The holiday resort of Santo Tomas is the principal coastal development of the municipal district of es Migjorn Gran, almost midway between the resorts of Son Bou, and Cala Galdana, on the central southern coast of Menorca.

As far as the distance is concerned, the 30km journey west from the Aeropuerto de Menorca on the outskirts of Mahon, to the centre of Santo Tomas is a fairly short one, however, as the roads on the island aren't particularly fast, the actual journey time for a coach transfer usually takes around 30 to 40 minutes from the time of leaving the airport grounds.

For those visitors who prefer to collect a pre booked hire car from the airport and make their own way into the resort, driving to Santo Tomas is really quite straightforward, once you've adjusted to driving on the "wrong side of the road".

Although one thing that you should be aware of before setting out, is that in recent years the local Government has re-numbered most of the roads on Menorca, so make sure that you have an up to date map of the island.

As with the other resorts on the island, we have put together the basic route for this journey, complete with links to maps where appropriate, and this is available from the Route Map link on the left hand frame of this page.

For the growing number of independent travellers who don't have the option of a tour operators coach transfer, and for whatever reason choose not to drive, there's always a large number of taxis available outside the arrivals hall.

Although in theory at least, these taxi all operate on a fixed price basis, the total cost of the journey is known to vary slightly, however as a very rough guide the transfer to Santo Tomas should cost around 30€ for a taxi carrying 4 people plus luggage.

It's also worthwhile mentioning that as a rule, taxis do not normally carry child seats, so very small children may have to sit on their parents knees for the journey. If this is a cause for concern, we strongly recommend that you make arrangements for a pre-booked taxi to be waiting for you, and clearly specify at the time of booking that a child seat is needed for the journey. Pre-booked taxis are often a little more expensive, although as with all things in life, you only get what you pay for.

Once you have settled in to your accommodation, public transport from Santo Tomas is particularly poor even by Menorcan standards. During the summer months there's usually only a maximum of 3 buses a day that leave the town, and although the first one is scheduled for 9:15am, experience as shown that this can mean anytime between 8:50 to 9:30 if the driver feels like it.

The timetable is published each year on the bus stop in town, and also on the web site of the Transportes Menorca sa, who are the local bus operators on the island, although clearly no responsibility can be accepted as to either the content or accuracy of information provided on these external links.

Santo Tomas is a modern purpose built holiday resort, that during the summer months is hugely popular with British families, who for the most part will undoubtedly be staying at the impressive Hotel Victoria Playa at the eastern end of the town. For the last 10 years or so, this hotel has been offered exclusively as part of the Thomson programme, which over the years has seen many guests returning several times in succession.

If all you've ever seen of Santo Tomas is the resort during the last week of July and the first week of August, you may be quite surprised to learn that after all of the tourists have returned home at the end of October, the town then has a registered population of just 59 people, which is less than the number of people living in a quiet residential cul de sac in the UK.

The resort itself has a single main street with 2 small commercial centres on either side, selling the usual array of tourist and beach goods. You may be impressed by the fact that Santo Tomas has 3 fair sized supermarkets, however, since they are all owned by the same company there is really very little variety in the goods sold, and certainly no competition in the prices.

Just behind the beach there is a lovely block paved promenade, which starts at the Hotel Victoria Playa, and runs the full length of the resort. The path passes a number of playgrounds for the children to play in, and the pool areas of many of the other hotels.

Next to the Victoria Playa Hotel is a small wooded area that is very popular with the local Menorcan families at weekends, and beyond this rocky outcrop, a well trodden path then takes you over the cliffs to the nearby resort of Son Bou.

The walk will take you around 45 minutes each way, and as there are no bars or shops on the way, you must also take a drink with you to avoid de-hydration in the Menorcan sun. An added "bonus" on the walk is, as you approach Son Bou, the path takes you through the nudist beach area.

As with most of the resorts on the island, evening entertainment here is mainly hotel based, and if the resort does have a disco or nightclub we've yet to find it. Certainly worth mentioning, is that during the peak months on July and August, the Hotel Victoria Playa holds its evening entertainment programme outside by the pool. So, even if you are not a guest there, you will still undoubtedly experience their entertainment.

The municipal district of es Migjorn Gran is the newest on the island, and although the actual town was founded in the second half of the 18th Century, it was only officially recognised in its own right in 1989 when it gained independence from the nearby district of es Mercadal.

Overall the district of es Migjorn Gran covers an area of some 32 km2, and is home to around 1,200 people, however, at least 20% of the surrounding countryside has now been declared by the Local Government of the Balearic Islands, as being an area of special scientific and environmental interest, thus making further commercial or residential development impossible.

The focus of the town of es Migjorn Gran is without doubt the Plaza de la Iglesia and the church of Sant Cristofol, and it is here that one of the most bizarre fiestas on Menorca takes place each year. Intrigued? Well we'll cover this in more detail on the Attractions and Amenities pages.

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This website was launched on 1 May 2002

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