Resort guide to Cala'n Porter

Cala en Porter situated on the south coast and is less that 20 minutes from the airport. It's not a large resort, you could probably walk from one end to the other in 20 min. In the center of the village you'll find a reasonable selection of restaurants, shops and bars without seeming overcrowded and is where you will find the road down to the beach or further along the view point overlooking the bay next to the 190+++ steps which also lead to the beach. Getting there We collected our hire cars from Mahon airport, which is a modern well equipped airport, but you can easily grab a taxi which is not expensive. Finding your way to Cala en Porter is easy, turn left out of the airport , turn left at the roundabout and follow the road for about 10 -15 min's, when you get to the end you are in the resort. The main roads in Menorca are generally good and the sign posting is clear making navigation straightforward, however the roads seemed very slippery when wet so take care. Cala 'n Porter village center along with the land train for the trips down to the beach. Or if your feeling fit you can use the steps !!.

Accommodation
Cala en Porter has a very good choice of accommodation to suit every pocket and budget. Including a large number of privately owned Villas, hotels and apartments. Some are in the the center others a little way out in quieter locations, but no where is far from the center of the resort.

The Beach
The Cala and beach of Cala en Porter, like the resort itself, is just the right size. The beach is protected by the cliffs which form the cala and its beach slopes very gently out to sea. There is a red cross life guard on duty all day every day. The red cross also have a disabled wheechair for easy access into the water.

There are sun beds and parasols available for hire but they are not cheap you can buy Parasols in the shops for less, pedalo's are also available at hourly rates. There are a few bars on one side which offer drinks ice creams and meals and Loos's ! plus a small souvenir shop and a small general shop.

There is a reasonable amount of free parking at the back of the beach with some shade but this becomes busy quite early. In general the beach area very good and clean, the scale of the bay means that if you set up near the waters edge you can easily keep an eye on the kids which ever direction they take, although watch out for the red flags which warn of offshore breezes which can quickly push inflatable's into deeper water ( along with the odd parasol and beach ball ).

If you have small children you may find it beneficial to drive down rather than walk down, note the path is not very push chair friendly and is very steep in places. Alternatively you can take the steps from further along the top road but they are steep.

Eating out
There is a good selection of restaurants covering all tastes and pockets including a Chinese and Indian, restaurants that specialise in fish, Spanish and English style, all very good.

Night Life
There are enough bars, dance bars, and karaoke bars to keep most people happy. Also check out the posters for the tribute bands behind the Sa Paissa. The night club in the Coves d'en Xoroi is very impressive, very atmospheric, but make sure you take ID or you may be refused entrance.

Shops
Again, there is a good selection of shops for food, drink and souvenirs. They seem to offer value for money as good as those in the larger towns, the SPAR supermarket has almost everything you need and there is a chemists.

Money Exchanges
There is one bank in Cala en Porter plus there are plenty of places where you can exchange money, shop around a little of course but in general their exchange rates are so close to the banks that it was not worth traveling to town. Atm's are plentiful in the center so if one is not working you will always find another one that is.

For the kids
There is a play area just up the road from the SPAR which has kiddies go carts and rides, all a bit tatty but good fun. They have an area which has bouncy castles, trampolines and a climbing area with ball pit. At the top of the road from the beach is the Fun House with a soft play area for the younger ones plus a bar for the rest of us. It is worth noting that in general the play areas in Menorca are not very child friendly in that they usually have hard or gravel surfaces. This is now changing with softer, child friendlier surfaces being introduced. And don't forget the beach of course.

Getting around
There is a daily [Mon - Sat] bus service to Mahon starting at 10:00 with the last at 20:00. Mahon to calan Porter the service starts at 09:30 with the last one 19:40. See bus stops for detailed time table. From Mahon other service will take you most towns and resorts on the island. But take note of return times as some services stop early evening.

Taxis are plentiful and can be found at the rank out side the Sa Paissa restaurant in the center of the resort.

Fiesta
Calan Porter has it's own fiesta held late in September usually around the 19th - 20th. As with all fiestas please be careful especially if you have children accidents quite often happen.

What else close by
Close to Cala en Porter is Calas Coves there are many caves high up in the walls of the gorge, making the exploration of this area very exciting for children and there dads as well. You can easily walk there, directions can be found here. Sant Climent a typical country village with shops, banks, bars and restaurants, found on the road to Mahon, the island capital great for a day or evening out with a great port area, lots of shopping and twice weekly markets.

The famous Caves of Cala en Porter are very impressive. You can visit during the day, open from 11:00 the entry ticket includes a drink. Or at night when it's turned into a great night club, take ID or you may be refused entrance. The caves are very atmospheric, well worth a visit ( if you can negotiate the steep steps ) with great views out to sea.

Summary
Cala en Porter is an excellent base for a holiday in Menorca if you have young children. It is clean, the perfect size, friendly and the kids loved it There should be sufficient night life for teenagers and away from the center it is quite. The roads and footpaths are very steep in places although the worst can be avoided.

Safety
Please note Lock up when you go out, do not learn the hard way, use the shutters provided. Mosquito screens alone are not regarded as secure, if someone breaks in through them you may not be insured.

More info can be found here
Resort Report By Duncan
Click here for Worth a visit info. Worth a visit rating =8
Please note the above was correct at the time of writing and as I become aware of any changes I alter this information as necessary. Bars, restaurants open, close and are renamed at their owners will.