Menorca September 2018 - Part 1

This time last week I was in sunny Spain for a short break. It feels like much more than a week ago though as I've switched from summery dresses to jeans and a jacket and the weather has turned grey and rainy, I am longing to go back!

We flew out on Tuesday morning and arrived at our hotel, the Lago resort in Cala n Bosch, in the early evening. We checked in to the hotel and found our room, which was an apartment style suite with a view over the marina. The sun was just beginning to set and the journey had been long, so we just unpacked and took a walk around the marina next to the hotel to find somewhere for dinner. The marina was packed with plenty of restaurants and such a variety of cuisines that there would be something for everyone. As we had booked directly with the hotel, we were also given 10% off several of the restaurants around the marina and we ended up picking one with pretty string lights all around on the harbour front. The staff were friendly, the service was quick and the food was good so we ended up returning the following two nights!

After dinner we returned to the hotel to get some rest so we could be up early. The next morning we started our day with breakfast in the hotel restaurant, which had an impressive buffet of traditional breakfast foods with some Spanish specialities and menorcan delicacies. There was even prosecco for guests to enjoy - why not when you're on holiday! 

Unfortunately the beautiful clear and sunny skies of the previous day had disappeared, replaced by an unusual all day downpour. As we had planned a few activities that did not depend on the weather, we decided to go ahead with those and put off our other plans in the hope that tomorrow would bring better weather. 

So, after a quick trip to a convenience store to pick up an umbrella, we boarded a bus from outside our hotel to go to the nearby town of Ciutadella. The bus journey took about 20 minutes and only cost 1.95 euros per person each way. Ciutadella is a beautiful old town with stunning architecture and meandering streets a plenty. We first came across an exhibition in an old, ornate building which housed  a number of 'curiosities' - from paintings to silver whistles. Next, after a short stroll via several shoe shops (there were so many selling pretty shoes and traditional menorcan shoes that it would have been rude not have had a quick look!) we found the Catedral de Santa Maria de Ciutadella which had beautiful stained glass windows and close by was a pretty courtyard garden which I think was connected to the cathedral in some way. Before heading back we purchased some traditional menorcan cakes from a small bakery. They were like a soft and doughy iced bun, but seemed to be filled with custard or creme patissiere; very tasty! We then made our way back to the bus stop via the harbour and the pretty ballerinas store (which were started in Menorca).

Once we go back to the hotel, we made lunch with a delicious fresh baguette and local cheese we had picked up in Ciutadella and then got changed ready to head to the beach which was just a minute or two from the hotel. The beach was very clean with white sand and the sea was a real turquoise blue. It was still raining but nobody seemed to mind as the beach was still full and plenty of people were swimming in the sea. We braved the sea too and spent about an hour 'surfing' the waves and having fun before returning to the hotel to get ready for dinner. We got dressed up and took some photos in the hotel and by the harbour and after dinner we played cards in the hotel lounge until 11pm.