Son Bou beach
The beach at Son Bou with its fine white sands is the longest in Menorca (3 km). The sea here is shallow, its waters clear and clean.
However, as it is very exposed, southerly winds may make the sea at Son Bou a little choppy. Behind the beach stands one of the biggest holiday complexes in Menorca, which is separated from the sea by the largest wetland on the southern coast. Son Bou thus has two faces: to the east, a modern beach resort, well provisioned with services; and a little way to the west, a large stretch of peaceful unspoilt sand.
Son Bou, a beach with facilities
In the area nearest the holiday-home complex there are numerous bars, and much of the beach is given over to loungers and umbrellas. The resort also boasts hotels, apartments and apartment-hotels, and is fully equipped with supermarkets, bars and restaurants, a chemist, a water park, a shopping center, and facilities for hiring bikes and cars, or for booking a excursion on horseback or a scuba dive. As well as the hotels and apartment-hotels, just 3 km from the beach you’ll find Camping Son Bou, one of the island’s only two campsites.
• The best offers for travelling to Son Bou
• Hotels, apartments and apartment-hotels in Son Bou (Booking)
• Car hire at Son Bou
• Son Bou’s weather
Son Bou with kids
Whether you are looking for a beach with facilities or an unspoilt jewel, Son Bou, with its easy access, fine sands and clear shallow waters, is one of Menorca’s best, safest and most pleasant beaches to visit with kids. Bear in mind, though, that it is very open and southerly winds can make the sea rather choppy. In this case, if you are with children, it is best to head to beaches such as Des Grau or Arenal d’en Castell on the north coast.
How to get there
Son Bou lies 8 km south of Alaior. If you enter Alaior along the main road, there is no need to enter the town itself since Son Bou and the archaeological site of Torre d’en Galmés are both well signposted.
• Distance between Son Bou and Ciutadella (see map and route at Google Maps): 41 km, 38 min.
• Distance between Son Bou and Maó (see map and route at Google Maps): 20,5 km, 21 min.
Public transport: There is also a bus to Son Bou from Maó and Alaior. Check out bus times and frequencies (that vary according to the season).
Places of interest
• Camí de Cavalls: Son Bou stands at the beginning and end of stages of this coastal footpath. Westwards, you can head for the beach at Sant Tomàs either by following a path inland from the western end of the built-up area or by walking along the beach itself. To the east, Cala en Porter awaits at the end of a long inland stage that passes by the rugged landscape of Cala Llucalari, so different from the smooth sands of Son Bou.
For more details, check out our guide to the Camí de Cavalls:
Distance between Son Bou and Sant Tomàs: 6,4 km. 2h 15 min.
More information: Son Bou – Sant Tomàs. Cami de Cavalls. Stage 15.
Distance between Son Bou and Cala en Porter: 8 km, 3 h.
More information: Son Bou – Cala en Porter. Cami de Cavalls. Stage 16.
• Son Bou paleo-christian church: Remains of a rectangular church with three naves separated by pillars that is thought to have been built in the 5th century. It stands at the far eastern end of the beach of Son Bou, just a few metres from the sea.
• Son Bou wetland: Also known as L’Albufera de ses Canessies, this is one of Menorca’s main wetlands and a must for birdwatchers and nature-lovers in general.
• Torre d’en Galmés: One of the largest prehistoric settlements in the Balearic Islands, this site lies between Son Bou and Alaior, 5 km from the latter.
Son Bou beach map
We all know that Menorca’s main tourist attraction is its beaches, which is why no Menorca travel guide would be complete without a beach guide. Here you’ll find a complete guide to the best beaches in Menorca, with practical travel information
A selection of the 10 best unspoiled beaches in Menorca: Cala Mitjana, Cala Turqueta, Macarella, Pregonda, Cavalleria, Tortuga and four more. Discover them!
The beach at Son Bou with its fine white sands is the longest in Menorca (3 km). The sea here is shallow, its waters clear and clean
Binigaus is the largest unspoilt beach on the south coast of Menorca, with no services and within walking distance of the nearest car park. For this reason, it is also the most popular beach in the municipality of Es Migjorn Gran.
Cala Trebalúger is one of Menorca’s most beautiful unspoiled beaches. It is framed by limestone cliffs and shaded by pine trees that reach down to the shoreline. The beach is marked by the mouth of the Son Fideu ravine stream.
Cala Galdana, a place of outstanding natural beauty, is today one of the most important urbanised beaches in Menorca. It is a very popular tourist beach surrounded by a large resort area offering all kinds of services.
The Cala Mitjana and Cala Mitjaneta area is one of those places that leaves no one indifferent — an unspoiled beach surrounded by pine trees and turquoise waters that are simply irresistible for swimming.
Is Cala Macarella the most photographed and most visited beach in Menorca during the summer months? Probably yes — and for good reason. Cala Macarella is a postcard-perfect beach that everyone wants to see at least once.
Cala Turqueta is one of the most famous unspoilt beaches on the south coast of Menorca. It has everything many of us are looking for: fine white sand, surrounded by pine trees, and crystal-clear water that, as its name suggests… is turquoise.
The Son Saura del Sud beaches, in the municipality of Ciutadella de Menorca, are among the largest unspoilt beaches on the south coast, with the shade of a splendid pine forest behind them and easy access by car.
Cala Algaiarens, also known as the La Vall beaches, is a group of two unspoilt beaches on the north coast of Menorca, easily accessible, with no services and located within an area declared a Natural Area of Special Interest.
Cala Pilar is an unspoilt beach on the north coast of Menorca with no car access, located in an incomparable natural setting. The walk to reach this corner of the world is well worth it.
Cala Pregonda is one of Menorca’s iconic beaches, with a unique landscape dominated by varied geological colours and the islets that protect it from northern winds.
Binimel·là Beach is a coarse-sand beach with different colour tones, virtually unspoilt yet easily accessible by car, located in the heart of the North Menorca Marine Reserve.
Cavalleria beach is one of the largest beaches on the north coast of Menorca. Unspoilt, surrounded by rugged nature, with no services, easy car access and watched over by the Cavalleria Lighthouse. A must-see.
The Son Saura del Nord sandy beach is a large beach with fine white sand, urbanised, and home to one of the largest and most spectacular dune systems in Menorca.
Arenal d’en Castell is one of the largest and most spectacular beaches in Menorca, but also one of the most urbanised, very touristy and with all kinds of services right on the beach.
Cala Tortuga and Cala Presili are two neighbouring beaches on the east coast of Menorca, watched over by the Favàritx lighthouse, which you can admire while swimming in the crystal-clear waters of these two unspoilt coves in the S’Albufera des Grau Natural Park.
If you are visiting Menorca with young children, you should know that Es Grau beach is the family beach par excellence in Menorca. It is the largest beach in the S’Albufera des Grau Natural Park, is protected by Colom Island, and is located next to the summer resort village of Es Grau.
The beach is associated with the summer residential area of Sa Mesquida, where many families from Maó spend their summers. As it is very well preserved and relatively separated from the urbanised area, it is a practically unspoilt beach.
The beach of Punta Prima is the tourist beach par excellence of the municipality of Sant Lluís. It offers a significant range of hotels and is equipped with all the beach services you may need.
Thanks to the good conservation of the immediate surroundings of the Binibèquer beach, and despite being surrounded by the Binibèquer Nou residential area, it feels as if you were on an unspoilt beach, surrounded by pine trees, with crystal-clear waters and fine white sand.
The cala en Porter beach is located very close to one of the largest residential areas on the south coast of Menorca. Nestled between high cliffs that block the incoming swell, it is a natural pool ideal for families spending their holidays in Menorca with children.