Aquamarina

About Aquamarina

Aquamarina suits couples and families who want a quiet base in Menorca's south-east corner, close to the small coves and whitewashed lanes of Binibeca Vell. The hotel is a four-star property in the Binibeca S'atalaia area, not on the water, with a garden, a terrace and an outdoor pool. It works for travellers who plan to drive out each day and return to a calm setting in the evening.

Aquamarina is a four-star hotel rather than a large resort, and the appeal is space and simplicity: free car parking, a garden and a pool, plus a lounge and terrace for the hours when the sun is strongest. Families travelling with children may find the parking and the wheelchair accessible layout useful, and couples can treat it as a base for the coves between Sant Lluís and the mouth of Maó harbour.

Location: Binibeca Vell

The hotel sits in the Binibeca S'atalaia area, 1.7 km from Binibeca Vell, the whitewashed fishing-village-style hamlet of lanes and steps by the sea. Sant Lluís, a white village of windmills, is 3.5 km away, and Es Castell, the Georgian barracks town at the mouth of Maó harbour, is 7.3 km. This is the quiet south-east of Menorca, where the Migjorn coast runs in limestone coves under pine.

Little of this is comfortably walkable beyond the immediate lanes, so a car is the practical way to reach the coves, the villages and Maó, and the free parking at Aquamarina makes that simple. Buses serve Sant Lluís and parts of the south coast in summer, with more lines running in July and August; the island bus operator publishes current timetables. In high summer the south coast car parks fill early. In May, June and September the same roads feel far emptier.

Rooms and facilities

Aquamarina lists a garden, a terrace, a lounge and an outdoor pool, which between them cover most of a summer day without leaving the grounds. The pool carries July and August, with the garden and terrace offering shade at the height of the afternoon. Free car parking is a real advantage where roadside space near the coves disappears by mid-morning. The property is listed as wheelchair accessible.

Room layouts and bed configurations vary, so confirm the details with Aquamarina before booking: which rooms open onto the garden or the terrace, whether a cot or an extra bed can be added, and how the accessible rooms are arranged. Check-in and check-out times, breakfast arrangements and pool hours also shift with the season, so ask the hotel when you book and again shortly before travelling.

Getting there

Menorca Airport (MAH) is 5.5 km from Aquamarina in a straight line, the closest of the island's gateways. Taxis wait at the terminal and the transfer is short; hire cars are collected at the airport and can be left in the hotel's free parking. Buses run from the airport to Maó, and onward services towards Sant Lluís and this corner are more frequent in summer, so check lines with the island bus operator.

Maó port is 7.9 km away in a straight line, useful for travellers arriving on the overnight ferry from Barcelona or connecting from Palma. Es Castell, at the harbour mouth, is 7.3 km, and Sant Lluís is 3.5 km. Winter brings fewer flights and a thinner ferry timetable, so confirm sailings with the operators and the flight schedule with the airline before fixing your dates.

Beaches, sights and food nearby

Binibeca Vell, 1.7 km away, is the obvious short trip: a hamlet of white walls, outside stairs and narrow lanes above the water. Sant Lluís, 3.5 km away, is a white village of windmills and makes an easy stop for shopping and coffee. The limestone coves of the Migjorn shore lie a short drive south, with parking that fills early in summer. S'Albufera des Grau Natural Park, the core of the Biosphere Reserve, is 14.6 km and easier by car.

Menorca's food is tied to the sea and the fields. Mahón-Menorca cheese carries a protected designation of origin and turns up on most menus; caldereta de llagosta, lobster stew, belongs to the north-coast fishing villages, a longer day out from this south-east base. Markets in Maó and Sant Lluís sell cheese, cured sausage and olive oil, though market days vary, so check with Aquamarina or the island council before going.

A day from Aquamarina

Start early with the short hop to Binibeca Vell, 1.7 km from Aquamarina, before the lanes fill; the hamlet is small and rewards a slow walk. Continue to Sant Lluís, 3.5 km away, for the windmills and a coffee, then drive to a south coast cove for the middle of the day. Return for the pool and the garden in the late afternoon.

On another day, head towards Maó. The boat trip round the harbour is 7.5 km from Aquamarina and La Mola fortress, the 19th-century Isabel II fortification guarding the entrance, is 8.2 km, so both fit into a morning and early afternoon. Finish with a walk at Es Castell, 7.3 km, then drive back. A car makes this loop simple; buses are thinner outside July and August.

Practical tips

Aquamarina's season matters more than most: much of Menorca's tourism business, from beach bars to seasonal buses and many restaurants, closes roughly from November to April, while Maó and Ciutadella stay open all year. Confirm the hotel's own opening dates before booking, and expect July and August to be the busiest weeks. The Balearic sustainable tourism tax, the ecotasa, is charged per person per night by the accommodation; rates depend on the accommodation type and season and are reduced in low season and for longer stays, with children under 16 exempt. Check the current rules with the Govern de les Illes Balears.

Questions about Aquamarina