A Cycling Trip Through Mallorca and Menorca—Without Roughing It

On my local cycling route in Barcelona, where I’m passed by both professionals and e-bike hobbyists, the lore of perfect rides is traded like carbohydrate gels.

“There’s this one ridgeline in Mallorca…” someone will whisper.

“There’s a secret mountain biking trail in Menorca,” another rider claims.

I was an investigative journalist recently laid off after the dissolution of a great American newspaper. I had a limited skillset and time on my hands. I decided I would investigate.

You’ve probably noticed the explosion of travelers schlepping their bikes through European airports and train stations. It’s an image that doesn’t always inspire envy—it’s hard to look good in Lycra.

But I’m back from the other side to report that we are living in the golden age of cycling tourism. The sport has never been as accessible or as safe. You can now grind up 8-percent inclines and finish the day with a Michelin-star meal.

So long to the campsites and panniers and the other grimy hallmarks of the bike trips of my youth. I wanted—can I say this?—a reward. And that’s what I got.

The trip started at the tiny airport near tiny Menorca’s east coast, a 55-minute flight from Barcelona. I rented a road bike at Bike Menorca, where two mostly disinterested mechanics instructed me to download Komoot, an app that maps bike routes and would turn out to be a particularly rich vein on this trip.

Then it was off to Hotel Binidufà, a newly opened property in the rolling hills of the island’s northwest. Like many of Menorca’s best hotels, Binidufà has the feeling of a working farm blended with a boutique hotel. The room was a stunning stone cottage with lofted ceilings and a private terrace. The restaurants—including those just across a ridgeline, at sister property Son Ermità—use locally sourced and organic products. And, ideally for my purposes, the hotel keeps a fleet of electric mountain bikes for guests.

Photo courtesy of Binidufà

My rides on the roads of Menorca were lovely. I crisscrossed beaches and coves. It can be somewhat difficult to avoid main roads entirely, but the shoulder is generous and drivers are respectful. The cycling highlight on the island, though, came on mountain bike. From Binidufà I rode to Cala Calderer, an essentially private cove down a steep hill from the hotel. It felt impossible that a cove so perfect, with an easy entry for swimming, could be empty, but there it was.

A tip for the intrepid: Calderer is actually a part of a hiking path called the Camí de Cavalls that traces the circumference of the island. For my money, it’s one of the great walks in Europe—and scarcely known. It can be mountain biked—or at least parts of it. That’s a new entry on my bucket list.

From Menorca, I went to Mallorca, the much larger and more famous island just a stone’s throw away. Mallorca is among the world’s most visited cycling destinations—in large part because of its quiet country roads and scenic climbs across the Serra de Tramuntana mountain range.

I rented a sleek Scott road bike from Alexander at Bike Point Mallorca, who runs the shop with his exuberant mother, a former flight attendant who met her German husband when he boarded her plane (“I said I was going to marry the guy in seat 8A, and I did,” she says).

Between routes recommended by Alexander and Komoot, I understood quickly why Mallorca seduces so many road cyclists. From my first hotel, the impeccable Es Racó d’Artà, a member of Design Hotels, I took a flowy 45-mile ride around the island’s northeast corner. Even though it was near peak season, I saw few cars. The ride took me through charming Artà before returning to the hotel, which has its own vineyard. Their rosé was one of the best I’ve ever had. The saltwater infinity pool, overlooking an orchard of olive trees, was a welcome post-ride respite on a hot day.

Photo courtesy of Es Racó d’Artà

From there, I went on one of the island’s most famous rides on Cap de Formentor, the sliver of land that juts into the Mediterranean in northeastern Mallorca. The last six miles of the road are closed to cars during the summer, making for one of the most surreally beautiful and tranquil stretches of asphalt riding I’ve ever done. The ride ends at the lighthouse, which, at sunset, offered a breathtaking coastline view.

Then it was to the majestic Grand Hotel Son Net, an immaculately restored 17th-century mansion in the charming town of Puigpunyent, a perfect location for riders targeting the famous Tramuntana rides. For the less ambitious, the hotel has a fleet of electric bikes made for cruising between cafes and restaurants—the kind of leisurely ride I was fine with after days of more intense cycling.

Son Net has an excellent restaurant (Mar & Duix) and spa that offers superb sports massages. I had one after my last day of riding. The very good masseuse could tell that my legs needed a rest. After we finished, she looked into my eyes with deep concern.

“Maybe,” she paused, “try yoga?”

Photo courtesy of Grand Hotel Son Net