The smart and exclusive resort of Playas de Fornells along with its nearest neighbour the traditional fishing village of Fornells, some 3 - 4 kilometres away to the east, are both part of the municipal district of Es Mercadal on the rugged northern coast of Menorca, approximately 30km, or 20 miles north west of the capital Mahon and the international Aeropuerto de Menorca.

Being one of the newest resort developments on the island Playas de Fornells has so far remained relatively "undiscovered" by many of the major tour operators.

As a result many of the visitors here will be independent travellers who would not therefore have the option of a resort transfer to their chosen accommodation.

For those visitors who have chosen to collect a pre-booked hire car from one of the numerous agencies that operate from the airport facility and drive into the resort, the journey is fairly straightforward with the most direct route into Playas de Fornells taking you east along the ME-1 to the town of Es Mercadal before then heading north along the ME-15 for the final few miles into the town.

As with the other resorts on the island, we have put together the basic route for this journey, complete with links to maps where appropriate, and this is available from the Route Map link on the left hand frame of this page. All things considered an experienced driver should be able to make the journey in around 40 - 45 minutes, although as in the UK if you get stuck behind a lorry this journey time may increase substantially.

For those visitors who choose not to drive, there are always a large number of taxis available for hire outside of the arrivals hall.

Although in theory at least, these taxis all operate on a fixed price basis, the total cost of the journey is known to vary slightly, however as a very rough guide the transfer to Playas de Fornells should cost around 45€ for a taxi carrying 4 people plus luggage.

It's also worthwhile mentioning that as a rule, taxis do not normally carry child seats, so very small children will have to sit on their parent's knees for the journey. If this is a cause for concern, we strongly recommend that you make arrangements for a pre-booked taxi to be waiting for you, and clearly specify at the time of booking that a child seat is needed for the journey. Pre-booked taxis are often a little more expensive, although as with all things in life, you only get what you pay for.

Once you are in the resort, and have settled in to your accommodation, the trip back to Mahon for either shopping or sightseeing, is then possible by public transport, but only if you plan your journey times with care. During the summer months a very limited bus service runs from Playas de Fornells, and on a number of occasions we've been asked for a timetable.

Experience has shown us that the term "timetable" is not necessarily the best description for the time the buses actually run, although these are published each year on the bus stop in town, and also on the pages of the local councils web site, as well as the web site of the Transportes Menorca, who are the local bus operators. However, clearly no responsibility can be accepted on our behalf as to either the content or accuracy of information provided on these external links.

Although branded and actively marketed by the Menorcan Tourist Board as Playas de Fornells, the actual resort development is situated along a hillside on the western side of a small peninsula that overlooks the bay of Cala Tirant, and much to the annoyance of the Tourist Board is often referred to locally as Tirant Playa.

As we mentioned earlier the original port and fishing village of Fornells, where you may have mistakenly believed that you were staying, is actually some 4 or 5 kilometres north east of Playas de Fornells on the eastern side of the peninsula, which as you may have already guessed overlooks the magnificent Bay of Fornells.

If you have the opportunity to look at an aerial photograph of the north coast of Menorca, you will quickly see that the Bay of Fornells is almost bottle shaped, giving the bay the appearance of almost being a large lake, albeit a lake that measures almost 5 kilometres long and 2 kilometres wide.

This unique protection from the Tramuntana winds creates an ideal location for both windsurfing and sailing, as well as a safe and secure mooring for the small numbers of fishing boats and increasingly larger number of leisure craft.

In recent years, following the patronage of King Juan Carlos of Spain, Fornells has become the smart place to be seen and to eat, and a short visit here is often now included as part of the major tour operators "see Menorca in a day" type island tours.

Returning if we may for a few moments to Playas de Fornells, visitors on self catering breaks do have a choice of a small number of Spar type supermarkets selling the everyday holiday essentials, which in recognition of the high numbers of British visitors, often stock a wide selection of UK recognised branded goods, albeit at slightly higher prices than you would normally expect to pay back at home in the UK. However, for a far wider selection of both designer labels and locally made craft goods it will be necessary to make the journey either east to Mahon or alternatively west to the former capital of the island Ciutadella.

Now something that is never mentioned in the holiday brochures. At the start and end of the summer months Menorca, especially the north coast, does get very windy. If any further proof of this was needed, look at the way the trees around the resort all bend to the south. This may also explain why Menorca is effectively closed to tourists during the winter months.

The rugged northern coast of Menorca also is widely recognised by yachtsmen as being where the sea is at its roughest, and by local fishermen as where the richest fish stocks around the island are to be found.

To ensure these fish stocks survive for future generations, in June 1999 the Municipal Government of the Balearic Islands established La Reserva Marina del Norte de Menorca, (Marine Reserve of the North Coast of Menorca) and thus afforded special environmental protection to the area.

Looking now inland from the resort, the spiritual centre and highest point of the island Mount Toro, is clearly visible on most days, along with the 17th Century Sanctuary of the Mare de Déu del Toro, which is something that we will endeavour to cover in more depth on our Attractions and Amenities pages.

As with most resorts in Menorca, evening entertainment here is mainly hotel based, however, during the summer months at least, the resort does have a small number of lively bars, but certainly nothing that would ever compare to the neon jungle of the popular resorts along the south coast of Majorca.

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This website was launched on 1 May 2002

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