Beautiful ‘hidden gem’ seaside gem Spanish island with few tourists | Travel News | Travel

This idyllic Spanish town is one of the most authentic villages in the Balearics – but has very few tourists. 

Fornells is a village located in a bay in the north of the island of Menorca.

It is far from being one of the most popular tourist resorts in Menorca and is rarely advertised as a holiday destination. 

The Spanish town is mainly frequented by independent travellers who plan their holidays themselves.

One Tripadvisor reviewer wrote: “This is a wonderful seaport town to walk around.

“Lovely small shops and there are alot of them, great restaurants – ovely for kayaking as it is quite shallow and protected. Love it.”

Another said: “Beautiful area with stunning and vibrant restaurants, a lovely town to wander around and stop for a coffee, glass of wine or a meal.”

A third wrote: “Fornells was an excellent stop on our visit to Menorca. Easy going seaside walk along the piers. The food at a local restaurant was good and the scenery was breathtaking.”

The closest airport is Menorca, which is located 14 miles from Fornells, according to Skyscanner.

Direct flights to Menorca are commonly available from most UK airports.

It comes as thousands of locals have gathered in Spanish cities over recent months to protest against mass tourism.

Around 20,000 people took to the streets of Palma on the nearby island of Majorca on Sunday to protest the “tourist problem” with some anti-tourism protestors even squirting holidaymakers with water pistols and shouting abuse. 

Much of the sentiment stems from upset locals who are tired of their towns and cities being dominated by visiting tourists, and in turn rarely seeing a cut of the profits from the increased foot traffic.

An increase in illegal holiday lets and people purchasing second holiday homes has also bumped up the rent for locals living in Spain, which often leads to residents no longer being able to afford to live in city centres they call home.