Arenal Son Saura lies at Son Parc, on the north coast of Menorca in the municipality of Es Mercadal. Rocky headlands close around a deep bay, and the sand runs across it in a wide crescent, with one of the island's most extensive protected dune systems behind and wooden boardwalks laid over it. The water is calm, clear and shallow, and the bay is known for family swimming and snorkelling. A bar-restaurant stands at each end of the sand, and the Camí de Cavalls coast path passes through Son Parc.
Arenal Son Saura
Wide crescent beach in a dune-backed bay on Menorca's north coast, with shallow turquoise water.
- Entrance
- Free — a public beach, no ticket.
- Accessibility
- Three access routes to the sand, one of them a wheelchair path; wooden boardwalks cross the dunes.
- Parking
- Free car park about 200 m away, on the left-hand side of the beach as you face the sea; a second car park sits about 490 m out.
- Difficulty
- No real walk in — the car park is about 200 m away, and the boardwalk over the dunes does the rest.
- Transport
- Nearest stops: Son Parc Beach Club, about 480 m away, and Son Parc Center, about 540 m.
- Advance booking
- Not needed.
- Hours
- Open at any time.
- Address
- Arenal Son Saura, Calle Vial Arenal, 646B, 07740 Son Parc, Illes Balears, Spain
What makes it special
The water is a Caribbean turquoise and it stays shallow a long way out — snorkellers work that shelf for the marine life, and small children can stand in it well away from the sand. Headlands on either side keep the bay calm, and it is slightly sheltered from westerly and easterly winds too, so it still swims on days when the open coasts are blown out. Behind the beach lies one of the most extensive protected dune systems on Menorca, crossed by wooden boardwalks. Son Parc also holds the only golf course on the island, 18 holes through pines, olive groves and wetland where wild peacocks wander, and the Camí de Cavalls runs from here along the coast.
Good to know
- Nothing to drink here. There is no drinking water within 800 m, so bring what you need — more than you think, if children are swimming all day.
- Toilets are free, about 370 m away.
- Food and hire. A bar-restaurant at each end of the beach; part of the sand carries sunbeds and umbrellas for hire, along with SUP boards and canoes.
- Peak season gets very busy, though the beach is big enough to spread people out.
- Three ways down to the sand, one of them a wheelchair path, with boardwalks over the dunes.
Getting there
You arrive through the Son Parc urbanisation — villas and apartments, a supermarket, a few shops — and the beach sits beyond it behind the dunes. The car park is on the left-hand side as you stand facing the sea, about 200 m away in a straight line, with a second car park a little further out. From there the route is boardwalk across the dunes. Three ways lead down to the sand, from the northern end, from the southern end and by a wheelchair path, so decide which end you want before you carry everything down. Es Mercadal and the fishing harbour at Fornells are each about a 15-minute drive.
Best time to visit
Best: June — the water is warm by then and the shallows clear.
Avoid: peak season, when the beach gets very busy.
The bay is slightly sheltered from westerly and easterly winds, so it still swims when the open coasts are blown out, which makes it worth keeping in reserve for a windy day. The beach is big enough to absorb a crowd, and with a bar-restaurant at each end the two halves work independently.
Access & restrictions
The dune system behind the beach is protected, and the wooden boardwalks across it are there to keep feet off the sand. Stay on them the whole way down and back, and keep children on them as well. The plants holding those dunes together break easily underfoot, which is the reason the walkways were built in the first place.
Sun & daylight
Nearby Places
Similar Places
Arenal Son Saura on the map
Jellyfish turn up in the bay. Look the water over before children go in, and keep an eye out while you are snorkelling.
Get directions
Your whole travel map in one place
Get inspired by new places around the world and find the ones worth the journey
Frequently asked questions
Is the water suitable for young children?
It is about as forgiving as Menorca gets: rocky headlands on both sides keep the bay calm, and the water stays shallow a long way out from the sand. Watch for jellyfish, which do drift in.Is this the same beach as Son Saura on the south coast?
No — they are two different beaches with near-identical names. This one is Arenal Son Saura, at Son Parc on the north coast, in the municipality of Es Mercadal.What is actually on the beach?
A bar-restaurant at each end, sunbeds and umbrellas for hire on part of the sand, and SUP boards and canoes to rent. Free toilets sit about 370 m away. There is no drinking water within 800 m.Can you reach the sand with a wheelchair?
One of the three access routes to the beach is a wheelchair path, and wooden boardwalks carry the crossing over the dunes.Is there anything to do besides swimming?
The Camí de Cavalls coast path runs from Son Parc, and the island's only golf course is here — 18 holes through pines, olive groves and wetland with wild peacocks on it. Es Mercadal and Fornells are each about a 15-minute drive.