Es Mercadal

About Es Mercadal

Es Mercadal is a four-star hotel at Nou 49 in Es Mercadal, the inland market town at the foot of Monte Toro. It suits travellers who want a working Menorcan town as a base rather than a beach strip, and who are happy to drive or take a bus to the coast. Walkers, cyclists and anyone touring the island centre by car will find the position practical.

The hotel is a four-star property with a listed guest score of 4.4 out of 5 from 99 reviews. The listed facilities point to a comfortable town stay: air conditioning, a garden, a terrace, a lounge and a bar, alongside bicycle hire and a car rental service. It is not beachfront, so plan on a short drive or bus ride to the coast, and check the beach distances further down before booking if daily sea swimming matters.

Location: Es Mercadal and Monte Toro

Es Mercadal is Menorca's inland market town, set at the foot of Monte Toro, the highest point on the island at about 358 m, with a sanctuary on top and views across to both coasts. The hotel sits at Nou 49 in the town, with the area listed 0.2 km away on a straight line and the summit 1.7 km. Everyday town life and shops are within walking distance of the door.

Fornells, 8.2 km away on a straight line, and Arenal d'en Castell, 8.3 km, need a car, a bus or a taxi rather than a walk. Buses run more often in summer and thin out outside the season; car parks at the popular southern coves fill early and some have summer limits. July and August bring the busiest roads and beaches, while May, June, September and October are quieter and much of the seasonal tourist business closes roughly from November to April.

Rooms and facilities

The listed facilities cover the practical side of a town stay: air conditioning, a lounge, a terrace, a garden and a bar, with a market and shops also appearing on the list. Couples have room to spread out, families can use the garden, and late arrivals should confirm reception hours in advance. Bicycle hire and a car rental service make it easy to head out to the coast without sorting anything elsewhere.

Ask Es Mercadal directly about the points that decide a stay: check-in and check-out times, the details of the shuttle service, and whether diving, sailing, surfing and horse riding are arranged through the property or booked with local providers. Multilingual staff, a concierge, a launderette and a luggage room are listed, which helps with late flights and longer stays. The theatre listed among the facilities is worth asking about when booking.

Getting there

Menorca Airport (MAH) is 17.5 km away on a straight line, and the airport itself sits about 4-5 km south-west of Maó. A taxi or a hire car is the simplest way to reach Nou 49; buses run to Maó and, in summer, to the resorts, with more lines in the high season. Ask Es Mercadal how the listed shuttle service works before relying on it.

Maó port is 18.2 km away on a straight line. Ferries from Maó to Barcelona are overnight crossings of several hours, Maó also links to Palma, and Ciutadella in the west connects to Alcúdia on Mallorca. A direct sea crossing to Ibiza is not the norm: travellers between the two islands usually fly or route through Mallorca, so check the operators. Flights and ferries are fewer in winter, and seasonal buses thin out too.

Beaches, sights and food nearby

The nearest swimming is on the north coast. Arenal d'en Castell, 8.3 km away on a straight line, is a near-circular bay with reddish sand, and Fornells, 8.2 km, is a fishing village known for caldereta de llagosta, its lobster stew. Kayaking the north coast is listed 6.9 km from the hotel. The south coast's white coves under pine lie further away and need a longer drive.

A talayotic village is listed 11.8 km away, and Talayotic Menorca has been on the World Heritage list since 2023, so the prehistoric talaiots, taules and navetes form the island's own monument trail. Mahón-Menorca cheese carries a protected designation of origin, and the British years left a gin tradition in Maó. Both are worth building into a day out from Es Mercadal, with the Camí de Cavalls, about 185 km around the coast, for walkers.

A day from Es Mercadal

Start with Monte Toro, 1.7 km from Es Mercadal on a straight line. A car, a hired bicycle or a taxi gets you up to the sanctuary at about 358 m, where the view takes in both the Tramuntana coast to the north and the Migjorn coast to the south. Come down for a late breakfast in town, then pick up supplies at the market before heading out.

Spend the afternoon on the water: kayaking on the north coast is 6.9 km away and the bay at Arenal d'en Castell 8.3 km. Add a talayotic village at 11.8 km if there is time, then return to Es Mercadal for the evening, when the town is quiet and the bar and terrace at the hotel are the obvious end to the day, with a short walk back to Nou 49.

Practical tips

July and August are the peak, when roads and the car parks at the popular coves are busiest; May, June, September and October are calmer, though much of Menorca's tourism business closes roughly from November to April, so check Es Mercadal's opening dates before booking a winter stay. The Balearic sustainable tourism tax is charged per person per night by the accommodation; the rate depends on the type of property and the season, and children under 16 are exempt. Check the Govern de les Illes Balears for current rates.

Questions about Es Mercadal