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Menorca Cycling Holiday

4.3
(8 reviews)

A leisurely cycling holiday around Menorca. See every side of this fascinating and beautiful island, from bustling Mahón on the east coast, to medieval Ciutadella on the west. In between, you will visit remote coves and cycle along quiet lanes to lonely lighthouses on rocky outcrops. You’ll discover remote, breathtakingly beautiful beaches where turquoise waters almost insist you stop for a refreshing dip.

More laid back than its larger neighbour Majorca, Menorca is an excellent choice for a leisurely Mediterranean cycling holiday. The beaches, of which there are over 100, offer wonderful white sand and clear water with many dotted with coves, caves and sand dunes.

Flexitreks Cycling HolidayCap de Cavalleria - Menorca

This is a leisurely trip along mainly quiet country roads, a few dirt tracks and just a few hills to negotiate along the way. It will suit those who are reasonably fit through regular exercise of one kind or another.

Itinerary

On arrival in Mahon, check in at your hotel and then spend the rest of the day exploring this lovely city. The city is situated on the island’s east coast on a wonderful natural harbour – the second deepest in the world.. The port itself attracts many visitors and has a pleasant quayside lined with bustling restaurants and bars. In the evening you will be met by our representative for a welcome meeting. Your route notes, maps and bikes will be handed over to you at this point.

An easy start to your first day’s cycling with a ride to the impressive Mahon Fortress with its fascinating tunnels, canons and guns – the absolutely massive Vickers-Armstrong gun is impossible to miss. Leave Mahon and cycle southwest through open countryside to the coast. In Cales Coves you will find a delightful little cove with small caves built into the rocks. Nearby, the small resort town of Cala en Porter invites you to stop and swim from its rather beautiful beach. Leave the coast and cycle inland to the pleasant town of Alaior, your base for the next two nights in a charming Menorquin guest-house.

Today’s circular ride leads you through a peaceful, rural landscape of pine and oak forests to the rugged north coast. Your destination is the lonely lighthouse at Cap de Favaritx, a scenic peninsular with a sparse, almost lunar landscape. Afterwards you return to Alaior following quiet lanes through idyllic, rural countryside.

Today’s cycle ride leads you further west along the north coast to the cliff-top lighthouse at Cap de Cavalleria, the most northerly point on the island. From here it’s a short ride along the coast to Binimel-là, a beautiful beach with lagoons and sand dunes. The final sector of today’s ride brings you to the little port town of Fornells where you will spend the night. Take a stroll around the pretty quayside lined with palm trees and fish restaurants.

Today’s cycle route bisects the island, leading you from the north coast, through delightful, gently rolling countryside to the south coast. Stop in the pretty town of Es Mercadel for a coffee or light refreshment before carrying on to the small seaside resort of Sant Tomás. The beach here is by any standards lovely but over the next 24 hours you will be treated to a succession of ever-more stunning beaches so we’d better save some superlatives for later. Just west of Sant Tomas, after cycling through a cool forested area, you will reach the resort town of Cala Galdana. Here you will find a lovely, horseshoe shaped sandy beach, lapped by turquoise water and surrounded by green hills. This is a great place to relax and spend the night.

A lovely ride today leads you to some of Menorca’s most stunning beaches. Turqueta and Macarella are small secluded coves with unbelievably clear water and white white sand. These little pieces of paradise are the perfect spots to laze on the beach or take a refreshing swim.

There is a short transfer in the morning from Cala Galdana to Cala Macarella to avoid 4 kilometres of really rocky roads and wooden steps to contend with! Head north then to medieval Ciutadella, the erstwhile capital of Menorca and a great place to base yourself for the next two nights. Worth a visit is the cathedral, which was built on the ruins of an old mosque. Its exterior is decorated with many gargoyles and its interior has some lovely statues and artefacts worth seeing. The pretty port and old town are wonderful to explore on foot and have a huge choice of restaurants and bars.

Your last day’s cycling takes you to La Vall, the wildest side of Menorca, complete with hills, forest, lakes, dunes, gorges and more stunning remote beaches. A highlight today will be the Necropolis of Cala Morell, which was used as a cemetery up to the second century AD. Here you will find 14 excavated caves set into the rocks of a small ravine. In the afternoon, cycle back to Ciutadella to enjoy your last evening.

After breakfast it’s time to head for home or your next adventure.

Bikes

Regular bikes provided are modern alloy framed models with 21 speeds. The bikes come equipped with pannier, lock and a repair kit with pump.

Electric bikes are also available.

We suggest you bring your own helmet for safety and hygiene reasons. Alternatively, helmets are provided on arrival.

Accommodation

Below you will find examples of the types of accommodation typically used on this tour. Please note that the hotels we book for you may differ slightly from those described but they will certainly be of a similar standard.

Comfort: Comfortable hotels and charming guesthouses.

Mahon: Hotel Capri

Alaior: Finca Llimpet (2 nights)

Fornells: Hostal Port Fornells

Cala Galdana: Hotel Audax

Ciutadella: Hostal Menurka (2 nights)

Local taxes: Some hotels have started to charge a local/tourist tax. These taxes are not included in the sale price of the tour and must be paid directly by you at check-in or checkout at the hotels. The fee varies and is frequently changing but as a guide, you may be asked to pay between €1-€4 per person per night.

Getting There

Fly to Mahon, Menorca’s capital. The airport is a short taxi or bus ride (5 kms) from the town centre where your hotel is located.

Reviews

Anonymous - June, 27 Jun 2019
Service
4
Very good information on contents of holiday. Would have liked more detail regarding the bikes. Make/model etc
Andy - September, 03 Sep 2019
It's difficult to provide a lot of detail on the bikes as a number of different models are used. You can rest assured though that all are perfect for the route.
Service
5
Loved every minute. Great daily itineraries. Good accommodation. When we had a problem with one of our bikes., Xavi really promptly responded and we had repair done within 20 mins.
Andy - September, 03 Sep 2019
Great to hear our local man was able to get you back on the road in no time.
Anonymous - June, 15 Jun 2017
Service
5
Great service, everything went like clockwork, would use again.
Service
5
Lovely accommodation, maps and information good. Bike in good condition, rather heavy but wheels rolled nicely and good to ride.
Andy - July, 03 Jul 2017
Great to hear you enjoyed your Menorca cycling experience.
Louise Darwin - November, 17 Nov 2016
Service
5
Excellent service from Andy at Flexitreks. It was obvious he really new the island which gave us a lot of confidence during the booking process.
Service
5
Fabulous trip! What a wonderful way to experience Menorca. Some slightly challenging sections but nothing we couldn't handle. Loved the hotels and the sensational beaches.
Andy - April, 25 Apr 2017
Thanks for the lovely review Louise. We're so glad you enjoyed your holiday so much, especially as it was a bit of a step up in grade for you. Moderate grade routes from now on then eh?
Anonymous - September, 27 Sep 2016
Service
3
I don't feel it was an accurate description of what this bike tour is like .it was called a leisurely ride but the terrain was quite hilly with long steep descents down to the beaches. Also a very busy time of year with lots of traffic on the narrow cycling roads. The weather was very hot in September with high humidity levels and we still managed to get lost on the gps. We were unable to continue the trip.
Service
2
I don't feel like this cycling trip was adequately described. The bike tour guide Xavier was very helpful to us and we just rented a car instead and utilized all the rest of the bike trip by car. Xavier was very helpful and continued to keep in touch as needed. We were disappointed with the busy roads, traffic, not enough cycling paths and the only type of people we saw riding were quite experienced cyclists. I did a lot of training for this bike trip and could have managed but I didn't feel it was safe with all the traffic and narrow winding roads. Would not have been a pleasurable experience. I would also do,a guided trip next time so we wouldn't be wasting our time getting lost and have more direction on where to find places to eat and stop for drinks etc. Gps was helpful to some degree. September too hot and humid to cycle in menorca and quite hilly throughout with long steep descents to beaches. When we rented the car for the rest of the week I kept noticing how difficult it would have been for us to bring our bikes to some of these places through some of the trails.
Andy - September, 29 Sep 2016
We're so sorry that you did not enjoy your cycling holiday on Menorca. We're aware the weather was particularly hot during your trip and this may have been a contributing factor. The cycling route is not known for being busy and it sounds like you may have been a little unlucky in this respect which is regrettable. We take on board your opinion that this tour should be awarded a higher grade and will bear this in mind when considering the feedback from future customers.
Rick - May, 30 May 2016
Service
5
Efficient
Service
5
Well organised. Great mix of hotels. Fab rides.
Andy - June, 02 Jun 2016
Thanks for the review Rick, we're glad you enjoyed your cycling holiday on Menorca.
David - May, 29 May 2016
Service
5
Excellent communication and service
Service
5
Superb holiday. Menorca is a gem: beautiful, unspoilt, quiet roads with good surfaces. May is a great time to go, with lovely oceans of wild flowers, stacks of birdlife and good weather (apart from one day when we were cycling in a hail and thunder storm and got absolutely drenched!) One small constructive criticism: there should be written directions in addition to the GPS supplied. We struggled to find our way a couple of times, even with the GPS. Our local contact, Xavi, was very friendly, helpful and knowledgeable.
Andy - June, 02 Jun 2016
Thanks for the positive review David. Point taken regarding the written directions and we're liaising with our local supplier on this.
Anonymous - April, 24 Apr 2016
Service
2
My initial impression was positive but my view changed when we were sent an information pack 4 weeks before our departure based on incorrect holiday dates. I was told that this was an admin error and to be fair to Flexitreks a revised document was sent to us the same day. I also pointed out to Flexitreks that their information pack said that our briefing and handover of the bicycles would take place on the first day whereas their accompanying email stated that this would take place on the morning of the second day. This was sorted to our satisfaction but my overall conclusion was that the pre-tour service was poorly handled.
Service
4
We had a very enjoyable cycling holiday and got a real insight into the island. The GPS and maps worked well though the description of what there was to see and do could be improved. It was clear that some of the text had been taken straight out of other documents and was not relevant to a cycling trip e.g. the description of Cala Galdana said it was a 'good bay to moor boats and overnight in'. Some handy hints on where to eat out and buy food for picnics would have been very useful. We found the distances about right for us but would query whether Fexitreks description of this holiday as 'leisurely' is accurate. There were certainly more than the occasional hill! It was fine for us but some people could be in for a shock if they have not had a chance to check out the terrain. Overall the accommodation was good. Our particular favourites were the Hotel Capri in Mahon and the Hotel Audax in Cala Saldana
Andy - May, 05 May 2016
I'm so glad you enjoyed your cycling holiday on Menorca and am very sorry for the administration errors prior to travel - I'm glad to hear we were able to sort these to your satisfaction in the end though. Following your feedback, we're reviewing our guide notes for this trip with our local supplier with a view to improving them for future customers. We'll also monitor feedback from future customers regarding the level of difficulty as this is the first time this has been flagged as an issue.
Michael Innes - December, 09 Dec 2015
Service
5
Information good. In particular we wanted to shorten the cycle tour by 1 day which was organised without any fuss.
Ally - December, 10 Dec 2015
Hello Michael, It is nice to hear from you and thank you for the nice comments. I think we will have to look for something with more cycling next time and possibly on slightly quieter roads. That said, it is great to hear you enjoyed having the extra time to explore, swim and do some sightseeing in Menorca. We have noted your comments on the places that were a little more remote and will aim to highlight this to future clients so they know what to expect - so thank you again. The Flexitreks team
Service
4
Cycling - perhaps the distances per day were too short for our requirements but what this meant was we had plenty of time to walk / swim / sight see. A bit too much on main roads but these weren't busy and people are very cycling aware. It is a relatively flat island but one is always going up or down from / to beaches so the cycling is not flat. Bikes were decent for the type of cycling. The route was fine - varied enough for such a small island. Accommodation - variable but adequate. Nights 2 and 3 were a little remote from the town which one had to walk to (1/2 hour) for an evening meal. No lights on bikes so no night-time rides.