Senator Port Mahon

About Senator Port Mahon

Senator Port Mahon suits travellers who want Menorca's capital on foot rather than a resort strip. The four-star hotel stands on the avenue that runs along the Port de Maó, with the old centre about 700 metres away and the ferry quays under a kilometre. Couples who like an evening walk to dinner, and families who want a pool and a garden between outings, both fit here. Late arrivals are covered by a 24-hour front desk.

Senator Port Mahon is a four-star hotel with a guest score of 4.9/5 from 122 reviews. It stands on the Port de Maó avenue, the road that follows the water out towards Es Castell. This is a working capital hotel rather than a holiday village: lifts, air conditioning, free wifi, a garden and an outdoor pool. Ask the property for check-in and check-out times when booking, particularly if a ferry or a late flight is part of the plan.

Location: Maó (Mahón)

Maó is Menorca's capital, laid out above a natural harbour about 5 km long, one of the largest in the Mediterranean. Senator Port Mahon sits at the harbour end of the city, 0.7 km from the centre, so the everyday business of the capital is a short walk rather than a drive. Georgian windows from the long period of British rule are part of the streetscape, and Es Castell, the old barracks town at the harbour mouth, is 1.8 km away.

Walking covers most of a stay: the centre at 0.7 km, the ferry quays at 0.9 km and the harbour boat trips at 0.5 km. Beyond that, a car, bus or taxi helps. La Mola fortress, the 19th-century Isabel II fort at the harbour mouth, is 3.4 km away, Sant Lluís with its white houses and windmills is 4.5 km, and S'Albufera des Grau Natural Park is 6.9 km. In July and August the waterfront fills in the evening; in May, June and September the same walk is quieter, with the sea typically around 18 to 23 °C.

Rooms and facilities

Rooms at Senator Port Mahon are listed with air conditioning, a television, a telephone, a safe, a minibar and a private bath, plus bathrobes, a hairdryer and toiletries. Balconies appear in the facilities, and non-smoking rooms can be requested. Families can ask about family rooms, cots and sofa beds. Late arrivals are helped by the 24-hour front desk and by room service, and lifts serve the floors. Nothing is settled until the property confirms it.

Beyond the room, the listed facilities include a restaurant, a bar, a garden with an outdoor pool, free wifi and internet access, along with laundry service, housekeeping, luggage storage and a car rental service. A first aid point and smoke detectors are listed too. Worth confirming with Senator Port Mahon before booking: whether the pool is open on the dates, whether a cot or sofa bed fits the room, and any charge for the minibar or safe.

Getting there

Menorca Airport (MAH) is 5.6 km south-west of Senator Port Mahon in a straight line, an easy transfer for a capital address. A taxi is simplest with luggage; the island bus operator runs services into Maó and adds frequency in summer, so check times for the day of arrival. Hiring a car at the airport suits anyone who plans to circle the island on the Camí de Cavalls or tour the south coast, and the hotel desk has a car rental service.

From the water, the ferry quays in Maó are 0.9 km from Senator Port Mahon, a short walk with a light bag and a quick taxi with cases. Overnight crossings to Barcelona and services to Palma use the port; timetables shift with the season, so confirm with the operators. Coming from elsewhere on the island, Es Castell is 1.8 km and Sant Lluís 4.5 km. Winter brings fewer flights and sailings, so build some slack into a tight connection.

Beaches, sights and food nearby

Senator Port Mahon is not on the sand, though a beach is listed as nearby. Menorca's south coast, the Migjorn, holds the white coves under pine, and those are a car or bus ride from the capital. On foot, the nearest draws are the centre of Maó at 0.7 km and the harbour at 0.9 km. Es Castell, 1.8 km east, keeps the grid of a Georgian barracks town, and Sant Lluís, 4.5 km, is a white village of windmills.

Menorca's kitchen is built on cheese and seafood. Mahón-Menorca cheese carries a protected designation of origin and turns up on most menus in the capital, often with olive oil and bread. Fornells, the fishing village on the north coast, is known for caldereta de llagosta, a lobster stew. The gin tradition left by British rule survives in the bars of Maó. Capital restaurants keep going through the year more reliably than the beach places; check days in winter.

A day from Senator Port Mahon

Begin with breakfast at Senator Port Mahon, then walk 0.7 km into Maó for the old centre and the Georgian windows of the merchant streets, and drop 0.9 km to the ferry quays to watch the boats come in. Around mid-morning, take a boat trip round the harbour, which starts 0.5 km from the hotel and shows the scale of a natural harbour about 5 km long.

In the afternoon, take a taxi or the car 3.4 km to La Mola fortress, the 19th-century Isabel II fort that guards the harbour mouth, then carry on to S'Albufera des Grau, 6.9 km from Senator Port Mahon in a straight line, where the lagoon, dunes and the Favàritx lighthouse sit inside the Biosphere Reserve. Return for a swim in the outdoor pool, then walk 1.8 km to Es Castell for the view back up the harbour, or stay in Maó for the evening.

Practical tips

Time a stay at Senator Port Mahon for late spring or early autumn if the pool and the harbour walks matter more than crowds: July and August are the peak, and much of the island's holiday trade closes roughly from November to April, though the capital stays open. Ask the hotel for its own opening dates. The Balearic sustainable tourism tax is charged per person per night by the accommodation, depends on category and season, drops in low season and for longer stays, and exempts children under 16; check the rules with the Govern de les Illes Balears.

Questions about Senator Port Mahon