The Daily Mirror is running a competition to win a holiday for two in Menorca, closing date this Friday 23 July 2010.

Watch out for the entry costs - 60p a minute by phone and £1 via text.

For more details click through to The Mirror here

For today’s Menorca weather visit yourmenorca.net

One of the Liverpool syndicate who won £45,000,000 on the Euromillions lottery recently is planning - among other things - to have a holiday in Menorca.

To read more click here

In 2009 when Menorca and other holiday destinations need good news to remind tourists why they should visit, three hotels have helped with some good publicity.

Menorca is well known in Europe as an ideal island for villa holidays - of the three Balearic Islands it’s quieter than both Majorca and Ibiza, and is popular with families looking to spend quality time together, and part of Menorca’s appeal are the family friendly restaurants and beaches.

So the fact that Menorca has been recognised for her hotels as well as traditional villa holidays is welcome at a time when the holidays market is battling the recession to keep the tourists flying in for a week or two’s Menorca holidays.

The Hotel Apartments Princesa Playa in Cala en Bosc is named as one of the world’s best family hotels - reinforcing the Menorca holidays image as one of being family friendly.

The other two Menorca hotels that get a mention in the European best hotels category are the Blanc Palace in Sa Caleta and the Royal Son Bou in Son Bou - both previously not particularly well known of all the hotels in Menorca.

Son Bou where the Royal is located is home to the largest and, for many visitors, best beach on Menorca, accessible via a tunnel down the road from Alaior. This resort has two hotels at the eastern end. With just shy of two kilometers of beach bars, there is no shortage of opportunity for fun. For the more modest holidaymaker, note that the farther west you go on this beach, the more scantily dressed the beach-goers are. It is perhaps not a good choice for a family holiday, but an ideal spot for couples or a group of friends.

But while Son Bou is a popular area, for small island Menorca has a surprisingly diverse range of villages to suit different holidaymakers depending uponwhat they are looking for.

Not far from Son Bou is Santa Tomas for example. The beach area in Santo Thomas offers popular busier stretches and quaint hideaways. At a couple of miles long, it’s never overcrowded and offers protection with its surrounding sand dunes. The beach, patrolled for safety, is long and narrow. It offers an excellent swimming habitat, fine sand and warm surf. Scenic countryside and woods provide a backdrop to the sand and the Mediterranean.

S’Algar is a small resort located on the southeast coast of Menorca, a short distance from the capital of Menorca Mahon and Sant Lluis. This is a ‘purpose-built’ holidays resort, and it is very well cared for and offers a good selection of accommodation, which includes two large hotels, several apartment complexes and some privately owned villas. You’ll also find a fair number of bars and restaurants along with a variety of shops. If you want to be active during your Menorcan resort holiday and not just lounge around, S’Algar has a host of sports facilities for you to enjoy. There is no beach here, however. You’ll have to travel to Cala Alcaufar, about a 15 minute walk.

Punta Prima is another popular Menorca village and has several hostels, hotels, apartments and villas to rent and a good selection of bars and restaurants for the convenience of its visitors. Unlike some of the other resorts in Menorca, Punta Prima also has two supermarkets and car rental facilities. If you are looking for a beach, you’ll find a beautiful one at Punta Prima, but be wary of the currents - they can be very strong at times. Take note of the warning flags that will alert you to the safety conditions of the water.

Binibeca Village is a beautiful, quiet resort consisting of Cala Torret in the east and Binebeca Vell to the west. This resort consists of all low rise apartments and villas and offers no high rise accommodation. The area around Binibeca has a variety of high quality bars, restaurants and stores.

But wherever you choose to spend Menorca holidays these days it appears that the hotels are giving the villas a run for their money at last!

Summer holidays in Menorca are enchanting for the whole family, and with Europe in recession the island will be hoping that previous visitors will remember just how good a summer Menorca holiday can be.

Not as many people will be taking a holiday in 2009 than last year, and the Menorca holidays industry is keeping its fingers crossed that their main British market won’t be holding back on visiting the holiday island this summer.

Along with Germany, the UK provides most visitors to Menorca, and there are good reasons why both the British and Germans could be choosing Menorca if they do decide to take a holiday abroad.

Most visitors arrive either at Mahon Airport or in Mahon itself via a cruise ship. Mahon is the capital of Menorca. Its deep sea green and blue water harbour contrast delightfully with its white sand beaches, making Mahon both picturesque and perfect for leisure and recreation on the beach.

Mahon is rife with splendid hotels and fine restaurants, clubs and bars.  However, tourists who want to experience more of Menorca often spend time at Son Bou or Cala en Porter for their holidays in Menorca

These two resort developments are on the island’s central southern coast. It is about a 30 minute drive from the airport in Mahon. 

Only a short distance away from these is the resort of Santo Tomas in the district of Migjorn Gran which is also well worth a visit for holidayymakers.

The beach area in Santo Thomas offers popular busier stretches and quaint hideaways. At two miles long, it’s rarely crowded and offers protection with its surrounding sand dunes. The beach, patrolled for safety, is long and narrow. It offers an excellent swimming habitat, fine sand and warm surf. Scenic countryside and woods provide a backdrop to the sand and the Mediterranean waters.

All three of these resorts feature gorgeous beaches - in fact, Son Bou boasts the longest beach on the island, with an astounding two miles of white sand for visitors to enjoy.

Although the scenery and terrain may be enough in itself to keep holidaymakers busy during their holidays in Menorca - Menorca is also rich in culture and history.

This is visible in its renowned collection of ancient stone monoliths which bear tales of prehistoric times.  Although Menorca has been a territory of Spain for over 200 years, there is still much evidence of its British roots - some English style architectural influences are still apparent even after the passage of centuries.

Menorca will be hoping that British tourists who have been to the island before remember just how good it is, and decide to take a holiday in Menorca whatever the economic forecast is for the summer.