Maintenance and Emergency

Please notify Aremaser of any malfunctions, or any other problems in the apartment as soon as they occur. Their maintenance staff can deal with most things!! In the event of an emergency out of office hours, please telephone 368469 (this is a home number, so for emergencies only!).

If your electricity goes off, check first in the switch box (near the front door) that all the switches inside are in the UP position. If they are, check with the neighbours to see if it is a general power failure, if it is neither of these, contact Aremaser, who will send an electrician to check out the fault.

Money Exchange

Banks and hotels will change travellers cheques and sterling notes, and so will the Aremaser office. They have a board outside the office with the day’s exchange rates. They charge 1% of the value to be exchanged, which compares favourably with the banks etc. There is also a cash dispenser outside Betacar car rentals ­ you are charged by your bank for each transaction, typically £1.50. Most restaurants’ and supermarket’s accept Visa and Access.

Shop Opening Times

Although these times may vary slightly, normal opening hours are 09.00 hrs - 13.30 hrs and 16.30 hrs - 20.00 hrs. The local supermarkets open earlier in the morning, do not close midday and stay open late into the evening. Shops in the towns and villages close on Saturday afternoons and all day Sunday, although resort shops will generally be open all or most of the weekend.

Water

Tap water has been purified and is safe to drink, but may taste different to the UK. Bottled water is in plentiful supply in the supermarkets. Still water is ‘sin gas’, carbonated is ‘con gas’.

The Beach

Most main beaches, including Arenal, operate on a flag system to indicate sea conditions. Green gives you the go ahead to swim in safe water, yellow indicates that you should swim with caution, as there may be undercurrents, and red denotes dangerous sea conditions - swimming strictly prohibited. Please respect the flags; they are flown for your safety. Sun beds and shades are available for hire each day; pedal boats, wind surfer boards and small boats are available by the hour. The beach bars serve drinks, ice creams, snacks and meals.

Telephones

Public telephones are marked on the map with a ‘ T’ and are now situated on most streets. To call the UK you will need a minimum of 2 Euro's. Insert coin/s in the box or slope, depending on the type of telephone. Dial 07 44 std code minus the first 0 and continue with the number. E.g. 07 44 1244 288989. The coins will automatically drop into the box and you will have immediate connection when the telephone is answered. There are some really handy Telephonica multiple boxes around the island, which are manned, your calls are monitored and you are given a bill after the call and you pay at that time.

Buses

Menorca is renowned for it’s lack of public transport, and Arenal is no exception!! There is a fairly limited service to Mahón and Fornells, timetables are displayed at the bus stops or in the Aremaser office.

Taxis

The taxi rank in Arenal (by Coves Noves), is marked on the map but there is no guarantee of finding a taxi waiting!! It is recommended pre booking a taxi at the Aremaser offices or ring the 24-hour taxi service on 367111 Taxi’s will take 4 passengers, and all journeys are officially priced. Supplements may be charged after midnight, on Sunday’s and Fiesta days.

Medical Services

In the unfortunate event of illness or injury I recommend the services of ‘Centro Medic Salus’. English speaking doctors are on 24-hour call and consultations can be arranged in either the Arenal, Mahón or Ciudadela medical centres. Doctors will also visit your apartment. The doctor in some cases supplies medicine, drugs etc., or he will give you a prescription to be made up at the chemists. Payment will be required on the spot and receipts should be retained for any subsequent Insurance Claim. Centro Medico Salus will liaise with your holiday insurer for direct payment of large bills, your insurance policy and passport must be presented for this. Centro Medic Salus is situated in Arenal near the hotel complex by the beach next to the chemist. In Mahón at Miguel de Veri, 3. Telephone 366663 & 366860 for doctors or ambulance. A doctor calls at the Aremaser office at 16.30 hrs Monday - Friday. Please leave a message there if you would like the doctor to call at your apartment.

In case of a real emergency, there is a casualty department at the Residencia hospital in Mahón and in Cos de Gracia (hospital municipal) run by the nuns (Las Hermanas de la Caridad).

Mosquito's

In the hot summer months there are mosquitos around, especially in the evenings. Please remember to use the mosquito repellents at night to avoid any unnecessary bites. Two large machines are provided for your use, there are also a couple of the plug in ones in the kitchen drawer for which you will need to purchase tablets.

Chemist

Called ‘Farmacia’ and easily recognised by it’s green cross sign. The nearest one to the apartment is left at the hotel Aquamarina, follow the road around and is the first building on the left before the shops. There is a clinic attached to the chemist, where an appointment can be made with the doctor if he has not got a surgery at the time. There are Farmacia’s in all towns on Menorca, a duty rota operates whereby a chemist is open longer hours and on 24-hour call for prescriptions, details are displayed in chemist windows and in the local newspaper. The chemist can give good advice and supply familiar brands of off- prescription remedies, and they usually have an assistant who speaks and understands English.

EMERGENCIES

You are advised to ensure you have a method of payment in reserve in case of emergencies, and of course the necessary medical insurance to recover costs.

Listed below are local telephone numbers that may be useful to you: -