It is a few minutes past 8am and the sun has just risen. We are walking down the straight as an arrow track that leads towards the sea, the early morning light casting a golden glow over the land, which is peppered with barracas that pop up like stone beehives. It is quiet and calm, an invisible energy connecting your soul to the earth.
Soon, a traditional fence signals the end of the estate and meets the Cami de Cavalls, an ancient path used by Menorquin knights in the 16th century that hugs the island’s entire coastline.
We turn down towards Cala Son Vell, a tiny rocky cove that we have completely to ourselves. We jump in, luxuriating in the silky water that’s had all summer to heat up – just one of the small joys of visiting Menorca in October.
We’re staying at Son Vell, an impeccable new opening on the south-west coast, not far from the pretty port city of Ciutadella. An 18th century Italianate manor surrounded by 200 hectares of land, it is the first hotel from the family-owned Vestige brand that is lovingly restoring historic properties around Spain.
Built from local marés stone, it’s the colour of burnt butterscotch and blushes pink in the early evening light. Inside, elegant and contemporary furnishings offset its storied architectural bones. We lounge in the immaculate gardens, dip in its ornate pool and feast on langoustine paella in its pretty courtyard, where we’re serenaded by live jazz.
Son Vell is the perfect portal to the island’s early autumn treasures. One morning, we trot along the Cami de Cavalls atop traditional Menorquin horses, shiny black beauties that deliver us to secluded calas for refreshing swims — and afterwards drop us back at the estate’s gates.
On another, we traverse the island on a Jeep safari, exploring its unspoilt interior that is criss-crossed by thousands of miles of ancient dry-stone walls and land that shimmers a lush green at this time of year.
Our charismatic guide, Pere, takes us to archaeological sites, including a Talayotic tower used to spot advancing enemies, and a Bronze Age dwelling surrounded by olive trees bent by the powerful north wind.
We also stop in at one of the island’s leading farms, Son Mercer de Baix, where its magnificent cows provide the raw materials for an array of artisan Menorquin cheeses that we taste our way through.
We finish our tour up in the wilder north of the island, where the geology transforms and the landscape becomes hilly. We weave through an enchanting forest, stopping to admire mustard-yellow mushrooms and trees dripping with madroño fruit that we stand up to pick and eat – before stopping in a new Vestige estate for a picnic under a clutch of olive trees. To understand Menorca is to understand its land, so this day feels particularly special.
For the remainder of our trip, we move along the coast to Menorca Experimental. Opened a few years ago in a whitewashed 19th century finca, it brings a younger, buzzier vibe to the island.
Couples stretch out like cats on its four-poster day beds, pausing to summon cocktails and plunge into the lengthy infinity pool that drips into the surrounding farmland. Parisian designer Dorothée Meilichzon is behind the playful interiors, with most of the rooms dotted among the gardens and opening out onto their own private terraces.
In the afternoons, we hike 20 minutes down to Cala Llucari, a virgin beach that is mostly empty except for a handful of walkers cooling off along the Cami de Cavalls. The water is a brilliant aquamarine and glass-clear, and we drift in and out until the sun disappears behind a cliff.
Back at the hotel, there is a deck for morning yoga and evening pilates, but it is also a wonderful place to sit and meditate on Menorca’s many qualities. In the evenings, the restaurant terrace swells with island guests who tuck into jamon croquetas, red prawn aguachile, and whole wood-fired fish.
The hotel – and the island’s off-season temperature – is ideal for a morning wander around Mahon, the capital, and its old quarter. We fuel up with pastries from Pigalle Bakery, before stopping in at Dorian Caffot de Fawes’ antiques showroom and Ca s’Esparter for abarca, traditional leather sandals. Next, we head down to the harbour to hop on the small yellow ferry, loaded with Menorcan gin in its bijou bar, that zips back and forth to Isla del Rei.
It is here that Hauser & Wirth has opened an arts centre, next to the old naval hospital on this diminutive speck of an island. There is a brilliant exhibition of experimental artist Christina Quarles when we visit.
A few days earlier, a flamenco performers danced through the gallery in response to the works, one of many such events that Hauser & Wirth organises. Piet Oudolf gardens caress the arts spaces, and there is a fantastic restaurant, Cantina, too.
Overlooking the water, it is a gorgeous place to while away a few hours under the dappled shade of olive trees. We are seduced by an octopus brioche sandwich and a lobster stew, accompanied by crisp white wine from the gallery’s own vineyard on Menorca.
It is an excellent end to our adventure. One which confirms what we had suspected: that autumn is a most magical time in the Mediterranean. And especially in Menorca, where the sun is still warm but the crowds are few – and its land is at its most bewitching.
Fancy a change of seasonal scenery? Explore our complete collection of Menorca hotels
Kate Lough is a freelance writer, editor and brand consultant for the likes of ES Magazine, Elle Decoration, GQ, Soho House and more.
Photography by Hannah Dace, Louis AW Sheridan, and Michaela Watkinson
