So with the news that a friend was staying on the other side of the island, without a pool, we wasted no time in saying “well why don’t you come for breakfast and a swim”! Our place is the perfect spot for a breakfast and pool party after all! Suffice to say they were VERY impressed when they arrived and sad they hadn’t thought of booking with James Villas too. Lesson learned they said and would definitely do so next time.
It was lovely to catch up, Tasha and I sipping Champagne at 11am, the boys bobbing about in the pool (you would never have guessed it was the first time they had met!). We could have honestly stayed here all day but we had promised ourselves we would go and explore Mahon in the evening, with a quick whistle stop tour of the gin factory. Situated in the more commercial port side of town it really was just a shop rather than an organised tour but it was nice to see another distillery’s still and add this one to the list I have been to. And they were more than happy for people to try as many samples as they liked, simply leaving bottles on top of barrels for you to try.
Mahon is the capital of Menorca, and only 20 minutes from the villa so it was the perfect place to head out for dinner and more nattering and catching up with Tasha and Andy. With a population of just under 30,000 it’s one of the smallest capitals I have been too but that all adds to it charm.
It feels like it is wedged between the sea and a rock face, with many of the buildings seeming to cling to cliff, or be balanced on top of it. The roads reminded me of San Francsico, as they wind their way down with hair pin bends every 500m
As we had arrived for the distillery at the more commercial end of town there weren’t really any nice restaurants to end our evening in so we jumped in the car and went down to the more swanky end of town (all of a five minute drive away. We simply drove along the front until we found a parking space and wandered along until we found a restauant we fancied. Every food type seemed to be catered for, and every budget so there was plenty of choice!
It gave us the perfect vantage point to people watch. Lots of people strolling along the front, making the most of the evening sunshine, only stopping by a bar showing the football as they heard a goal being scored! We found ourselves in Latitude 40 which overlooked the bay, with multi million Pound yachts moored in front of us.
It seems that there are no large car parks in towns and parking is on the road, in zones with meters every hundred yards or so. Three Euros for a couple of hours really didn’t break the bank, and you can return and buy more tickets without having to worry about “no returns with an hour”. We found something right on the front, despite it being 7pm and clearly busy.
It was a gorgeous restaurant with incredible food, attentive service (despite being full) and an extensive cocktail menu too. A wonderful way to round off our first proper day of exploring.
We could have chatted for hours more but I was desperate for a cup of tea on the balcony watching the light fade so we settled up and said adios to Mahon
Thank you to James Villas who have allowed us to be their guests this week. All thoughts and opinions in our coverage from Menorca are our own