With her husband and children Louise Coughlan found a fun holiday spot for all the family

     Less developed than its neighbours Mallorca and Ibiza, Menorca has all the ingredients for a relaxing family holiday.  Plenty of unspoilt beaches are dotted around the island and for the adventurous there is always loads of sports on land as well as at sea.  I stayed with my family of four at the beautiful resort of Cala n’Bosch with the beach on one side and the port on the other.  The accommodation of Casa del Lagos consisted of two swimming pools including a children’s pool, entertainment for the young and old and a nice comfortable apartment with plenty of room for the children to play and sleep.

     Menorca has plenty of aqua parks and the one closest to us was Aquarock. www.aquarock-menorca.com/UK/indexUK.html A great day out was had by all, some easy slides and some not so easy.  I preferred to stay with my toddler in the small pools than brave the elements by sliding down the dark slide, fortunately my husband took the plunge which got me off the hook.

  Menorca is constantly reminded of its prehistoric past and one of the most impressive settlements is Torre d’en Gaumes near Alaior.  Agriculture and manufacturing still play a vital role in Menorca.

     Another great excursions to try is Cuitadella also known as little city.  Stroll through the narrow streets of the old town peering into the courtyards of the old mansions with their balconies, stone archways and coat of arms above the door.  Artists have set up their own workshops near the cathedral among the upmarket boutiques selling designer clothes.  For night time entertainment there are lots of tapas bars, salsa bars and Cuban bars.

     Mahon is also good for bargain shopping and Mahon cheese is rated as one of the best in Spain.  The city is also the birthplace of mayonnaise and was invented by the French Duke of Richelieu.

If you want to take a boat trip and see some of the many unspoilt beaches, be sure to book with your travel representative, in our case was Thomas Cook,very friendly and helpful and always there to provide an excellent customer service. (www.thomascook.ie)

     Unfortunately on this particular trip we independently booked a trip on board a boat company along the harbour, I cannot recall the name, but they landed us on one of the beaches for an hour and a half where the majority of the bathers had no clothes on – a bit of a shock for us but I don’t thing the children including our six year old daughter noticed any difference, perhaps they thought it was the Spanish way on holidays.  Thankfully, that was the only holiday hiccup.

     There was an abundance of restaurants along the port of Cala n’Bosch.  One of the many was the Fiesta and El Pescador restaurants, serving Mexican and fish speciality dishes.  Paella is a speciality in Menorca and across Spain.  It is delicious dish of all kinds of fish mostly seafood (and sometimes meat) with rice, and normally serves a minimum of two people.

     Festivals are held in June and July in Menorca and if your trip coincides with a fiesta you will be treated to a feast of traditional music and dance.  You can also watch medieval jousting at Cuitadella.

     Holidaying in Menorca was a great experience and fun for the whole family.

Check with your local travel agent

Or contact: www.sunworld.ie

Or www.thomascook.com/destinations/spain/balearic-islands/menorca/calan-bosch/casas-del-lago