Grupotel Mar de Menorca

About Grupotel Mar de Menorca

Grupotel Mar de Menorca is a four-star hotel at Cala Canutells, in the countryside outside Menorca's main resort areas. It suits families who want room to spread out and a base for the southern coves, and couples who would rather return to a garden than a busy strip. Cala en Porter is 4 km away, Binibeca Vell 6.2 km and Sant Lluís 7.3 km, so days out are short drives rather than long transfers.

The stay is a four-star, family-oriented one, with a guest score of 4.2 out of 5 from 1914 reviews. Facilities lean towards self-catering comfort as much as hotel service: kitchenettes with a microwave and refrigerator, family rooms and sofa beds, a playground, an outdoor pool and a tennis court, alongside a restaurant, bars and 24-hour front desk cover. It suits mixed groups who keep different hours.

Location: Maó (Mahón)

Cala Canutells sits on Menorca's southern coast, in the countryside and away from the main resort areas. The Migjorn coast around it is limestone country of small coves, white sand and pine. Cala en Porter, a deep cove between high cliffs, is 4 km away. Binibeca Vell, the whitewashed fishing-village-style hamlet, is 6.2 km, Sant Lluís, a white village of windmills, is 7.3 km, and Maó port is 8.9 km.

Walking covers the cove and little else, so a hire car is the practical choice for the coves and villages; the hotel lists a car rental service and free car parking. Summer bus lines reach Maó and the resorts, and taxis cover evenings, though checking routes with the island bus operator is wise. Car parks at the popular southern coves fill early in July and August, and some coves cap vehicle numbers in season. June, September and May are quieter and easier for touring.

Rooms and facilities

A balcony or terrace is listed among the room facilities, with air conditioning, a safe, a hairdryer, a TV and a desk, which gives couples somewhere to sit after dinner. Families are served by family rooms, sofa beds and cots, and a kitchenette with a microwave and refrigerator makes early breakfasts and simple lunches easy. Late arrivals can rely on the 24-hour front desk, luggage storage and a wake-up service, and lifts reach the upper floors.

Accessibility is partly covered: wheelchair accessible facilities and non-smoking rooms are listed, and it is worth asking the hotel which room types suit a wheelchair and how the pool and garden are laid out. Special diets can be raised with the restaurant in advance, and laundry service, housekeeping and room service are listed for longer stays. Confirm kitchenette equipment, cot availability and whether a sofa bed suits the ages of your children before booking.

Getting there

Menorca Airport (MAH) is 4.1 km from Grupotel Mar de Menorca in a straight line, the shortest of the listed distances. A taxi is the quickest transfer, and a hire car collected at the airport gives independence from the first day; the hotel lists free car parking and a car rental service. Buses from the airport run to Maó, with extra summer routes to the resorts; check the island bus operator for times.

From the sea, Maó port is 8.9 km away, with overnight ferries to Barcelona and crossings to Palma; Ciutadella, at the western end, links to Alcúdia on Mallorca. Arriving by ferry means a taxi or a pre-booked hire car for the last stretch to Cala Canutells. Flights and sailings thin out between November and April, so a winter booking needs checking with the airline or ferry operator well ahead.

Beaches, sights and food nearby

Cala en Porter, 4 km away, is the nearest of the listed places, a deep cove between high cliffs. Binibeca Vell, 6.2 km, is the whitewashed fishing-village-style hamlet, and Sant Lluís, 7.3 km, is a white village of windmills. Menorca's food is worth planning around: caldereta de llagosta, the lobster stew associated with Fornells, and Mahón-Menorca cheese with its protected designation of origin.

The talayotic sites that placed Talayotic Menorca on the World Heritage list in 2023 are within easy reach: a talayotic village is 8 km from Grupotel Mar de Menorca. A boat trip round Maó harbour, one of the largest natural harbours in the Mediterranean, is 9.1 km away, and La Mola fortress, the 19th-century Isabel II fort at the harbour mouth, is 12.1 km from the hotel.

A day from Grupotel Mar de Menorca

Start early at Cala en Porter, 4 km away, before the car park fills. Binibeca Vell is 6.2 km from Grupotel Mar de Menorca, good for a slow walk through the whitewashed lanes, and Sant Lluís, 7.3 km, adds the windmills of a white village. Lunch at the hotel restaurant keeps the afternoon flexible, with the outdoor pool or the tennis court for the hottest hours.

The afternoon suits the heritage side: the talayotic village is 8 km away, La Mola fortress 12.1 km, and a boat trip round Maó harbour 9.1 km, all doable in one loop with Maó port at 8.9 km. End with an evening in Maó, where Georgian windows and a gin tradition remain from the 18th-century British period, then drive back to Cala Canutells for dinner.

Practical tips

Grupotel Mar de Menorca sits in a part of Menorca where much of the tourism business closes roughly from November to April, so confirm the hotel's own opening dates before booking a winter or early-spring stay. The busiest weeks fall in July and August, when the southern coves are at their fullest. A sustainable tourism tax, the ecotasa, is charged per person per night by the accommodation; rates vary with the type of accommodation and the season, are reduced in low season and for longer stays, and under-16s are exempt. Check the Govern de les Illes Balears for current rates.

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