Cala'n Vidrier. Little treasure.

Located near the beach of Es Grau, almost opposite the island "D'en Colom", this delightful little cove is very fine white sand.

The Audouin's Gull (Ichthyaetus audouinii) is a large gull restricted to the Mediterranean and the western coast of Saharan Africa. It breeds on small islands colonially or alone, laying 2-3 eggs on a ground nest. As is the case with many gulls, it has traditionally been placed in the genus Larus.

In the late 1960s, this was one of the World's rarest gulls, with a population of only 1,000 pairs. It has established new colonies, but remains rare with a population of about 10,000 pairs.

This species, unlike many large gulls, rarely scavenges, but is a specialist fish eater, and is therefore strictly coastal and pelagic. This bird will feed at night, often well out to sea, but also slowly patrols close into beaches, occasionally dangling its legs to increase drag.

The adult basically resembles a small European Herring Gull, the most noticeable differences being the short stubby red bill and "string of pearls" white wing primary tips, rather than the large "mirrors" of some other species. The legs are grey-green. It takes four years to reach adult plumage.

This species shows little tendency to wander from its breeding areas, but there were single records in the Netherlands and England in May 2003.

This bird is named after the French naturalist Jean Victoire Audouin.

The Audouin's Gull is one of the species to which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) applies.

Our guests appreciate us...

And we are very proud of it.

 
This year Tripadvisor has awarded our hotel with a certificate of excellence.

Winners of the Certificate of Excellence are located all over the world and represent the upper echelon of businesses listed on the website, with only the top 10 percent receiving the prestigious award.

This recognition is undoubtedly obtained through the collaboration of our guests, whom we thank for it deeply.

Thank you very very very much!

The Certificate of Excellence award is given to outstanding hospitality businesses that have received praise and recognition in reviews by TripAdvisor travelers. Winners of the award range from one-room bed and breakfasts to 6,000-room hotels, from bakeries to Michelin star restaurants and hidden attractions to world-renowned parks and museums. 

"We're delighted to celebrate the success of hospitality businesses around the world, from Auckland to San Francisco, Hong Kong to Paris, which are consistently offering travelers an outstanding customer experience," said Stephen Kaufer, president and CEO, TripAdvisor. "The Certificate of Excellence award provides top performing establishments the recognition they deserve, based on feedback from those who matter most – their customers."

Sant Jaume. Es Castell "Festival"

Despite the heat of these past days, plenty of people joined for the horse games and parades in Es Castell.

You might not recognize her, but she is "Princesa", the horse we have in the fields overlooking the harbour. She was beautifully garnished and she did it very well in the "colcada" and the "Jaleo". the picture do not make justice.

Council Building Clock Tower

Bouganvillea

Childhood memories are often overlaped by other latest sensations. They are almost forgotten, but one day a fragant smell perceived or some particullar thing suddenly seen take us back to those years.

It is in my case the odor of the Lady of the Night, Cestrum Nocturnum, and very specially when I notice the colorful explosion of Bougainvilleas.

Binisafuller Beach, and Wild Passionfruit

Not too busy for a Friday in mid July.

Binisafuller Beach.

Passiflora, known also as the passion flowers or passion vines, is a genus of about 500 species of flowering plants.

Passiflora ligularis, commonly known as the Sweet granadilla or Grenadia was once introduced in Menorca as an ornamental plant. However today it can be found in plenty of places in the island, and it can became invesive under certain conditions.

The epithet ligularis comes from the plant's ligulate corollae. It is native to the Andes Mountains between Bolivia, Venezuela and Colombia. It grows as far south as northern Argentina and as far north as Mexico. Outside of its native range it grows in the tropical mountains of Africa and Australia (where they are known as passionfruit), and is now common in local markets of Papua New Guinea, where it is known as 'sugar fruit'. It likes climates ranging from 15° to 18° C and between 600 and 1000 mm of annual rain. It lives at altitudes ranging from 1700 to 2600 meters above sea level.They have abundant, simple leaves and greenish-white flowers. The fruit is orange to yellow colored with small light markings. It has a round shape with a tip ending in the stem. The pulp is the edible part of the fruit and has a soft sweet taste

A Summer butterfly, a cool restaurant and some charming guests

The Meadow Brown, Maniola jurtina, is a butterfly found in the Paleartic Ecozone. Its range includes Europe south of 62 N, Russia eastwards to the Urals, Asia Minor, Iraq, Iran, North Africa and the Canary Islands. 

Adults are nectar- feeding on a wide spectrum of plant. In Menorca is very common in July and August, their habitats are either cultivated lands, gardens, parks and wasteland. 

A suggested Restaurant. "Es Grill"

Es Grill Website

The restaurant is located in an old "menorquin" farmhouse just beside to the Airport, it's got a cozy atmosphere and they do "show cooking". There is also a nice fresh garden terrace with live music show.

Our Guests

Although the correct way should be to call clients, I like to call them Our Guests.

 

Mr. & Mrs. Davies, and Mrs. Fortune.

Arenal d'en Castell

As a summer tourist destination, Arenal is rated as one of the best and most beautiful resort beaches on Menorca. It is particularly suited to families with smaller children due to its fine golden sand and gently sloping shallows into clean, crystal clear turquoise waters, which are sheltered from the worst of the elements by the protruding mouth of the bay. 

As you go through the day, the beach is changing its face. From the bustle of children playing in the sand, fruit vendors and music from the beach club bars to the almost monastic hour of sunset.

Bee-eaters and a quiet morning at "El Fonduco"

 The European Bee-eater (Merops apiaster) is a near passerine bird in the bee-eater family Meropidae. It breeds in southern Europe and in parts of north Africa and western Asia. It is a long distance migrator, wintering in tropical Africa, India and Sri Lanka.

This is one of the most spectacular birds, by the color of their plumage, which can be found in Menorca.
The bee-eaters are gregarious, and always travel in groups that can become numerous. They make a relatively long tunnel in which the 5 to 8, spherical white eggs are laid around the beginning of June on sandy slopes. Cala Tirant and Sa Mesquida are well known nesting sites.
Just as the name suggests, bee-eaters predominantly eat insects like bees, vesps, dragonflies but lizzards and froggs too.

El Fonduco.

Lithica. S'Hostal Quarries

S´Hostal is an area of sandstone quarries located 1km from the centre of Ciutadella on the east side of the island of Menorca. The quarries fell into disuse in 1994 and that same year the association Líthica rented out this site in order to save it from being filled up with rubble and disappearing into oblivion.

The quarries´ main characteristic is their constant contrast and duality. Inside them you can see a very large area with cubic geometry that is a result of mechanical extraction juxtaposed with an area of old quarries where the stone was extracted by hand; it is a real labyrinth of stone and plants where organic forms and a great variety of environments prevail. Líthica´s aim is to rescue these quarries by giving them new life and safeguarding their essence as a labyrinth and a garden.

LITHICA Website

July

Suddenly you realize that summer has burst like a hot air bubble, and where there was a green fresh meadow there is now a dry wasteland and early afternoon the sound of the cicadas and crickets are almost the only proof that there is life in the fields.

 

Es Castell. The fields surrounding "Bellveure"

The mysterious tree

Some weeks ago I found a very spectacular flowering tree in Mahón. Just beside the power station, in the harbour. 

I thoght it was a Erythrina coralloide, an original specimen from South America and México, but une of our most appreciated guests Mr. John Maycock, from Brakenwood Plant Centre, near Bristol, has proved me I was wrong.

The Pōhutukawa (Metrosideros excelsa) is a coastal evergreen tree in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae, that produces a brilliant display of red flowers made up of a mass of stamens. The Pōhutukawa is one of twelve Metrosideros species endemic to New Zealand. Renowned for its vibrant colour and its ability to survive even perched on rocky, precarious cliffs, it has found an important place in New Zealand culture for its strength and beauty and is regarded as a chiefly tree (rākau rangatira) by Māori

Click here to visit the

BRAKENWOOD PLANT AND GARDEN CENTRE

La Concepció

It was in the seventeen hundreds when British governors encouraged the arrival of foreign traders and shipowners in order to favour the trade from our port. The population growth required an expansion fo the city beyond its walls, and some new streets were planned, including the Cós de Gràcia.

The newly arrived Greek colony, which was to reach 2,000 souls, concentrated in this street and its immediate surroundings. They built the Orthodox church of Saint Nicholas and many stately homes attesting to their prosperity.

In 1768, the young Russian prince Andreas Spiridoff died of scurvy when sailing towards the Aegean with the fleet commanded by his father. As this church was the nearest Orthodox sacred ground, the unfortunate nobleman was buried here with great pomp. You can still see the tombstone grave at the church floor, written in Greek, Russian and Latin.

The return of the island to Spanish sovereignty at the end of the century brought an end to economic prosperity, the expulsion of Greeks and Jews and the confiscation of their assets, including the church of St. Nicholas, which was converted to a Catholic church under its current name of Church of the Conception. Its façade dates from the nineteenth century, but inside you can still found the typical features of Orthodox temples.

.