Costa Arenal

About Costa Arenal

Costa Arenal is a one-star hotel in Arenal d'en Castell, on the north coast of Menorca, and it suits travellers who want a simple, affordable base close to a sheltered bay rather than a large resort. Its guest score stands at 4.5/5 from 52 reviews. Couples touring by car, walkers and families watching the budget fit well, and Fornells and the centre of the island are within easy reach.

The scale is small: one star, with a garden, an outdoor pool and a 24-hour front desk that helps when a flight lands late. The listed room facilities include air conditioning, a balcony and a safe, and wifi is free. Laundry service and first aid on site cover the practical side. Treat Costa Arenal as a seaside base for the Tramuntana coast rather than a full-service resort.

Location: Arenal d'en Castell

Arenal d'en Castell is a near-circular bay of pale sand on the Tramuntana coast, where the rock is older and darker and the tramontana wind can pick up in the afternoon. Costa Arenal is 0.7 km from the bay in a straight line, so the water is a short walk or a couple of minutes by car; the hotel is not beachfront. Lanes around the bay hold most of the local life, and the surrounding coast stays low and rocky.

Fornells lies 5.5 km away and Es Mercadal, at the foot of Monte Toro, 8 km, so a car or a taxi covers the fishing village and the island centre comfortably. The immediate bay is walkable from Costa Arenal; beyond it, buses are thinner outside summer and the hotel is the best source of what runs. High summer fills the bay early, while May, June and September bring calmer lanes and typical sea temperatures of about 18-19 °C in May and 23-25 °C in September.

Rooms and facilities

The listed facilities at Costa Arenal include air conditioning, a balcony, a safe and free wifi, which covers the basics for couples and small families. A 24-hour front desk helps with late arrivals, and first aid is available on site. An outdoor pool, a garden and a tennis court appear on the list, along with canoeing, diving, fishing, surfing and horse riding, so ask how each is arranged.

With one star, expect modest fittings rather than polish, and confirm the details that matter to you with Costa Arenal before booking: which rooms have a balcony, whether the safe carries a charge, and how the pool and tennis court are used in practice. Ask about laundry turnaround, and note that check-in and check-out times, like opening dates, are best confirmed directly with the property.

Getting there

Costa Arenal is 18.1 km from Menorca Airport in a straight line, roughly across the middle of the island. Taxis and hire cars are the usual answer from the terminal, and the drive brings you to the north coast. Summer buses connect Maó and several resorts, but services to Arenal d'en Castell are limited, so check the island bus operator before relying on public transport.

From Maó port, 16.5 km away in a straight line, the road north is straightforward by car or taxi. Ferries reach Maó from Barcelona and Palma, and Ciutadella has crossings from Barcelona and Alcúdia on Mallorca; schedules thin out between November and April. Arriving at Costa Arenal by night is easier with a booked taxi, since local bus services are much reduced outside summer.

Beaches, sights and food nearby

The bay at Arenal d'en Castell, 0.7 km from Costa Arenal, is the nearest swim. Fornells, 5.5 km away, is a fishing village with a harbour to walk around, and Es Mercadal sits 8 km off at the foot of Monte Toro, 6.8 km away, where a sanctuary and views of both coasts reward the climb by road. The Favàritx lighthouse, 8.1 km away, stands on dark slate inside S'Albufera des Grau Natural Park.

Fornells is known for caldereta de llagosta, the lobster stew served along this coast, and Mahón-Menorca cheese carries a protected designation of origin, so village shops and markets are worth a stop. British rule in the 18th century left Maó with a gin tradition and Georgian windows. Kayaking the north coast, 7.3 km from Costa Arenal, shows the cliffs from the water when conditions allow.

A day from Costa Arenal

Start with a swim: the bay is 0.7 km from Costa Arenal and quietest before the morning fills it. Drive or take a taxi 8 km to Es Mercadal, then continue to Monte Toro, 6.8 km away, for the sanctuary and the view across both coasts. Eat in the centre of the island at midday, then work back north at your own pace.

In the afternoon, head 8.1 km to the Favàritx lighthouse and the dark slate landscape of S'Albufera des Grau Natural Park, or use the hotel's listed canoeing arrangements on the north coast, 7.3 km from Costa Arenal. Finish with the harbour at Fornells, 5.5 km away, and a walk along the water. A hire car makes this loop easy; taxis need booking, and buses are seasonal.

Practical tips

Outside high summer this stretch of coast goes quiet, and many hotels, beach bars and seasonal buses on Menorca close roughly from November to April, so confirm Costa Arenal's own opening dates before booking a winter trip. The peak weeks fall in late July and August, when the bay at Arenal d'en Castell fills early. A sustainable tourism tax applies to stays on the island, charged per person per night by the accommodation; the rate varies with season and length of stay, children under 16 are exempt, and the Govern de les Illes Balears publishes the current bands.

Questions about Costa Arenal