The “Picadors” of Santandria: memories of the tourism boom in Ciutadella

Bep Al·lès / Ciutadella – When we talk about Menorca’s tourism boom in the 1950s, 60s and 70s, many recall the arrival of the first planes and ships with European holidaymakers, the beaches filling with bathers in bright swimsuits, and the buzz of an island opening up to the world. But behind those idyllic postcards and the first hotel complexes there was also a human and social phenomenon that would mark an entire generation: the figure of the “picador.”

A Mediterranean phenomenon
The “picador” was the young man who, intrigued by the novelty and drawn by the chance for adventure, moved around hotels, bars and dance halls where the first foreign female tourists stayed or spent their evenings. It wasn’t only about romance; it was also a desire for cultural contact, to learn languages and to taste freedoms that had seemed confined to films or dream journeys—on an island still under the repressions of church and dictatorship.
In Menorca, as elsewhere around the Mediterranean, these young men soon became a symbol of the era. Their presence became part of the nightlife and festive landscape of the new tourist spaces, and Santandria offered some of the most emblematic settings.

Santandria, a pioneering beach
Santandria, just a few kilometres from Ciutadella, was one of the first places to bet on tourism. Its calm waters, proximity to town and beautiful natural setting made it ideal for the first hotel ventures.
Among them was the Hotel Ses Set Voltes which, with a style simple yet modern for its time, became a key meeting point. Visitors—mainly Germans, Scandinavians and French—came seeking sun, sea and a relaxed atmosphere where a cosmopolitan vibe blended with Menorcan tranquillity. Another landmark was the Hotel Bahía, built in 1955, perched above the beach with magnificent views over Santandria bay and the defensive tower of Castellà de Fons.
Many of the first “picadors” passed through these hotels, discovering a new world: open-minded foreign girls eager for fun and far freer in spirit than what still prevailed in Franco’s Spain.

Bars and restaurants: the cove’s social life
Bars and restaurants played a crucial role. Can Carrió, almost on the sand itself, was much more than a beach bar. Tourists and Menorcans gathered there to share tapas, laughter and long conversations that often turned into friendships or summer romances. On the opposite side of the beach, five minutes’ walk away, Sa Nacra—charmingly cave-like and right by the sea—became another essential setting. It was common to see tables full of visitors, impromptu guitars and local youngsters doing everything they could to break the language barrier under the watchful eye of Nicolau Cabrisas, “Colauet,” who truly deserves an article of his own.
Another venue that defined the era was the Sa Cabaña restaurant and nightclub, run by Juan Antonio Moll. It operated as a restaurant and, at night, as a dance, music and show venue. Moll was among the first to introduce dinner-and-dance evenings for tourists in Menorca. Salads or fish stews as starters and roast suckling pig as a main, sangria and live music by Diego Vera and Morales during dinner, and afterwards in the garden modern tunes by the Samurada band or mellow sets by Tano. For the “picadors,” it was the perfect playground: modern music, low lighting and a laid-back atmosphere designed for fun. Sa Cabaña is still remembered as one of the first nightlife spaces in the Santandria area.

The art of “making friends”
The “picador’s” task was neither easy nor improvised. With rudimentary English, French or German, many learned a handful of basic phrases that they repeated with enthusiasm. Humour, gestures and body language made up for the lack of vocabulary. Over time, some improved their language skills with private winter lessons from José Ares and even turned that initial contact into a profession—becoming tour guides, waiters, receptionists or shopkeepers who leveraged their experience to enter the labour market.
But beyond any conquests, the “picador” symbolised cultural opening. Through contact with visitors, many Menorcans discovered new ways of living, dressing, thinking and having fun. Those summers were a social laboratory mixing tradition and modernity—and also of blending, since more than a few locals ended up marrying foreigners they had met during the season.

Between myth and reality
Over time, the “picador” has taken on a certain legend. For some, he was a romantic adventurer; for others, a caricature of a time of rapid and uneven change. What’s certain is that his existence tells of a moment when Menorca ceased to be an isolated island and became an international tourist destination.
In Santandria, the Ses Set Voltes and Bahía hotels, the Can Carrió and Sa Nacra bars, and the Sa Cabaña restaurant-club were not merely businesses but true social laboratories where locals and foreigners learned to coexist. The “picadors” brought cheek and youth, but also curiosity and a desire to understand a new world arriving by plane and by ship.