Binibeca Vell, lanes above the sea.

A village of white lanes

Binibeca Vell is a hamlet of whitewashed walls, arched passages and stepped lanes on the south-east coast of Menorca, above a small inlet where the water is shallow and clear. It was laid out as a holiday village in the style of a Menorcan fishing village, so the effect is deliberate rather than grown: low houses, blue trim, no through traffic, and the sea at the foot of the steps. It belongs to the municipality of Sant Lluís.

The hamlet is small enough to cross on foot in a few minutes, which is the point of it. Mornings and evenings are quiet. In high summer the narrow lanes fill in the middle of the day with visitors arriving to look, and the residents ask for some consideration then: gates closed, voices low, no parking in the lanes. A handful of places to eat and drink sit at the edges, and most of the houses are private homes.

Beaches and swimming

The coast here is the Migjorn side of Menorca: pale limestone, low pine, and small coves with sand between rock. Cala Binibeca, the sandy cove a short walk along the shore, is the easiest swim for children, with a gentle entry and shelter from most weather. Below the hamlet the entry is rock and steps rather than sand, and the water deepens quickly. Punta Prima, further east, has a longer beach with more around it.

Because this is the south coast, it is the sheltered side. When the tramuntana blows from the north, the coves here stay calmer than the beaches of the Tramuntana coast, which is worth remembering when planning a day. The water is clear because of the posidonia meadows offshore, and that clarity is the reason the island looks the way it does. Anchoring over the meadows is regulated; use a buoy where one is installed.

• Cala BinibecaSand, a gentle entry and the simplest swim for young children.
• BiniancollaA rocky inlet with deep, clear water; steps rather than sand.
• Cala TorretA small cove with a slipway; usually quieter than the sandy beach.
• Punta PrimaThe longest beach on this stretch, further east.

Places nearby

Maó, the capital, is a short drive north, with its long harbour, Georgian windows and the ferries to Barcelona and Palma. Es Castell, at the harbour mouth, is the old barracks town from the British century and worth an evening. Inland, Sant Lluís is the nearest village with everyday shops and a white church on the square. The Illa de l'Aire lighthouse sits offshore to the south-east; access changes, so ask locally.

The Camí de Cavalls, the old bridleway that circles the island in about twenty stages, runs along this part of the coast, so a walk in either direction is easy to set up from the hamlet. Further afield, the S'Albufera des Grau natural park and the Favàritx lighthouse are on the north-east, Monte Toro is in the middle of the island, and the talayotic monuments are scattered across the countryside.

For a half-day, the harbour at Maó rewards a slow walk: the steps and passages above the water, the market, and the ferries coming and going. Es Castell has the old British barracks and a small square that fills in the evening. On the other side, the beaches of the far south-west, Cala Galdana, Cala en Porter and the wilder coves, are a longer drive but easy enough as a day out.

Who Binibeca Vell suits

Binibeca Vell suits people who want a quiet base with the sea at the end of the street, and who are happy to drive for dinners, beaches and the island's bigger sights. It is good for families with young children because the nearest sandy cove is gentle, and good for swimmers who prefer clear deep water to a long beach. It is less good for anyone wanting nightlife or a town with life through the winter.

Getting around is worth thinking about before booking. The hamlet has no real centre beyond its own lanes: there is no year-round high street with shops, and in winter the nearest everyday shopping is in Sant Lluís or Maó. A hire car makes the island straightforward and opens up the north coast and the west. Without one, days depend on buses from Maó and on taxis, and both thin out outside summer.

• FamiliesShallow sand a short walk away and quiet lanes in the evening.
• SwimmersRock steps into clear water below the hamlet.
• WalkersThe Camí de Cavalls runs along this coast.
• NightlifeLook elsewhere; evenings here end early.

Evenings and food

Food around Binibeca Vell is simple and seasonal. A few places at the edges of the hamlet and around Cala Torret open for lunch and dinner in summer, with fish, rice, grilled vegetables and the Menorcan classics: lobster stew, Mahón-Menorca cheese, and gin from Maó. In the height of August it is worth booking. Out of season most of them shut, and the nearest open kitchens are in Sant Lluís, Es Castell or Maó.

Evenings are the best of the day here. Once the day visitors have gone, the lanes empty and the light on the white walls lasts a long time. A walk down to the water, a drink at the edge of the hamlet, dinner, and an early night is the pattern. For anything later, drive to Maó or Es Castell, where there is more choice and more of it stays open through the year.

Once the day visitors have gone, the lanes empty and the light on the white walls lasts a long time.

From the airport

Menorca Airport is about 5.3 km from Binibeca Vell in a straight line, which makes this one of the shortest transfers on the island. By road the route runs through or around Maó and then south-east through Sant Lluís. Taxis wait at the airport rank, hire cars are collected there, and many places to stay will arrange a transfer if asked in advance. The drive itself is short at any hour.

Public transport is possible but needs planning. The airport bus runs to Maó, and from the bus station there are services towards the south-east coast, with more in summer than in winter. Whether a bus passes close to Binibeca Vell, and how often, changes with the season, so check the island bus operator's current timetables rather than relying on a printed leaflet from last year.

• By taxiFrom the airport rank; the ride is short, so queues matter more than distance.
• By hire carCollected at the airport; useful for the rest of the stay.
• By busAirport bus to Maó, then a seasonal service south-east; check timetables.
• With a transferArranged in advance by the place you stay.

Getting around

Inside Binibeca Vell everything is on foot: the lanes are stepped and narrow, and cars stay outside them. Parking near the hamlet fills quickly in July and August, so arrive early or leave the car at the accommodation and walk. For the rest of Menorca a car is the practical choice, since the island is about 50 km long and the interesting places are spread along the whole coast, north and south.

Bicycles work well on the quiet lanes inland and along the coast road, though the approaches to the hamlet are hilly in places. Walkers have the Camí de Cavalls, which follows the coast and needs no vehicle at all. Maó, Sant Lluís and Es Castell are close enough for an evening out and a drive back in the dark; Ciutadella, at the western end, is a day out rather than a short hop.

Whatever the choice, keep the scale of the island in mind: nothing is very far, and the point of staying here is the coast on foot. A short drive north brings Maó, and from there the whole island opens up. Fuel stations, supermarkets and pharmacies are in Sant Lluís and Maó, not in the hamlet, which matters for a late arrival with shopping still to do.

Seasons and closures

The season on this coast runs roughly from May to October. Many hotels, beach bars, boat trips and restaurants close from November to April, and the small places around Binibeca Vell are no exception. The hamlet stays lived-in through the winter, but the visitors go and the shutters come down on the seasonal businesses. Sant Lluís, Maó and Es Castell stay open all year, with shops, cafés and everyday life.

Sea temperatures are typical of the Balearics rather than warm all year: about 14 to 15 °C in February and March, 18 to 19 °C in May, 22 to 23 °C in June, 25 to 26 °C in August and 23 to 25 °C in September. May, June and September are the pleasant compromise, with warm water and fewer people. The sustainable tourism tax is charged per night by the accommodation, at rates that depend on the place and the season, so check the Balearic government site.