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Menorca takes a 50m yacht about 5 hours to cross end to end at 12 knots. It has two harbors that handle yachts over 40m (Mahón and Ciutadella), one bay that handles them on the hook (Fornells), and 21 calas that take a tender drop without complaint. The island has been a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve since 1993, which is why the south-coast cliff line still looks like a postcard from 1985 and why the development pressure that hit Ibiza after 2015 has not yet arrived here.
Brokers do not push Menorca because it does not generate the headline rates. A 50m yacht week here runs €280,000 to €380,000 in shoulder and €380,000 to €480,000 in peak, against €350,000 to €500,000 for the same boat Ibiza in the same window (low season / shoulder / peak, as of May 2026). The yacht is the same. The week is quieter. The right charter clients book Menorca a second time, which is the strongest signal we track.
This is the week. South coast for the calas, north coast on the right wind day, Mahón for the dinner, Ciutadella for the timing.
Why Menorca and not Ibiza or Mallorca
The shorthand: Ibiza is the music week, Mallorca is the scale week, Menorca is the quiet week. Charter clients who book Ibiza for the third time are not the same demographic as charter clients who book Menorca for the third time, and the brokers who matter know which client is which inside the first 10 minutes of the inquiry call.
Three things separate Menorca from the other two Balearics.
First, the calas. The south coast from Cala Galdana east to Cala en Porter is a chain of north-cutting limestone gorges, each ending in a sand beach 50m to 200m wide. The cliff walls give 30m+ of vertical shade by mid-afternoon, which on a 35° August day matters. The water clarity at Macarella and Mitjana runs consistently in the 25m to 30m visibility band because the island has no major rivers and no significant runoff.
Second, the harbors. Mahón is the second-deepest natural harbor in the world after Pearl Harbor, with a 5km approach channel and 13m of clear water through the entire inner basin. Ciutadella, on the west coast, is a 600m-long rectangular harbor cut into the cliff with the old town wall around three sides. Neither feels like a marina. Both have restaurants on the water that take captain bookings without complaint.
Third, the regulatory environment is unusual. The 1993 biosphere status combined with the more aggressive Balearic Govern conservation policy means several anchorages on the north coast are within the Reserva Marina del Nord and require advance permits for any yacht over 24m. The permit is administrative, not difficult, but it has to be requested 48 hours ahead and the captain has to know where the boundary lines are. Brokers who quote a Menorca week without mentioning this have not run it.
The 7-day route from Mahón
The default embarkation port is Mahón. The alternative is to position the yacht in Mallorca and run a Menorca-only week with a Cala Ratjada or Pollença pickup. Both work. Mahón gives you a longer first afternoon. We assume a Saturday 16:00 embarkation in what follows.
Day 1, Saturday: Mahón to Cala Mesquida. 4 nautical miles. A short hop out of the harbor to settle in. Cala Mesquida holds in 6m to 9m sand, the beach is small, the swim is uncrowded after 18:00. Captain's-dinner aboard, briefing on the week.
Day 2, Sunday: Mesquida to Cala Macarella via Cala en Porter and Cala Mitjana. 14 nautical miles. Lunch anchorage at Cala en Porter (8m to 12m sand at the entrance, do not try to anchor inside the buoy field) or Mitjana (10m to 14m, exceptional clarity). Macarella for the afternoon and overnight if settled. The 2022 buoy field protects the inside of the cala for swimmers and small craft, so anchor outside in 12m to 16m and tender in.
Day 3, Monday: Macarella to Cala Galdana to Ciutadella. 18 nautical miles. Galdana for lunch, the only south-coast cala with a hotel and a road, which is the price for the easiest tender drop and a beach restaurant that takes reservations. Ciutadella in the evening. Stern-to or alongside the Born quay if available, otherwise anchor outside the entrance in 9m to 14m and tender in. Dinner at S'Amarador or Smoix, both inside the old town within a 5-minute walk of the quay.
Day 4, Tuesday: Ciutadella to Cala Pregonda (north coast) via Cap d'Artrutx. 22 nautical miles. This is the Tramuntana-day decision. If the GFS run at 06:00 shows W or NW under 18 knots through 21:00, run the north coast. Cala Pregonda holds in 8m to 12m sand off the red-rock beach, no jetty, swim ashore or tender to the rocks. If the wind is above 20 knots from the north or northwest, skip the north coast for this day and re-route south to Cala Trebalúger.
Day 5, Wednesday: Pregonda to Fornells Bay. 11 nautical miles. Fornells is a 6km-long natural harbor that holds at 5m to 8m sand throughout, with the village at the head of the bay and the Cap de Cavalleria lighthouse on the headland. Lunch at Es Cranc in the village (langosta menorquina, the local spiny lobster, is the dish to book ahead). Overnight on the hook in the bay.
Day 6, Thursday: Fornells to Cala Pilar to Cala Algaiarens. 14 nautical miles. Both north-coast calas. Pilar is undeveloped to the point of having no road access; Algaiarens has a path through the dunes. Choose one for lunch and one for the afternoon swim. Return to Fornells or run on to Cala Tortuga depending on wind.
Day 7, Friday: Cala in Turqueta or Es Talaier (south coast lunch) to Mahón. 28 nautical miles. The south coast for the final day. Turqueta or Es Talaier (between Macarella and Son Saura) for the last lunch, then back to Mahón for the final dinner ashore. Restaurants in Mahón worth the booking are Sa Pedrera des Pujol, Es Tast de na Sílvia, and the Hotel del Almirante terrace. The captain or chief stew should book all three by mid-week if guests want options.
Day 8, Saturday: Disembark. Out by 11:00.
The Tramuntana risk on the north coast
The Tramuntana wind that defines Mallorca's northwest coast hits Menorca the same way, with one difference: Menorca has no mountains to provide lee. The whole north coast is exposed, the calas face north or northwest, and a Tramuntana day that runs 30 knots will make the entire north side unusable. The fallback is always south.
A captain who has run this coast will check ECMWF and GFS at 06:00 and again at 18:00, will not commit to a north-coast overnight in any forecast that shows a frontal passage within 24 hours, and will keep a south-coast cala identified as a re-route within 3 hours of any anchorage on the north side. This is normal Menorca seamanship. It is also why a captain on his or her third Menorca season is worth significantly more than a captain on the first.
If the broker proposes a north-coast-heavy week without a clear south-coast fallback for each day, push back. The right answer is not "we will see on the day." The right answer is "Tuesday is Pregonda or Trebalúger depending on the wind, Wednesday is Fornells which works in any forecast, Thursday is Pilar and Algaiarens or back to the south coast."
Mahón and Ciutadella, briefly
Mahón is a town. The harbor has a commercial pier (Cos Nou) that takes the cruise ship calls in the middle of the harbor, a Club Maritimo on the south side for yachts to 45m, and the old quay along the north side for tender drops to the restaurant strip. Yachts over 45m take the Cos Nou or anchor in the inner basin in 12m to 14m. The town is a 10-minute walk up from the quay.
Ciutadella is a small Carthaginian harbor with limited berthing for yachts over 30m. Most charter yachts anchor outside the entrance and tender in. The town is the prettier of the two and the dinner options are stronger. The trade-off is the tender ride if the swell is up, which happens when the wind is southwest.
Passed on
We pass on Cala Galdana as an overnight. The hotel beach is busy through 22:00, the cala holds noise from the village, and the cala itself is small. Use it for lunch on the way to or from Macarella.
We pass on the Cala Mitjana inner anchor. The buoy field has compressed the swing room and the 2022 enforcement has been strict. Anchor outside in 12m to 16m and tender to the buoy zone or the beach.
We pass on the suggestion that Menorca works as a 3 or 4-day charter. The transit times from Palma or Ibiza to Mahón eat the schedule. If the week is short, charter Menorca-only out of Mahón. If the week is full 7 days, the route above delivers. Anything in between is a compromise that pays the broker more than it delivers to the charter client.
We pass on Cala en Porter for any size yacht above 50m. The cala mouth is narrow, the swing room with 60m of chain in 12m of water is marginal, and the village above runs nightclub volume past midnight in August.
What this week costs
A 50m motor yacht from a Mediterranean fleet running Menorca low season (May, October) sits in the €280,000 to €320,000 range plus 30 percent APA plus VAT, as of May 2026. Shoulder (June, September) runs €330,000 to €380,000. Peak (July, August) runs €380,000 to €480,000. The same yacht in Ibiza in peak runs €400,000 to €500,000. The same yacht in the French Riviera in peak runs €450,000 to €550,000.
The fuel pass-through is lower in Menorca than anywhere in the Med simply because of the short transit distances. The dockage is lower because Mahón and Ciutadella are still municipal rather than concessioned. The anchorage and buoy fees are lower because the south coast is open and the north coast permits are administrative rather than commercial. The net delivered cost on a 50m Menorca week runs 5 to 8 percent below the equivalent Mallorca week and 10 to 12 percent below the equivalent Ibiza week.
How to ask the broker
The clarifying questions: how many Menorca weeks has the captain run, which two calas does the captain rate highest on the south coast in August, and what is the wind cutoff for committing to a north-coast overnight. A captain with two or more Menorca seasons answers all three in under a minute. A captain on the first Menorca season answers with generalities, which is fine if you accept a more south-coast-heavy week.
Ask the broker which yachts in the fleet have shallow enough draft to enter Fornells Bay properly. Most 50m motor yachts at 3m draft are fine throughout the bay. Above 60m, draft starts to limit how far up the bay you can anchor, which is not fatal but is a planning constraint.
For pre-charter villa stays, the Tramuntana-side of Mallorca is the right pre-week move. Fly into Palma, stay two nights in a Mallorca villa, then the yacht picks up in Pollença or you reposition to Mahón. For post-week stays, Menorca's south coast has the right villa inventory; see the Menorca villa list for the Cala Galdana and Binibeca options. For a pre-charter Menorca hotel, the small properties in Mahón work better than the resort hotels on the south coast.
For day-boat options if guests arrive a day early, the Menorca day charter page covers the operators. For the wider Balearic context and how Menorca compares to the alternatives, the Balearics charter pillar holds the inventory and the best charter yachts in the Balearics ranks the boats that work this coast.
The related blog posts on Mallorca's northwest coast anchorages, the Balearics Formentera summer reality, and the Ibiza Mallorca week loop cover the alternative weeks if a charter client is choosing between them.
FAQ
Is Menorca cheaper to charter than Mallorca? The yacht is the same price. The dockage is lower and the anchorage fees are negligible. The transit times are shorter, so the fuel pass-through is also lower. The net week cost runs 5 to 8 percent below the equivalent Mallorca week.
Can a 60m yacht enter Mahón harbor? Yes. Mahón is the second-deepest natural harbor in the world. The Cos Nou commercial pier handles yachts to 90m. The Club Maritimo takes yachts to 45m on the inner basin.
Are the calas restricted by yacht size? Most south-coast calas are open to all sizes if you anchor in 8m to 14m off the entrance. The buoy fields installed in 2022 at Macarella, Mitjana, and Trebalúger restrict anchoring inside the buoyed area, which only affects yachts under 15m anyway.
Is the north coast worth the risk? On a settled forecast, yes. Pregonda, Pilar, and Algaiarens are three of the best anchorages in the Balearics. On a Tramuntana day, no. Plan the south as the fallback and the north as a bonus.
What is the right embarkation port? Mahón if the charter is Menorca-only. Pollença or Palma if the charter combines Mallorca and Menorca on a 10 to 14-day route.