Arenal d'en Castell, Addaia, Macaret

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Puerto de Addaia, Na Macaret cove

The beach is large and horseshoe-shaped, with fine sand. It has a small pine forest area on the right bank, a little further from the sea; its narrow entrance from the sea protects it somewhat from the winds and softens even more the slight swell of the Mediterranean.

The beach at Arenal d'en Castell has a good entry area for swimming and for boats, which have a demarcated area with buoys so as not to interfere with bathers.

When approaching by boat, from the sea you can barely appreciate its full beauty until you are inside the bay; as is logical, given that the entrance is flanked by crags on both sides of the cove which serve as natural viewpoints, since, after passing a series of chalets, you can access the cliff in a wide space to get a panoramic view of the entire beach and the large outer bay.

The residential area of Arenal d'en Castell is a veteran of beach tourism; it has an extensive range of restaurants and bars with the most varied services and shows, as well as several large hotels, supermarkets, vehicle or boat rentals, and a sports area. Despite the construction on the cove, it still has open areas where you can appreciate its beauty.

Puerto de Addaia

It is the third-largest port in Menorca, only surpassed by the port of Maó and Ciutadella. It is operational all year round and set in a dreamlike landscape; a perfect refuge whether you are caught in a storm or if you reside in the area and want to keep your boat safe. The port has a great variety of services, and if we take into account that not far away you can choose between some splendid pristine beaches or some very urbanized ones, the location is perfect. The Puerto d'Addaia, Na Macaret, Arenal d'en Castell, and the residential area of Son Parc are all relatively close, which means they will end up joining; one can only hope that an outer road is planned that allows for a view of the coast.

Na Macaret

It is a small cove with a tiny beach nestled between the few houses of the residential area. The beach, which faces the interior of Cala Molí—one of the entrances to Addaia—also has a pier for the small boats of the locals, who go out for pleasure or fishing to the pristine beaches of the coast. If the Addaia area is generally quiet, this place is even more so. It is one of the corners where the Menorcans are in the majority and have known each other for years, making the atmosphere very familiar. This is why its rhythm changes during the months of July and August with the vacations, since for the rest of the year they only go to their houses on the weekends and if the weather is good, although in recent years it has grown a little more towards the north at Punta d'en Siulet.

Na Macaret:

It is located very close to the residential areas more aimed at foreign tourism such as Addaia itself and above all Arenal d'en Castell, and thus complements the services that this residential area lacks.

It is a good place for sailing, both for exploring the coast and for going to some of the numerous pristine coves and beaches of the north coast, especially those located to the southwest of Illa Gran and Petita d'Addaia, which are very inaccessible by land, such as Arenal de Mongofre Nou and S'Enclusa.

As a point of interest, we find Sa Punta de sa Torre, with a great viewpoint over Macaret and the two arms of the port of Addaia.

Access:

From Es Mercadal via the M15 road to Fornells, at Km 5 is the junction with the M7 road; to the right you go to Son Parc, Arenal d'en Castell, and Puerto de Addaia, which is our route.(*1)

For Arenal d'en Castell we turn right and stay on the road until Km 9, where there is now a roundabout. See the map indicated with an (A) here; the routes are:

To the left we go to Alayor, straight ahead we go to Maó, and our path is to the left for Arenal d'en Castell, heading to point B at about 2 km; here on the right-hand side is the Puerto de Addaia destination (1).

Continuing straight at the next roundabout, follow the road to the right to destination (2) Na Macaret, and at the roundabout, go straight along the road above (see map) to the final destination (3) of the residential area or beach of Arenal d'en Castell.

From Maó:

Take the road that starts at the end of the port of Maó; it is the road to Fornells, M7. At Km 9 on the right-hand side, the road to the Cape and Lighthouse of Favàritx begins; on how to get there, see the Favàritx Lighthouse circuit.

At Km 12.5 there is a gas station, but it only provides service in the summer. Then, at Km 15, is the junction with the road that comes from Alayor and goes to Arenal d'en Castell, Na Macaret, and Puerto de Addaia; this is the roundabout marked with (A).

If we do not enter Arenal d'en Castell, continuing almost until reaching Km 18, where there are some traffic circles and a roundabout joining the road, and just before passing the restaurant and equestrian club of Llucaitx Parc, there is the road that leads to the Son Parc residential area and to the Arenal de Son Saura beach; see the Son Parc areas circuit.

At Km 20 on the left is the entrance to the Sa Roca residential area, and you can continue to exit in Alayor; all that remains is to reach the junction of the Es Mercadal to Fornells road (M7); from here on, see access from Es Mercadal.

From Alayor you can access it by taking the Binifamís road (M9) in the direction of Arenal d'en Castell and at the junction with the M7 (which is at Km 15, the point marked on the MAP as (A)) and the map guide according to whether our destination is the Arenal or the Port d'Addaia.

If we go to Son Parc and Fornells, we will take the left turn onto the M7; the first important entrance to the right is Son Parc, and now follow it until the junction with the M15 road that joins Es Mercadal and ends in Fornells; from here on, see access from Es Mercadal to Fornells.

(*1) If at this point we continue straight, we go to Fornells. In that case, do not take the M7; we must continue straight. One kilometer away on the left is the entrance to the Fornells residential area and beach, which is also the entrance to Tirant beach; past that entrance, 1 km later is the beach and 300 meters further is the Playas de Fornells residential area. If we do not enter Playas de Fornells and continue straight, 300 meters further on the right, we find the entrance to Ses Salines beach and the sailing school.

Continuing along the road to Fornells: there is only one kilometer left to the town of Fornells.

Maps of Menorca, Salgar and Alcaufar circuit

Point A

Roundabout at the junction of the M7 road from Maó to Fornells and the M9 road from Alayor to Arenal d'en Castell

Point B

Exit to the Port of Addaia on the right, destination 1

Point C

To the right or take the right towards Na Macaret, destination 2

Straight ahead, then left to Arenal den Castell, destination 3

the documents and images on this portal. Photographs: Omar Mauro Banquero