Municipality of San Luis, Minorca

The creation of this town of rectilinear streets was the responsibility of the Count of Lannion, the French governor who had a good public image amongst the Menorcan people. The eighteen blocks that were then planned, in the mid-18th century, have been overtaken by very recent additions, with the same impetus that has made tourism the town’s main activity. It is the town that has grown the most in recent years, along with Ciutadella. A watercolour painting by Giuseppe Chiesa – a great visual chronicler of his time – shows that the church and obelisk in Pla de sa Creu had already been built before there were houses around them. The project of the French, as well as providing homes for their troops, aimed to provide an organisational centre for an extensive rural area that was relatively highly populated. A central location was chosen in the free space that existed between the already standing farmhouses. The church, which still today attracts the attention of the viewer in the middle of the network of two-storey houses, is in a neo-classical style, with an explicit dedication on the front that asserts its intention to honour St. Louis, the French king. Another building from that time is the flourmill whose silhouette forms one of the most typical images of the town. Two towers from old mills are still preserved, as well as a pou de torn, a well, which served the people living in Carrer del Comte de Lannion. An interesting walk is around the farmhouses surrounding the town (Es Pou Nou, Torret, S’Ullestrar...), where the characteristic traits of rural architecture can still be appreciated. This is due, to a great extent, to the fact that many of the houses have been converted for residential use and the new owners have had them restored with few changes. As well as the coves that will be mentioned later on in more detail, there are other points on the district’s coastline where you can swim or sunbathe, such as the Biniparratx or Binidalí coves, which also provide excellent shelter for boats. There are rocky areas where not a grain of sand exists – such as Cap d’en Font – but they are still very popular due to the limpid transparency of the water that laps them. The walks in the Levante area – the north east section – which have been shown on page 46 have their logical counterpart in a route along the southern coastline, taking in the whole Sant Lluís and Es Castell coast. If starting off from Maó, you should firstly head towards Sant Climent (on the same road with the turn-off to the airport that ends in Cala’n Porter). Once in Sant Climent, the first stage of a south-eastern tour will involve spending time in Cala Canutells and its environs, in order to get your bearings to continue on to Binidalí. Here there is a marvellous viewpoint from the clifftop. The cove, along with that of Biniparratx that lies immediately after, is the most sheltered of this stretch. Afterwards, as from Cap d’en Font, the high profile of the coastline softens and drops. Going along the roads that connect the urbanisations, which gradually link up with each other, you reach the Binissafúller, Binibéquer (the biggest of the three) and Biniancolla coves, all with beach bars or bars and restaurants nearby. Before reaching the second cove we come across the unique urbanisation of Binibeca Vell. The last beach on the section is Punta Prima, which has the Illa de l’Aire opposite, with its lighthouse and population of black lizards. In the Sant Lluís district, however, we can still visit Cala Alcalfar and S’Algar by turning off the road that goes from Punta Prima to the town. Before returning to Maó, the last stopovers should be Cala Sant Esteve, where you can visit Fort Malborough, and Es Castell (see pages 64 to 67), taking advantage to enjoy the atmosphere of Cales Fonts if arriving at twilight. To get from Sant Lluís to Es Castell through different scenery, you should take the road that passes by the Trebalúger farmhouse.