Menorca

Beaches are the reason most people come, and the island has an unusual range of them. The south coast between Ciutadella and Cala Galdana has the famous white-sand coves, Macarella, Macarelleta, Turqueta and Mitjana, set between pine-covered limestone cliffs above very clear turquoise water. The north is wilder, with reddish sand and darker rock at Cala Pregonda and Cavalleria, and it is choppier when the tramuntana wind blows. Longer resort beaches such as Son Bou, Santo Tomás and Punta Prima are easier with a lot of gear.

The sea is warm enough to swim from June to October and reaches about 25°C in August. Many of the best coves have no buildings at all, so you bring your own shade and water. In high summer the southern coves fill up by late morning, and access is limited by car-park rules and shuttle buses, so arrive early or walk in along the coastal path.

The island cooks its own food. The signature dish is caldereta de langosta, a spiny lobster stew made best in the fishing village of Fornells. Mahón cheese, pomada (gin with lemonade), sobrassada, ensaïmadas and Menorcan pastries are part of everyday eating. The quaysides of Mahón and Ciutadella have seafood restaurants and tapas bars by the water, and inland farms sell cheese at the door.

Beyond that the range is narrow. Resort strips serve generic tourist menus, there is little street food, and many kitchens close outside the summer season. Food rewards a visitor who seeks out the harbours and the farms rather than one looking for a dining destination.

The island has a prehistoric heritage found nowhere else. Talayotic Menorca is UNESCO-listed and includes hundreds of Bronze Age stone monuments scattered across farmland: the boat-shaped tomb of Naveta des Tudons, the village of Torre d'en Galmés, and the T-shaped taula sanctuaries at Torralba d'en Salord and Trepucó. Most are open sites you can reach in a short drive.

The two towns add later layers. Ciutadella has a Gothic cathedral, noble palaces and arcaded streets from its time as the old capital. Mahón shows its century of British rule in Georgian sash windows and sits above one of the deepest natural harbours in the Mediterranean, which is guarded by the huge La Mola fortress and the old naval hospital on Illa del Rei. The museums are small, and two or three days covers the main sights.

Evenings are quiet and are spent mostly over drinks. The main going-out areas are the harbour fronts of Ciutadella and Mahón, where bars along the quays stay busy until late in July and August. A well-known club is set in a sea cave in the cliffs near Cala en Porter and is popular at sunset. Outside these places, the resorts settle down early.

The liveliest nights come from the town festivals, the summer festes. Sant Joan in Ciutadella in June is the best known, with horses rearing through the crowds and street parties running until dawn, and Mahón holds its own in September. Anyone looking for a club island should look elsewhere.

The whole island is a biosphere reserve, and its landscape is gentle rather than dramatic. It has dry-stone walls, holm oak and wild olive, pine-backed gorges in the south such as the Barranc d'Algendar, and a low interior that rises only to Monte Toro. The best way into it is the Camí de Cavalls, an old bridleway that runs right round the coast for about 185km in walkable stages, linking cliffs, coves and watchtowers. It is best walked in spring and autumn.

S'Albufera des Grau, a lagoon and wetland park in the northeast, is good for birdwatching. Sea kayaking along the cliffs, snorkelling, diving and sailing out of Fornells Bay are all easy to arrange, and quiet country lanes suit cycling. There are no mountains or wilderness on a grand scale.

Because the island is small, a day out usually means going to the other end of it. Whichever coast you stay on, Ciutadella and Mahón are each worth a full day, and the two have quite different characters. The whitewashed fishing villages of Fornells and Binibeca, and the inland towns of Es Mercadal and Alaior, make shorter outings.

The main trip off the island is the ferry from Ciutadella to Alcúdia on Mallorca, which takes about an hour and a half or more each way. It puts walled Alcúdia and Pollença within a long day. There are no wine regions or other towns of note, so after a few outings most visitors go back to the beach.

This is a gentle, safe island where a family vacation is easy to organise. Several beaches suit small children, with shallow, sheltered water and fine sand: Cala Galdana, Son Bou, Arenal d'en Castell and Son Saura. The resorts around them are low-rise and built for families, and no drive is long enough to wear anyone out. Spanish habits of late dinners with children at the table make eating out relaxed.

There are few attractions made specially for children: a small water park, farm and animal parks, glass-bottom boat trips and the sea itself. Older children may enjoy the prehistoric sites and kayaking. Some of the prettiest southern coves need a walk of half an hour or so with all the beach gear, so choose your bays with that in mind.

The island is about 50km from end to end. One main road joins Mahón and Ciutadella through the inland towns, and branch roads run out to the coasts, so most drives take well under an hour. A hire car is the easiest way to see the island. Summer buses link the two towns with the main resorts, but they reach few of the wilder coves.

The catch is the last stretch. At the popular southern coves, car parks fill early or access is controlled, and shuttle buses or a walk on the coastal path take you in. Both old towns are compact and best explored on foot.

Shopping here means local products, not fashion. The island is known for avarques, simple leather sandals with soles cut from tyres, sold everywhere. Ciutadella and Alaior have long made shoes and leather goods, and the old streets of Ciutadella and Mahón hold small boutiques for both. Mahón cheese, local gin and sobrassada are the obvious things to take home.

Summer evening craft markets move between the towns, and Mahón has a covered market in an old cloister. There are no luxury streets or department stores, and the resorts sell mostly beachwear and souvenirs.

In the summer season this is an expensive part of Spain. Hotel rooms and rental villas cost the most in July and August, when demand from families peaks, and car hire is dear in the same months. Restaurants on the harbour fronts and at the beaches charge island prices.

To keep costs down, many visitors rent an apartment, eat in the inland towns or cook with produce from the markets, and come in June or September. Admission to the prehistoric sites is modest, and many of them, like the beaches, cost nothing.

Mahón has a small but real musical tradition. The Teatre Principal, built in 1829, is among the oldest opera houses in Spain and puts on a modest programme. The great organ of Santa Maria church gives summer recitals. Ciutadella hosts a long-running summer classical music festival, and jazz and folk concerts take place in squares and cloisters.

For most of the year there is little else, and most evenings involve dinner rather than a stage.

The island has no bathing tradition of its own, so the restful side of a stay comes from its pace. Converted farmhouses in the countryside, quiet low-rise resorts and evenings on the harbours make it an easy place to slow down. Spas are in the larger hotels and rural estates, and yoga and massage are easy to find in summer.

Anyone looking for thermal baths or a spa culture will find little here. Visitors who mainly want calm and quiet will find it suits them, especially in June and September.