Some places in Menorca are understood from a single image, and this is one of them: a series of terraces carved into the vertical drop of a cliff, suspended above the open blue of the Mediterranean, with the sun sinking slowly in front of you. This is the Cova d’en Xoroi, a natural cave embedded in the rock face of Cala’n Porter, on the island’s south coast. It is neither a beach nor a monument; it is a balcony over the sea that you climb down to, not up to.
It sits in the municipality of Alaior, within the Cala’n Porter resort, and it has been one of Menorca’s most recognisable spots for over half a century. By day it works as a bar and café with a view; by night it turns into a cocktail bar and club, with the music bouncing between the rock and the water. But what has truly made the cave famous is something simpler and harder to improve on: people come here to watch the sun go down.
This is an unhurried guide to the Cova d’en Xoroi: what it is exactly, why its sunset has become an island classic, and what is true — and what is legend — in the story that gives it its name.
The essentials
- Where: in the Cala’n Porter resort, on Menorca’s south coast, municipality of Alaior.
- What it is: a natural cave opening into the vertical drop of a cliff above the Mediterranean, turned into a venue.
- Since when: it was turned into a venue in June 1964, by four entrepreneurs; it marked its 50th anniversary in 2014.
- How it works: a bar and café by day, a cocktail bar / club by night, with several terraces and viewpoints at different heights and natural “windows” in the rock.
- The draw: its sunsets, the island’s most iconic sundowner; on clear days you can even make out Mallorca.
- When: it is a private business with paid entry and seasonal opening hours; check the current prices and timetable before you go.
What exactly is the Cova d’en Xoroi?
It is worth clarifying, because the name can mislead: the Cova d’en Xoroi is not a cave you visit as an archaeological site, nor a place you see from the outside. It is a natural cavity opening in the cliff itself, halfway between the upper edge and the sea, which over the years has been fitted out as a venue. You enter from above and descend into the heart of the rock, where a string of spaces, terraces and viewpoints unfold at various heights, some leaning out over the void through natural “windows” opened in the stone.
That is its oddity and its charm: you are not looking at the cliff, you are inside it. The sea is literally beneath your feet, and the sense of height is part of the experience. That is why it works just as well by day, when it serves as a café with a view, as by night, when the cave becomes one of the most characterful cocktail bars in the Mediterranean.
The sunset: why it is the star moment
If there is one reason most people make their way down to the Cova d’en Xoroi, it is this. The cave faces the open south and west, with nothing to break the line of the horizon, so the sun drops directly onto the water in front of the terraces. It is the island’s most iconic sundowner — the sunset drink — and that is no marketing label: the combination of height, golden rock and a sea catching fire is hard to match anywhere else in Menorca.
On especially clear days, the horizon offers a bonus too: you can make out the silhouette of Mallorca cut out in the distance. If you want to understand better why the island’s light at dusk has earned this reputation, it is worth reading our guide to the best sunsets in Menorca, where the Cova holds, naturally, a place of honour.
The legend of Xoroi the Moor
The cave’s name comes from a legend — and it is best taken as such, not as documented history. Tradition holds that a castaway or Moor known as Xoroi once lived hidden in this cavity. According to the tale, he would slip down to Alaior in secret and one day abducted a young woman from the village, keeping her living with him in the cave for years.
The end of the story comes with a snowfall, an extremely rare event in Menorca: the snow gave away his footprints on the path and the villagers followed the trail to the cave, discovering the hideout. Cornered, Xoroi is said to have thrown himself into the sea from the cliff. It is one of those legends that blend piracy, frontier and landscape, very much of the Mediterranean, and it explains why a modern venue keeps such an evocative name. But we insist: it is legend, not chronicle. Its value lies in what it says about the place, not in its truth.
Day or night? Two places in one
The Cova d’en Xoroi changes completely depending on the hour. By day it is a quiet café-bar where the appeal lies in the views and the calm of sitting halfway up the cliff above the sea; it is the most serene moment and the one that best fits the spirit of an unhurried trip. At sunset comes the star moment, with a drink in hand as the sun goes down. And by night the cave turns into a cocktail bar and club, with a very different atmosphere, more festive and lively.
Knowing which version you are after avoids misunderstandings: coming down in the late afternoon for a drink gazing at the horizon is not the same as turning up at night for the party. The two experiences coexist in the same space, but answer to opposite plans.
How to visit (entry, hours and a few caveats)
Here we should be clear: the Cova d’en Xoroi is a private business with paid entry and seasonal opening hours that change with the time of year and the type of session (day, sunset or night). That is why we give no figures: the sensible thing is to check the current prices and timetable directly before planning your visit, because they vary between high season and the rest of the year.
It sits in the Cala’n Porter resort, in the municipal district of Alaior — not Maó, as is sometimes thought. Access is on foot from the upper part of the resort, and from there you descend into the cave. As with all the island’s fashionable viewpoints, the sunset draws a crowd, so arriving with time to spare helps you enjoy it calmly.
What’s nearby: Alaior and the south
The Cova sits in the municipality of Alaior, one of the inland towns with the most personality on the island, known for its tradition of cheese and footwear. Pairing a visit to the cave with a morning in the town is a rounded way to understand this part of Menorca: the contrast between the hardworking interior and the clifftop south coast. We tell the story in our guide to Alaior, cheese and shoes.
Our take
The Cova d’en Xoroi is one of those places that deserve their fame, as long as you choose the moment well. Our quiet-luxury recommendation is clear: go by day or at sunset, not in the small hours. The great experience is not the night-time party — which exists and has its audience — but sitting halfway up the cliff above the sea, drink in hand, watching the sun sink in front of the rock and, with luck, picking out Mallorca on the horizon.
It is a place to arrive at with time to spare, to let the setting do its work and not to rush away from. Confirm the price and timetable beforehand, climb down calmly and stay until the light fades. The rest — the rock, the sea and the legend — was already here long before 1964, and will still be here long after.
