Area of Santo Tomas

 Santo Tomás :

The beach of Santo Tomas and which gives its name to the village, a beach is quite long, a bit close but at some stretch of fine sand, the winding access road is one of the most beautiful of the island and runs between a Mediterranean forest of large pine trees.

The urbanization of the veterans in this business of tourism, has been settled gradually, leaving in the seaside hotels and large residential complexes, especially apartment and more away from the coast in the pine forest, the villa has with all the services of a developed tourist area but remember that tourism is seasonal.

The vast majority of the establishments are open only in summer, from May to October.


The three beaches in this area, Santo Tomas, San Adeodato and Binigaus next to the area of Son Bou beaches are longer and straight across the island, and stretch more flat and soft on Minorca

On this coast of the island, the land down towards the sea, with more softness, that the northern coast, where the cliffs dominate most of the tracks and steep drop to the sea, interrupted only by the coves that give way to Most of the beaches in Menorca and which are formed at the end of the gullies, most of them, are also part of an extensive area of dunes and also tend to be accompanied by torrents of spring water and rainfall of the wet season, that does not always lead in sea water till its surface .

The south coast of the island, with a lower profile and less abrupt that the north coast of Menorca, has the most extensive beaches of the island.

This is partly due to this stretch of territory, not punished directly by force of the wind tramontana, the strong winds from the north, which has been shaping the landscape and that difference coupled with the geographical each coast belongs to an era Geological different and make a difference on the north coast of Menorca in the south, in a territory of only 13 km wide.


Description of the profile of the coast:

The south coast of Menorca, descends deforms and engraved with soft cliff where there is not as high as on the north coast, the interior of the gullies are much wider and hills away from the coast, the terrain descends slowly, leaving the ravine quite a distance from the water and leaving the hearing wide valleys and areas are very open, with exceptions of course, since this is just to get to the beaches of Binigaus, and San Adeodato, and is limited to small cliffs of two or three meters to go climbing to the top in certain sections, alternating the walls of clay soil with rocks till they reach the beach, forming a slope of two to five meters high and leaving a narrow strip of sand, but do not be fooled, the narrowness of the beach is precisely what makes them much more attractive to these beaches, view the Recodo and shared some stones halfway between the sea and beaches, has a special beauty and gives the impression that the place is more a virgin, but pristine, almost as if we were shipwrecked on a tropical island in a remote location in the world, must live this feeling, you must know Binigaus



Asia across the beach at the end of Son Bou, the change is much more abrupt, right at the end of the beach, a mountain range that wins altitude quickly and thus repeating the classic profile over the coast of Menorca, cliff only interrupted by coves, most, the end of a more or less narrow gorge flanked by considerable rock walls, from now on the coves are: Cala Llucalari, Calan Porter, Cales Coves, Cala Canutells, and other small coves, till arriving, Now if, in an area more open and flat, Punta Prima, otherwise you descend the territory, Alagoas `S pole in the aftermath of the mouth of the Port of Mao

All these areas are included and described in these pathways Menorca

Binigaus: It is the central beach of a set of three beaches in succession, which are located in the vicinity of urbanization and beach of Santo Tomas, is also often called the beach Binicodrell, name of the islet that separates it from the third of the beaches, San Adeodato, but in fact the vast majority taking as one and gives the name of urbanization, Santo Tomás, fine sand of the beach is narrow and the width varies from one season to another, depending on the tramontana in winter

The margin of the beach of Santo Tomas determine what, besides the sea of hotels and other tourist facilities on the same limited to the beach and then, when the houses of urbanization and give way to natural territory, it marked the limit croplands that immediately followed the line of the beach, and since then the canton of clayey soil.

It has a beach bar just at the point of arrival of the road that comes from Es Migjorn Gran and only way to get there by car, at this point, there is a small roundabout, left the urbanization of Santo Tomas, right there is a parking, and the exit of the path to the pristine beaches of Binigaus

Immediately upon arriving at the entrance to the gorge that leads to Coloms of Cova, is to spend the little islet, which is seen in aerial photography, there is a small trenches him that there are many on the coast Minorcan, used by the militias for coastal defense and hidden, buried in the mound of ground, which just began its rise here and close the beach Binigaus, leaving some sections in a single path between the sea and water, and configuring the most beautiful part of this beach.

Binigaus is a beach, virgin, the pearl of this area adjacent to the beach and urbanization of Santo Tomas, a few thousand meters away, walking along the same coast, which opens up into the ravine that way, resulting in a beautiful and deep beach, which also has a large area of forest on a hillside, to relax or picnic in the hours that the sun is stronger, or just go up and see the sights. While at home this very point most visited site by lovers of naturism, the pressure will be moving a bit more for the same coast, to other entries smaller, but equally charming and even as the cliff is made of terracotta, is reddish common to see them taking baths of clay, taking an intense dark reddish color to be clarified as it dried mud.


Excursions:

Stroll along the Barranco de Binigaus, to "Sa Cova den Colom" (the Cave of the Doves) the most famous cave on the island of Menorca, of gigantic proportions, as if it were a cathedral, its dimensions do that at any time of the year we can find tents installed on the inside.

The entrance is at medium altitude over the ravine, which coupled with a slightly thick vegetation hides the entrance to the cave, despite everything is easy because this marked the entrance and the trails leading to the cave.

In addition to the Cave of Coloms, the gorge itself is a good outing to enjoy the curious shapes that acquires the landscape inside the gorge, take the path of the torrent of Binigaus at the end of the beach and follow it, you can also get from Es Migjorn Gran, there are indications to arrive.

Another excursion is in the opposite direction at the exit to the cave Coloms, and consists of walking from Santo Tomas to Son Bou.

To make this trip, we went at the end of the urbanization of Santo Tomas, and upon arrival at the hotel, Twinkle Star, if we go by car, we should leave it here in the parking area in front of the hotel, and take one of the paths to the beach , To come to this, we take a left, and begin the path provided by the coast, next to the pier, the first thing you will find are some curious grooves on the rocks, are the curtains in the trenches of defense, built by military other times, to monitor and defend the island.

After spending a short stretch of cliff low altitude, dropping the first thing we will be seen is a stretch of agricultural land, and then see whether the urbanization of St. James Mediterranean, just ahead of the esplanade of the lagoon of Son Bou and now I spend a bit of walking back to the arena, we are in Son Bou the longest beach in Menorca.

Access:

From the main road, the road Me1 backbone of Minorca in the section between Ferreries and Es Mercadal, there is a detour well marked, leading to the south of Menorca is the road that passes through Me16 Es Migjorn Gran and letting the people next door right, continue along the road now is the Me20 to finish in the sea, in the urbanization and Playa de Santo Tomas to some seven kilometers distant. the general, and 3 km of the road Es Migjorn Gran is new and nice.

Another possibility is from the back of Ferreries, if you come from Ciutadella just pass the detour Cala Galdana and in the first curve entrance to the village, continue straight through the narrow, and passing through the upper Ferrerias, is the Me20 road, this path also leads to Es Migjorn Gran, the road is narrower and with many curves, but much more picturesque.

Once arrived at Es Migjorn Gran, from here to Santo Tomas ME18 must take the road that ends at a roundabout near the beach of Santo Tomas, the roundabout has as ornamentation "a bird's nest"

On the left we are going directly through the main avenue of urbanization, the band left the villa and dominated by the right hotels and apartments, or apartment block, situated opposite the beach of Santo Tomas

Just across from the rotunda of the nest, arriving from Es Migjorn Gran on the left, there is a parking
Free .

Map of access to Santo Tomas

Description of the points made in the map of the area of Santo Tomas

1 - ) road that connects ME18 is Migjorn Gran with the urbanization of Santo Tomas and the beaches of San Adeodato and Binigaus

2 -) Entrance to the central route of the urbanization of Santo Tomas, upon arrival from Migjorn must turn left. most hotels, aparthotels and apartment complexes, have its main entrance on the central route of urbanization, in the end there is an area of free parking

3 -) parking area for public use and free

4 -) Playa de San Adeodato

5 -) Playa de Santo Tomas

6 -) Beach Binigaus, unspoiled beach and a mile of the urbanization of St. Thomas and way for the tour of the cave Colom.

7 -) End of the road, if we are to make the trip to go till the beach of Son Bou must stop the car and take the road to the beach

8 -) and free public parking for vehicles

9 -) exit to the beach of Santo Tomas in the area around the pier, just above the trenches is the path that leads to the beach of Son Bou about 15 or 20 minutes of journey








              Photographs: Omar Mauro Banquero