This is Pam’s review of our stay at Artiem, which we enjoyed tremendously. We came three days before the Photopills camp so that we could recover from the long set of flights from Boston.
The Artiem Audax hotel-resort is in Cala Galdana, a village on the south shore of Menorca. There are several large hotels around a shallow cove, protected from the open sea by very tall cliffs. Behind one cliff, a small river flows into the sea, right in front of Artiem. Lots of motorboats are moored along the river. There was a boat launching ramp in front of the hotel and kayaks from the hotel were a popular item.
Artiem Audax was a great place to stay. We enjoyed the local hiking trails and birdwatching opportunities, and there were plenty of water sports available too. We could get to Galdana’s white-sand beach and turquoise water via a footbridge across the river. Lovely fish swam near where we went wading. Cartoon paddle boats with water slides were available, for rent, I imagine. You could also rent one of the many royal blue lounge chairs.
At the hotel itself on the courtyard side there was a two-tier pool with a waterfall between. On the lip of the upper pool, several gulls liked to drink and bathe. Very few people actually swam. Most non-photopills guests laid on the lounge chairs, sunbathing by the pool.
I was charmed by the hotel’s observance of my birthday. In the afternoon, after our Photopills classes, we went back to the room to get ready for the evening’s photography outing. On our desk I found a mini-cake, with layers of jam and a dark chocolate sauce. The stone plate was decorated with graham crumbs, strawberries and apricot slices. There was also a bottle of Cava and two glasses. The cake was delicious and I only let David have one bite. I kept the Cava until Sunday when I gifted it to the maid. No alcohol for me when I’m using the Tacrolimus ointment (which I’m only needing occasionally lately).
The Artiem restaurant Oliva was excellent. There was a similar buffet every night, with changing entrees, often cooked for you personally. There was plenty of salad and fruit and sometimes sorbet. There was always a ham & sausage & cheese board too. There was cooked-to-order pasta and fish and sometimes paella. Artiem has a theme of wellness and healthy living and the buffet lived up to that. Well, maybe except for the extensive selection of tasty pastries. These mostly included milk, so I left those for David. The restaurant labeled everything to let us know what food categories were in each dish.
Our room was on the corner of floor 6 (floor 7 by American counting). We had a view of the pool and could see the action in the Oliva restaurant. We could also see around the corner to the east, with a view of the main street and the river, with its two rows of moored boats. Birds soared overhead — swifts, gulls, wood-pigeons, and swallows mostly. Several times I saw a Booted Eagle.
Note: These photos are from Pam’s phone, not our fancy camera gear. They are easier to get online quickly.
What a nice birthday surprise!