LARISSA LE SAGE DE FONTENAY TELLS US HOW SHE CAME TO BUY A PROPERTY IN MENORCA

PDF of this article from the July 2023 Edition of Roqueta Magazine » I spent a lot of my childhood living between Brighton and Lagos (Portugal). Winter on the Brighton coast and summer playing in the vast Portuguese dunes and swimming in the freezing Atlantic. Heavenly memories. I always thought I’d settle in my middle-youth in Portugal, find a nice place and give my children the chance to be free all summer, repeating my fairly unique childhood, but as it happens, it is magical Menorca that stole all our hearts. It is here we now have a home that we rush to whenever we can. I’ve travelled quite far and wide, and I really thought I knew what I wanted out of the sanctuary of a home abroad, but it wasn’t until my husband and I seriously started to talk about making our dreams come true that what we thought we wanted wasn’t what we really wanted at all! Him, being an Icelander and used to cold, bleak winters, super mild summers and the unique and breathtaking landscape of his homeland, craved an unspoilt environment, not too dissimilar to Portugal, which he had learnt to love over the years, but with a warmer and more inviting sea and community. He was determined for us to fully explore other parts of Europe to ensure we picked wisely and early enough in our lives to form friendships and a sense of community before the older years crept in. Wise words for an Icelandic sage. He also hinted that we might not want to live out our days in a remote villa with a swimming pool in the Algarve, but maybe, just maybe with our teenage girls a more ‘lock and go’ apartment, with a ‘communal pool’ in a ‘safe place’, and with a ‘fabulous view’ was the way to go. The idea was, let’s take the plunge of buying abroad but maybe smaller, less remote, less fuss and more fun, as a trial. So off we set visiting recognised areas in Europe. We visited mainland Spain, Javea, another place I spent a lot of summers as a child, Puglia in Italy, Saint-Paul-de-Vence in the south of France and of course the other super popular Balearic Island of Mallorca. Each time we pretended we were locals, we researched, we ate, we looked at property, we sought recommendations and stay-overs with friends. It was super fun experimenting and pretending but it wasn’t until on our wedding anniversary sitting in a roof top restaurant overlooking the sea in Port Sóller, Mallorca, whilst the waiter was pouring our first glass of wine, that the word Menorca was whispered. Learning from the waiter about the allure of Menorca, the natural dramatic habitat, the unspoilt villages and towns, the manageable yet gently growing tourism, our imaginations, helped by the steady flow of wine, went into overdrive. All our European experimental visits were wonderful and through them we learnt a lot about what we wanted and didn’t want, and ultimately what we would not compromise on. We loved the way Mallorca looked (more in the quieter north than the busy south by Palma) and the seaview not only from our table but from our hotel room, was stunning and calming and that was what we wanted to emulate if we could in our home from home – simple we thought, a couple of rooms, with a view. By the time we’d reached the brandy and coffee stage of our celebratory dinner, it was decided. When my husband took the girls to Iceland for their annual camping and hiking trip to see the family, I, with my sister, would pop over to Menorca for a long weekend to ‘check it out’. I hadn’t even stepped out of the airport in Mahon, when I just knew in my bones this was the island for us. I can’t explain it without sounding a bit ‘woo woo’ but I just felt immediately relaxed, happy, buoyant, safe, excited and comforted all at the same time. The airport was clean, quiet, easy and kind, it was just a pleasurable experience. So far so good. Grabbing the hire car was fuss free and the drive to Ciutadella and Cala’n Bosch, on the island’s main road really gave us a sense of the size of the island whilst allowing us to take in the landscape and beauty we had been told about.
My first port of call was checking out the beaches as I had been spoilt with the huge sprawling coastlines of Portugal, and beach life was part of my DNA. Although small and well-hidden, the beaches were spectacular, unspoilt and plentiful; the Mediterranean was crystal clear and warm as opposed to the bracing Atlantic. Access to boating life was also top of the agenda and with the magnitude of Mahon harbour, we expected it to be over-complicated like in France and Italy but as with everything we had witnessed so far in Menorca, we need not have worried as hiring a boat was a breeze and the experience of being out at sea was magnificent and liberating, once you got past the swell at the mouth of the harbour! My sister and I quickly ruled out Ciutadella, favouring Mahon and its villages as a place to investigate a possible property. I was under strict instructions to just ‘check out the island’ but I couldn’t resist as I just felt in my gut, I had to move quickly. As it happened I had done a bit of secret house vetting before jetting out, and on my short list was a gem of a place in Es Canutells, that I was eager to visit.
A village mirage built on a cliff, it had everything we needed, two and a half bedrooms, in a perfectly kept complex with communal pool and a spirited and welcoming community that had bonded and grown up together. Not forgetting a sea view to absolutely die for. I am not joking. A uninterrupted view that makes you stop, think, breathe and relax. Untainted by any buildings or human interference just the sea, sky and the bracken land. I was smitten. It was well past its decor date, having been built and unchanged for over 40 years, but it was perfect. I had to act quickly as there was already an offer on the table, so I called my husband, who was up a glacier in Iceland and told him I had literally found our place. He listened intently as I described everything I’d learnt, felt and experienced on the island and then I went in with the killer line, ‘it reminds me a little of Iceland, but an Iceland-by-the-sea, the same unspoilt nature, deep moody blue of the sea, the greenest and most robust landscape – honestly darling, it’s just what we have dreamed of’- he was silent. It just so happened it was my birthday the following weekend, and Kristo, my husband, did a quick London hop into Menorca with me to see for himself the home of our future. He’d only been on the island for 12 hours, when our offer was presented! He’d fallen in love with the villa and the view so much, he was ready to learn about the island after. We went to El Rais to celebrate my birthday, we got a little over-excited at the potential of Menorca becoming our place, so the wine freeflowed. The next morning, lovely Rupert from Bonnin Sanso called to say our offer had been accepted but to secure our home we’d need to get the deposit over pronto to ensure it was ours. We did then have to have a quick beer to ponder our ‘spontaneous’ yet planned new adventure to double and triple check our next steps. We didn’t ponder long as we sat in Es Castell – our first visit there – with the sea brushing up almost to our table, the boat life whizzing past and the sun making everyone smile, we knew our decision was the right one. Once we started the legal journey, we couldn’t have been more surprised at the efficiency of the process and the speed in which our dreams were coming true. Everything was easy, pretty straight-forward and quick. In a matter of a couple of hours, we’d met and appointed a solicitor, agreed a mortgage with Banca March and were given three reputable builders to help with some minor refurbishment – in fact we’d even popped along to check out some tiles for our new bathroom!

Of course being British/Icelandic and living in London, nothing is ever that easy, so we questioned everything, but it was like we were being guided by an unknown force and the whole process from start to finish was seamless, a joy, a happy experience. Even the two day legal readings with the notary and the final purchase with the seller, the ceremony of it all felt like a type of mini celebration, nothing we’d ever experience before or since, it was another gift from Menorca.

So now, we have a place in a land we’d only visited for a few days. We hadn’t holidayed there before, we hadn’t over investigated the island, like the other places we’d trialled. We’d simply fallen in love with the energy of the island, its untouched, undemanding nature, the relaxed and playful manner of its people and its whispers of keeping all its goodness a secret so only those that respect the island come, live and are welcomed.

It did feel a little surreal at first, but after a couple of pinches and a few trips back to Menorca to meet the builders and pick out the basics for our refurbishment, we were on our way to our first holiday in Menorca. Then Covid hit. But by luck, chance or serendipity some of the only people allowed out to work during the iron-clad lockdowns were builders. So our property flourished and by the time it was finished (and yes we started with just the bathroom and kitchen refurbishment but then we got a little carried away and did the whole lot!) the UK opened its flight paths and we were on the first flight out to Menorca to visit our new home for the very first time.

I have to be honest, I cried when I first walked into our place in Es Canutells, our private silhouette of a mini village beautifully perched on the cliff top – the place was absolutely stunning, well finished and totally in keeping with the romantic and quaint Menorcan style. Within moments our Italian neighbour was peering over the balcony welcoming us and asking if we needed any food or wi-if access – just so kind. We’ve been best friends ever since. We’ve now been part of the community for over five years, we’ve all made life-long friends who we relish seeing year after year. The safety not only on our village-estate, but on the whole of the island allows our teenage girls to roam free, to feel spontaneous and adventurous, giving them a whole new dimension to their London life.

Although Covid changed our world, it has given us the ability to spend whole summers living and working from the Island, so what was meant to be a holiday home, is now so much more to us as a family. It is our second home and we treat it as such, visiting as often as we can and direct flights permitting (that’s a whole other story!).

We had already made some pretty special connections on the way to our first stay in our new home, from strangers we’d met on the plane, to those we’ve met in restaurants, on diving trips, in stores, on walks, even from the boat hire companies – everyone was kind, helpful, friendly and connected. We felt instantly part of the family and relished all the information and advice being given to us.

However, the magic of the island wasn’t done with us yet. Again, as chance would have it, as I was lying on a osteopath’s clinic bed in London being completely cracked and manipulated, whilst trying to hold a polite British conversation, I found out my osteopath’s father also had a place in Menorca in Es Castell – small world!

I told our story, our love for Menorca and mentioned in passing how we really wanted to find someone to share a powerboat with, as we’d all just gotten our day skipper licence and wanted more life on the sea. And would you believe it, not only did Laurie’s (the osteopath) father sail, but he also had a mooring in Es Castell and was searching for the same partnership. For the love of god, I couldn’t believe it, so here we are, not only with our dream home, but with a shared powerboat to match.

Menorca has an elegance about it. It is rich in every way yet humble. It’s understated glamour entices those who respect and enjoy its many gems. Every season the island has something to offer, such as a walk or bike ride to something crazy like the annual summer patron saint horse festivals. For me, I quite like the fact, that the Menorcans actually like us Brits (and Icelanders), produce bloody good gin and are obsessed with anchovies! We are fairly new to the Island, but already we can see it gently blossoming. Organically designed boutique hotels are opening all over the island, in keeping with the vibe of Menorca’s understated chic. It’s the same with the abundance of new restaurants opening, many with a farm to table etiquette that keeps Menorca alive and well. The clientele seems to be awash with French, Italians, with even a few Germans switching islands and of course the good and constant British. Property is in demand and prices are soaring and you can’t open a British newspaper or Sunday supplement without reading about this ‘new’ Balearic island. We are definitely on the ‘hot list’, I just hope this new and worldwide interest in the island, brings with it the best type of tourism and that the island is able to retain its charm, traditions, caring yet laid back attitude and superior safeguarding of its environment – which I am sure it will. We are completely bewitched by Menorca. Every visit we learn more and more about the people and their island. There is nothing we would change, well maybe just a couple more direct flights during the winter months, other than that, it’s just perfect.