I think around about the migration time, so sort of April / May

E: Yes

H: And again I guess in September

E: September, yes

H: Because they go through there

E: Yes

H: It’s a very good place to go if you’re going between Africa and Europe

E: Yes exactly, they stop on the way

H: Now talking about sort of September time, that’s the end of the festival, the sort of fiesta season isn’t it?

E: Yes yes

H: Because that’s July to September

E: Yes the fiesta season starts really in, on the 24th June, Sant Joan, Cuitadella, they’re the most recognized fiestas on the island, and many people will have seen images of the black, Menorcan horse

H: Well we saw that actually -

E: Yes we saw it on the video

H: On the video. So which festival was that?

E: That was Sant Joan in Cuitadella, yes and they get all the horses out. And there’s what they call the caixers which is where you see all the people around the horses, it’s good luck to touch the horses. You have to be a bit careful because obviously the people who do it are the locals, and they’ve been doing it for centuries so you know if you’re going with children you have to be very careful, try and stand back in the crowds because the crowds do move you with the horses, but it’s a very enjoyable fiesta

H: I guess you’ve got to be careful where you touch the horse?

E: Yes yes yes and don’t go under it, it’s not worth it!

H: Don’t worry, I wasn’t planning on doing that! And so horse riding you can do, we talked about cycling, horse riding around the island, and I guess that’s pretty -

E: Horse riding is also done, there are special routes for it and -

H: Now we’re really into the activities now so Carla’s emailed in, she says “what is the diving like around the island?”

E: The diving is, as I said earlier, there’s lots of caves and things so there’s shipwrecks as well you can go and see, so there’s loads of different schools around the island that you can, you know, go and spend the day – they can even teach you if you don’t know about scuba diving and you want to try something closer and you know do something, so the offer is definitely there

H: And I mean presumably you can do things like hand gliding and all those sorts of things – I mean can you hand glide off mount Toro?

E: No I don’t think you can

H: No?

E: I’m not too sure – no I haven’t seen any hand gliders -

H: Always best to say no if - sounds like a nice idea to do. Ok, shopping is obviously something that a lot of people like to do - what about the shopping, how does it compare to say other places in Spain?

E: Leather is the thing to shop really in Menorca. Good shoes, they’ve got renowned designers on the island, they’ve got the traditional Albarques shoe which you’ll see everyone wearing in the summer. Leather is particularly the best thing you can buy there and then food of course

H: Factory shops give you very good prices don’t they?

E: Yes there’s factory shops and outlets, definitely so I think it is Ferreries, has good outlets for leather

H: We were talking when we talked about Mallorca, we talked about pearls – are there any pearl factories in Menorca -

E: That’s more specific for Mallorca

H: Ok. Now I don’t know if you’re going to know about this one, it’s a bit of a sensitive subject, we’ve had no less than 4 people that have emailed us about naturist holidays, I believe they mean naturist rather than naturalist, so we’re talking about taking your clothes off, can you do that and still remain out of jail?

E: Yes there are certain beaches specific for naturists. There are webs, we can inform people again at the tourist office if they are interested in that particular – resorts as such, I understand there are none - no resorts, but beach-wise, Son Bou for example, half of it is adapted for naturists, there are other smaller what they call callas which are coves which are specific for naturists, so it’s not a big deal, just as long as you do it where you’re meant to do it

H: I mean the thing that struck me about Menorca is if you go to Mallorca and you know, wherever you go you’re going to find other people, even though it’s an island that can soak up people, whereas Menorca I think you’ve got a pretty good chance of finding a beach and nobody there

E: Definitely yes but again you need some kind of vehicle really to get to those beaches, if you want to go to beaches by public transport as such, then you’ll find there are more popular beaches. There’ll be larger beaches, Son Bou is a very very long beach, so you know you’ll easily find your space and you won’t have someone else’s towel on top of yours

H: Ok now Davies has asked about his kids, he says he’s got three kids under the age of 10, are there kids clubs at some of the resorts?

E: Yes, yes. There are definitely and facilities, babysitting facilities for people who need that – there are facilities. It’s just a question again of finding out through the hotels but yes you can find out

H: And golf is very popular with people – there’s only one golf course isn’t there?

E: Yes it’s not that big on golf Menorca, Mallorca is bigger on golf but it is still there you know, you can do a bit of golf if you want to

H: So if we want to find out more about the island of Menorca, what do we have to do now, how can we look?

E: You can either go online and visit the Balearic web page which I think is on the Holiday 07 web page

H: Yes

E: Or you can contact the Spanish Tourist Office based here in London, you can give us a call, you can phone up the information people who can provide brochures. If you’ve got any little specific requests, like the ones we’ve been receiving today, the Spanish Tourist Office in London is more than happy to help out with them

H: Ok and there’s a link on the website we’ve got

E: Yes

H: Getting to Menorca I guess is fairly straightforward

E: Yes

H: I guess it’s like flying to Mallorca

E: Yes there are planes -

H: Lots of airports, lots of flights

E: You’d fly into Mahon and there’s routes from London, from Manchester, from regional airports, so yes it’s very straightforward. Again, let us know where you are and the Spanish Tourist Office can tell you what’s the best way to get there

H: But not everybody likes to go by air

E: No

H: Some people think about their carbon emissions as well so I guess ferries from some places?

E: There is yes. I mean obviously you could go, catch the train to Paris, there’s a night train to Barcelona and there’s boats from Barcelona to Menorca, ferries, so it’s not a problem at all

H: Ok

E: And you could take your own car if you really want to

H: So you can go by car, you can go by boat, you can go to some of the other islands as well which is a question that Harry wanted to know, so it’s a great destination

E: It is definitely

H: So Emily thank you very much indeed for answering all the questions

E: Thank you

H: And telling us all about Menorca. It’s a destination that I think a lot of you want to go to, certainly having seen those video shots I want to be there again – it’s now 25 years since I was last there. We talked last time about Mallorca, this time Menorca – next time we’re going to be talking about the island of Ibiza which is popular with younger people for the nightclubs but also does have a wilder side that doesn’t involve partying, so I hope you’ll join us when we talk about Ibiza next time. Thanks for being with us