Cala Pregonda Beach Cove

Everyone has their own favourite Menorcan cove but the one factor they all have in common is that you cannot reach them by road. Approaching Cala Pregonda on foot. you wonder what all the fuss is about surely a perfect cove cannot have concrete houses behind the beach? But sit against the dunes with your back to the houses. surrounded by wild flowers on a quiet day in spring or autumn, looking out beyond the shore to the sandstone rocks and beyond that to Cap de Cavalleria , and you begin to feel the magic of this place.

An old Roman road runs from Santa Agueda but the easiest approach is from BinimelIa. Take the whitewashed steps over the wall at the west end of BinimelIa beach, follow the track across salt flats and a pebbly cove, climb a small headland above the dunes, then drop down to the beach.

The water is crystal-clear, ideal for swimming, though you might have to navigate your way around yachts. A short distance out to sea is a rocky islet with its own sandy beach, just right for a couple of families Near here is Es Prego, the sandstone outcrop said to resemble a hooded monk (prego means proclamation), carved into shape by the fierce north wind. And behind the beach are the pine woods, the best place to take a picnic if you want to escape the crowds and the sun.

And the houses?  They were put up before the restrictions on coastal development were introduced. Even such modest building would not be permitted today.