Cala Es Canutells

On a still morning the water inside the inlet sits flat and glass-clear, closer to an open swimming pool than to open sea: the rock walls on either side hold the swell out, and the bottom shows through from the sand. Bring a snorkel. There are caves along the edges of the cove, and the clarity makes them easy to look into. Boats come and go from the slipway through the day, part of the scene here. The cove stays low-key and is not much visited by tourists, and on a weekday you can have long stretches of it to yourself.

• No toilets at the cove, and none nearby — plan around it.
• Getting into the water means stepping over stones and small rocks; water shoes or flip-flops earn their place.
• The car park by the slipway fills up. Come early, or fall back on the second car park about 470 m away.
• Kayaks and pedal boards can be hired near the slipway, and there is a small cafe close by.
• Weekdays are quieter than weekends.

The approach is by road through Es Canutells, a low-rise village of white holiday houses, and the tarmac runs right down to the water. The car park sits next to the slipway, about 46 m away, so there is effectively no walk in; when it is full, a second car park lies about 470 m away. The Canutells bus stop is around 330 m off, with a second stop, Binixíquer, about 3 km away. From the hotels above — the Grupotel Mar de Menorca reception is roughly 300 m from the cove — the way down takes about eight minutes on foot and is steep: easy going down, a steady climb back, and that climb tells in hot weather.

Best: early in the morning, and on a weekday.

Avoid: arriving late in the day, and weekends.

Early gets you a clear stretch of sand and a space next to the slipway; later on, most of the places in that car park are taken. Weekdays are quieter than weekends. If you are walking down from the hotels above, the climb back is the part to plan for — go down early, or stay until the heat has gone out of the day.