Surrender to serenity. Be in contact with nature. Be surrounded by olive trees, crop fields, lemon and orange groves, playful yet sophisticated vibes and history interwoven with contemporary as well as authentic Balearic experiences.

There is no place like home on the Little Island.

On 46km long Menorca, which has been a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve since 1993,  you are never far from the sea, airport, countryside, and  the origins of the Mediterranean island. Especially if you choose t stay in a luxury “finca” or rural farmhouse.  The island has some of the best agritourism properties Europe, offering guaranteed luxury and seclusion.

The most well-known are swish rural estates like the 130-hectare Son Blanc,  the 20-suite Amagatay, Llucasaldent Gran , the 17th Duke of Montemarte’s Rafal Rubu with its  “llocs,” ( old country buildings), Santa , Torre Vella ( top-end finca with yoga platforms ) and the arty farmhouse re-boot , the 43-room Menorca Experimental. But there are plenty of others. Some even have their own archaeological sites.

HOTEL TORRELBANC

Nothing could be more Menorcan, A cluster of trademark whitewashed farm buildings perched in the hills above Cala’n Porter amidst vines and olive trees, the 77-hectare estate is one of Menorca’s best rural hotels. With its wooden beam ceilings , limestone rock walls and sandstone floors, this meticulous re-build , traditional farm conversion radiates rustic and luxe. Some rooms have private gardens. Its spa offers a diamonds and roses massage. Overseen by Michelin chef, Gorka Taxas,  its celebrated restaurant offers everything from Siberian caviar to piglet confit, Iberian pork and Mahon cheesecake.  The property also has its own wine label.

On a smaller scale, the equally tranquil Ses Talaies, close to Ciutadella , has ten distinctive rooms. Some are located on the ground floor which was the former flock area!  The hilltop Son Vives is on a cheese-making farm. Its restaurant has one of the best dishes you will taste while on Menorca-  “caldereta de llagosta! (  lobster stew).  It also offers donkey excursions!

SON TRIAY

Between Ferreries and the southern coastal resort of Cala Galda, this rural hotel is also a working farm. Surrounding the salmon-pink Neo-classical Palladian mansion are 126 hectares of gardens, pastures, and forests. Meals are home-cooked using fresh, locally grown produce. Unpretentious and idyllic, Manuel Hernandez Maracadel’s property exemplifies tranquil and tasteful country living.  It has a barrel-vaulted chapel and offers rambles in Algander ravine.

SANT JOAN DE BINISSAIDA

Set amidst 12 hectares of gardens, olive groves, and wild land, 18th-century farmhouse re-imagined as a modern boutique hotel at Es Castell, features 12 characterful rooms named after famous opera composers and furnished with traditional Menorcan artwork and antiques. All exposed beams and polished flagstones,  a speciality of its excellent restaurant is slow-cooked suckling lamb. On an ancient plot at the entrance to the port of Mahón, Sant Joan de Binissaida is renowned for its recovered plantation of olive trees and olive oil.

BINIARROCA HOTEL

Owned by a painter and a former London fashion designer and located on the outskirts of Sant Lluís which has the largest natural harbour in Europe, this very, very stylish upmarket bijou agriturismo with gardens opened in 1998.

CA NA XINI

In the grounds of Sant Patrici wine and cheese-producing farm, this eight-room adults-only designer retreat with its own Designation of Origin cheese cellar offers farm-to-table cuisine with rooms of contemporary minimalism. Built in 1918 by businessman from Madrid and named after his lover, the building evokes the rural properties built by Andrea Palladio in Italy at the end of the nineteenth century. It is the place to find relaxation and learn the difference between  Tierno ( youing ) and Curado  aged) cheese.

SANTA MARIANA

Don’t leave Alaior without trying the “pomade! lemon pie or Jose Maria Borras’s Menorcan-style  eggplant, red cown, pine and pine nits or pickled “olialgua” of oxidized tomatoes and Sirviola.

HOTEL RURAL SANT IGNASI  

An elegant 17th-century country house near Ciutadella, boasts beautiful gardens and an ancient oak forest. Accommodation ranges from ultra-cozy, traditionally inspired rooms to grand suites with antique Menorcan-English furnishings and “well-appointed” ( in other words, scenic) terraces. Seven kilometers from La Vall beach, the estate features a centenary holm oaks garden and tennis and paddle courts. Embrassada sausages and ensameda pastries available as well as figat jam and sometimes almond carquinyos!

BINIGAUS VELL

Mixing Menorcan architecture with 21st-century comforts, unspoiled natural surroundings and good food, this charming family-run hotel outside Es Migjorn Gra has its own stables, offering equestrian excursions.  It is part of the San Adeodate Stud Farm. It also has a seawater pool. The site has ninth century roots. As well as a sunken garden and 21st century whirlpool tubs.

FINCA BINIAI NOU

Another livestock farm near Mahon, it specializes in breeding Charolais cows. Hot water comes via solar panels, and heating in all rooms and common areas produced with wood boiler. The property has an archaeological site (Hypogeum), where the oldest-ever human remains were found on the island.

ALCAUFAR VELL

Found in the southeast of the island, surrounded by gardens and farmland, this renovated 14th-century mansion and fortress with eighteenth-century neoclassical façade boasts 20 elegant rooms, a vaulted dining room and, of course, the obligatory terrace in the shade of olive trees. Plus the requisite purple bougainvillea and pink oleander. And peace. The resident tortoises don’t make much noise. Moreish Moorish.

BINIGAUS NOU

Designed by the architect Femenias,  the 1798 farmhouse was refurbed as an agriturismo stay in 2012. You can enjoy free-standing bathtubs and old stone fireplaces and outstanding views overlooking the quaint Binigaus Valley to the sea, an infinity-edge swimming pool  and direct actress to the  Camí de Cavalls ancient path. Meaning  the “Horse Path”, the 10-stage hiking trail goes back to the 14th century, when a royal order required the knights of Menorca to patrol the coast on horseback and defend the island.

Make the most of every day on Menora.

And remember : Es Castille is the first Spanish municipality to see the sunrise!