Sant Joan de Binissaida

About Sant Joan de Binissaida

Sant Joan de Binissaida suits couples and families who want a quiet base with space to park a hire car, and who prefer Es Castell and Maó within easy reach to a resort strip. The address on Camí de Binissaida puts the port village 2 km away and the capital 4.2 km away, so mornings can start slowly and evenings end with a short drive back. It works as a base for the whole island.

This is a four-star hotel with a guest score of 4.6/5 from 267 reviews. The stay is spread out rather than vertical: gardens, an outdoor salt water pool, a solarium, a bar and a restaurant are listed, with a playground and a games room for children. Couples can treat Sant Joan de Binissaida as a quiet retreat after a day on the coast; families get room to move and a pool that keeps everyone busy before dinner.

Location: Es Castell

Es Castell grew as a Georgian barracks town at the mouth of Maó harbour, and the centre keeps that shape: terraced houses, a small cove port and a waterfront looking across to the fortress headland. Sant Joan de Binissaida lies 2 km from the village in a straight line, close enough for an evening out and far enough that the lanes around the hotel stay quiet. Sant Lluís, a white village of windmills, is 3.5 km away.

On foot the immediate lanes and countryside around the estate are yours; everything else is easier with wheels. Maó is 4.2 km from Sant Joan de Binissaida and its port 4.3 km, so a car, a taxi or a bicycle covers the capital comfortably, while Es Castell at 2 km is the shortest run. Peak season falls in July and August, when the harbour road fills in the evening; in May, June or October the same drive takes minutes.

Rooms and facilities

Rooms are listed with air conditioning, a bath, a bathrobe, a minibar, a safe and a refrigerator, plus coffee making kit and an iron and board for longer stays; some have a balcony. Couples book for the quiet and the balcony space, while families can ask about family rooms, cots and high chairs, all listed. Late arrivals should confirm reception cover and room service with the hotel before travelling, and note that pets are allowed if the animal comes too.

Confirm with Sant Joan de Binissaida that the room you book fits the number of people travelling, and ask whether a cot or extra bed will go in it. Say if you need a non-smoking room, since those are listed, and mention any special diet before arrival. Breakfast in the room, laundry service and luggage storage are listed, so late or early hours are worth a quick message to the property.

Getting there

Menorca Airport (MAH) is 6.7 km south-west of Sant Joan de Binissaida in a straight line, the obvious arrival point. A taxi covers the run directly; a hire car collected at the airport gives the wheels most guests want for the south coast coves, and free car parking is listed at the hotel. Buses reach Maó, 4.2 km from the hotel, and local lines serve Es Castell; check the island bus operator for times and summer additions.

From Maó port, 4.3 km away, the road round the harbour passes the old barracks quarter before turning towards the lanes below Binissaida, and continues to Es Castell, 2 km from the hotel. Sant Lluís is 3.5 km off for anyone approaching from the south-east. A shuttle service is listed, so ask Sant Joan de Binissaida about transfers. Flights and ferry crossings thin out in winter, when seasonal bus lines stop.

Beaches, sights and food nearby

La Mola fortress, the 19th-century Isabel II fort guarding the harbour mouth, is 2.1 km from Sant Joan de Binissaida and makes a half-day out by car or on foot. A boat trip round Maó harbour starts 3.6 km away, on water about 5 km long and among the largest natural harbours in the Mediterranean, with the fort and the town seen from below. S'Albufera des Grau, the natural park at the core of the Biosphere Reserve, is 10.3 km off.

Sant Joan de Binissaida is a country address rather than a coastal one, so swimming days mean the south coast, where Migjorn limestone gives white sand coves under pine, or a walk by the small cove port at Es Castell, 2 km away. Island food is worth planning around: caldereta de llagosta, the lobster stew tied to Fornells in the north, and Mahón-Menorca cheese with its protected designation of origin, with the 18th-century gin tradition still going in Maó.

A day from Sant Joan de Binissaida

Breakfast at Sant Joan de Binissaida, then the 2.1 km drive to La Mola fortress while the light is still low and the ramparts above the harbour mouth are quiet. Carry on 4.2 km to Maó for the streets behind the port and the Georgian windows of the old town, then the 3.6 km hop to the water for a boat trip round the harbour. Lunch in Es Castell, 2 km from the hotel.

The afternoon belongs to S'Albufera des Grau, 10.3 km from Sant Joan de Binissaida, for the lagoon, dunes and birds, with the Favàritx lighthouse on dark slate beyond. Come back through Sant Lluís, 3.5 km away, for white lanes and windmills, and stop on the south coast if the sea is warm. Dinner in Es Castell, 2 km off, then a short drive up to the hotel.

Practical tips

Menorca's tourism business closes down for much of the year, roughly from November to April, when many hotels, beach bars and seasonal buses stop, so ask Sant Joan de Binissaida for its opening dates before booking a winter stay. Peak season falls in July and August, with Es Castell harbour busy in the evening and the south coast car parks full by mid-morning; May, June, September and October are easier. The ecotasa, the Balearic sustainable tourism tax, is charged per person per night by the accommodation, at rates set by the type and category of the hotel and by season, lower in low season and for longer stays, with children under 16 exempt; check the Govern de les Illes Balears for current rates.

Questions about Sant Joan de Binissaida