It’s not something I’ve ever thought I would do. However, after a short three-hour flight from Glasgow Airport to Mahón Menorca Airport with British Airways, I found myself inside the breathtaking Cova des Coloms.
We landed on the island in the Mediterranean Sea shortly after 6pm on Saturday, September 28. We then jumped in a private transfer to our hotel – which was in the small village of Santo Tomas on the south coast of Menorca.
Luckily, we arrived in time to enjoy dinner at the hotel’s buffet restaurant. At the eatery, I was taken aback by the selection of dishes – especially for a buffet which sometimes aren’t great while on holiday. Items included chicken dishes, fresh cooked-to-order pasta dishes, Spanish meats, a selection of bread, beef dishes, fish dishes, and a huge selection of desserts. It’s fair to say after stuffing our faces all week at the buffet for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, we were left pretty full and satisfied.
However, after settling in, we decided to explore the 250-bedroom hotel and learn about what we could do in the local area for the week ahead. We already had a planned TUI excursion on a catamaran booked but we wanted to see more of the island. However, before that, we indulged in the hotel’s cocktails in its lounge bar – which were outstanding. I opted for a few Mojito Berry’s and a Bahama Mama – both were delicious and full of flavour. I also had a few Sangria’s as while in Spain, it’s a must.
The Sunday then came, our first full day and it’s fair to say, we were ready to soak up the sun at the lovely resort. The hotel had all we could ask for including several bars, a main pool along with a ‘chic rooftop pool’, an a la carte restaurant, the buffet, a snack bar, loads of sun lounges (there was no need to run down for one each morning), a hot tub, a gym, a spa, and plenty of other amenities. But before spending the day relaxing we met with our TUI rep to find out more of what was on offer and learn about what we could do in the area during our week stay.
Our rep was Alex – a lovely chap who was extremely knowledgeable about the island. During our chat, we learned about the hotel, toured it, and learned about our catamaran experience, other trips on offer including visiting the cities on the island Mahon and Ciutadella, and what we could do in Santo Tomas including the cave and walking routes around the resort. We then spent the rest of the day in the sun next to the pool enjoying cocktails and brilliant food.
After we travelled to Cova des Coloms, we headed back to the hotel to prepare for our TUI catamaran excursion. Setting off from the village of Fornells, the trip took us around the north of the island. During it, we took in the sights including rocky bays and massive cliffs. We also had the chance to take a dip in the bright blue sea at two coves – one being Cala’n Tosqueta. Our captain was also extremely knowledgeable and taught us about the historic landmarks we passed during our trip. To top it off, we were treated to snacks and drinks including beer onboard, could it get any better? The experience lasted around three hours all in.
If visiting Menorca with TUI (or in general), I’d highly recommend this catamaran experience as it’s a great way to see the north side of the island from the sea. For reference, the trip is bookable through TUI and is called the ‘Private Catamaran Cruise from Fornells’.
Santo Tomas, known locally as Sant Tomàs, is a small, quiet village, and to be honest there’s not much to do in it. However, if you’re looking for a relaxing, chilled-out holiday with a cracking hotel and beach nearby, the TUI Blue Victoria Menorca resort is perfect. If you were looking for an activity or something fun to do, the hotel always had something going on. During the day, you could participate in foot darts, darts, cheese tasting, wine tasting, cocktail classes, water pong, and much more. At night, you could join in on the music quiz or watch the hotel’s entertainment. We were treated to an ABBA tribute band on our last evening and they were top-notch.
Located close to Santo Tomas is Son Bou. It is around a 5km walk from the hotel and during the walk you get to take in the island’s sea views while stomping over cliffs and beaches. The village itself is busier than Santo Tomas as it has more family-orientated hotels, however, I’d highly recommend it as it has a lovely and quiet beach with white sand and crystal clear blue water. It’s also a nice way to spend an afternoon as the walk takes around two hours there and back.
During the week, we also opted to try the resort’s a la carte restaurant. The eatery is located on the hotel’s top floor next to the rooftop pool. I decided to have the sea bass ceviche with cherry tomatoes, panko, and virgin olive oil to start, followed by chicken breast with almond sauce with courgette and vegetable gratin as the main, and a lovely chocolate coolant with vanilla cream to finish it off. What can I say about the meal? Well, it was 10/10. It was a true a la carte experience but on the top floor of a hotel. Great service and delicious food, and it was all accompanied by an amazing view and drinks.
TUI offers a seven-night break in Menorca, Spain staying at the 4T+ TUI BLUE Victoria Menorca on an all-inclusive basis. Prices from £1,026 per person. Price is based on two adults sharing a double room, flights departing from Glasgow Airport on June 7, 2025, with 20kg hold luggage and coach transfers included. To find out more about this holiday or to book go to tui.co.uk, visit your local travel agent or download our app.
TUI recommends customers download its app to ensure they have everything they need for their holiday in one place. The app provides easy access to search and book, manage bookings, download mobile boarding passes, view transfer times and find out how best to contact resort reps. New this year – from the day of departure until the day they return home customers are able to chat to their in-resort team via the TUI app. The in-resort team are on hand to deal with any queries customers might have and aim to respond to within 30 minutes. The TUI app can be downloaded for free from the App stores or Google Play.
