Off-radar magic in Menorca: Tourism is a mercifully light touch on this Mediterranean island

This “little dot in the sea” gets a fraction of the visitors of Majorca, but that’s just fine for visitors who want something different to a standard sun holiday

The picturesque city of Mahon in Menorca. Photo: Getty Images

Jamie Ball

Which would you rather do: spend a couple of hours in a former quarry or, say, watch the snooker? Being honest, I’d normally rather get snookered but the old quarries at Lithica are unlike any other.

I am on the Balearic island of Menorca — the more petite and authentic, go-slow-little-bro of Majorca, and 20,000 leagues from the boom-boom-bang of Ibiza. The island is scarcely 50km across, with less than 100,000 residents. Tourism here is a mercifully light touch.