It’s a jiffy previous 8am and the solar has simply risen. We’re strolling down the straight as an arrow observe that leads in direction of the ocean, the early morning mild casting a golden glow over the land, which is peppered with barracas that pop up like stone beehives. It’s quiet and calm, an invisible vitality connecting your soul to the earth.
Quickly, a conventional fence alerts the top of the property and meets the Cami de Cavalls, an historic path utilized by Menorquin knights within the sixteenth century that hugs the island’s complete shoreline.
We flip down in direction of Cala Son Vell, a tiny rocky cove that we’ve got utterly to ourselves. We soar in, luxuriating within the silky water that’s had all summer season to warmth up – simply one of many small joys of visiting Menorca in October.
We’re staying at Son Vell, an impeccable new opening on the south-west coast, not removed from the beautiful port metropolis of Ciutadella. An 18th century Italianate manor surrounded by 200 hectares of land, it’s the first resort from the family-owned Vestige model that’s lovingly restoring historic properties round Spain.
Constructed from native marés stone, it’s the color of burnt butterscotch and blushes pink within the early night mild. Inside, elegant and modern furnishings offset its storied architectural bones. We lounge within the immaculate gardens, dip in its ornate pool and feast on langoustine paella in its fairly courtyard, the place we’re serenaded by dwell jazz.
Son Vell is the proper portal to the island’s early autumn treasures. One morning, we trot alongside the Cami de Cavalls atop conventional Menorquin horses, shiny black beauties that ship us to secluded calas for refreshing swims — and afterwards drop us again on the property’s gates.
On one other, we traverse the island on a Jeep safari, exploring its unspoilt inside that’s criss-crossed by hundreds of miles of historic dry-stone partitions and land that shimmers a lush inexperienced presently of yr.
Our charismatic information, Pere, takes us to archaeological websites, together with a Talayotic tower used to identify advancing enemies, and a Bronze Age dwelling surrounded by olive timber bent by the highly effective north wind.
We additionally cease in at one of many island’s main farms, Son Mercer de Baix, the place its magnificent cows present the uncooked supplies for an array of artisan Menorquin cheeses that we style our manner by.
We end our tour up within the wilder north of the island, the place the geology transforms and the panorama turns into hilly. We weave by a fascinating forest, stopping to admire mustard-yellow mushrooms and timber dripping with madroño fruit that we stand as much as choose and eat – earlier than stopping in a brand new Vestige property for a picnic beneath a clutch of olive timber. To know Menorca is to know its land, so today feels significantly particular.
For the rest of our journey, we transfer alongside the coast to Menorca Experimental. Opened just a few years in the past in a whitewashed nineteenth century finca, it brings a youthful, buzzier vibe to the island.
{Couples} stretch out like cats on its four-poster day beds, pausing to summon cocktails and plunge into the prolonged infinity pool that drips into the encircling farmland. Parisian designer Dorothée Meilichzon is behind the playful interiors, with many of the rooms dotted among the many gardens and opening out onto their very own personal terraces.
Within the afternoons, we hike 20 minutes all the way down to Cala Llucari, a virgin seaside that’s largely empty apart from a handful of walkers cooling off alongside the Cami de Cavalls. The water is an excellent aquamarine and glass-clear, and we drift out and in till the solar disappears behind a cliff.
Again on the resort, there’s a deck for morning yoga and night pilates, however it is usually a beautiful place to take a seat and meditate on Menorca’s many qualities. Within the evenings, the restaurant terrace swells with island friends who tuck into jamon croquetas, pink prawn aguachile, and complete wood-fired fish.
The resort – and the island’s low season temperature – is right for a morning wander round Mahon, the capital, and its previous quarter. We gasoline up with pastries from Pigalle Bakery, earlier than stopping in at Dorian Caffot de Fawes’ antiques showroom and Ca s’Esparter for abarca, conventional leather-based sandals. Subsequent, we head all the way down to the harbour to hop on the small yellow ferry, loaded with Menorcan gin in its bijou bar, that zips forwards and backwards to Isla del Rei.
It’s right here that Hauser & Wirth has opened an arts centre, subsequent to the previous naval hospital on this diminutive speck of an island. There’s a good exhibition of experimental artist Christina Quarles after we go to.
A couple of days earlier, a flamenco performers danced by the gallery in response to the works, one in all many such occasions that Hauser & Wirth organises. Piet Oudolf gardens caress the humanities areas, and there’s a unbelievable restaurant, Cantina, too.
Overlooking the water, it’s a beautiful place to while away a few hours beneath the dappled shade of olive timber. We’re seduced by an octopus brioche sandwich and a lobster stew, accompanied by crisp white wine from the gallery’s personal winery on Menorca.
It is a superb finish to our journey. One which confirms what we had suspected: that autumn is a most magical time within the Mediterranean. And particularly in Menorca, the place the solar continues to be heat however the crowds are few – and its land is at its most bewitching.
Fancy a change of seasonal surroundings? Discover our full assortment of Menorca hotels
Kate Lough is a contract author, editor and model marketing consultant for the likes of ES Journal, Elle Ornament, GQ, Soho Home and extra.
Pictures by Hannah Dace, Louis AW Sheridan, and Michaela Watkinson
