Take one trip to Mallorca and you’ll spend your time wondering why it took you this long to discover it. What have you been doing with your life?! The biggest of the four Balearic Islands offers up postcard-pretty villages, wild surfer beaches, plus tiny cliffside restaurants with seafood caught metres away and sunset views that make you do unexpected things, such as planning to move here. But the best part is the bedding-down bit. Of course, there are touristy resorts, but it’s what lies elsewhere that will grab you and refuse to let go. The pick of the accommodation is in farm-to-fork agroturismos and magazine-worthy country fincas, where there’s a reassuring guest-to-space ratio and the service is personal and rich in local knowledge. Here’s our curation of Mallorca farmhouses where you can go off-grid to look great on-grid (the Instagram one).
Luxurious and Eco-Friendly Mallorca Farmhouses
Note: all rates are entry-level prices for low season.
Finca Serena
When Finca Serena opened in 2019, it brought something new to Mallorca: a five-star retreat that was only a 25-minute drive from Palma airport and didn’t require traversing mountain roads (thereby eliminating the threat of divorce before arrival). And serene, it is. An 18th-century farmhouse turned luxe hideaway – 24 rooms, 900 olive trees, a spa, a supermodel of a pool, and a lot of zen. It’s where you come when you’re teetering towards burnout and need minimalist interiors to admire rather than clean, and soul-nourishing food without any washing up. One year on, we’re still talking about its fig tarte tatin. From €242 per night, including breakfast.
Sa Cova Fornalutx
A 10-minute drive from Port de Sóller beach, with a superimposed-looking backdrop of the Serra de Tramuntana mountains (a UNESCO World Heritage site, no less), sits Fornalutx. It’s a village so pretty that you’ll swear: all tiny cobbled streets with croissant-coloured stone town houses and green shutters. Sa Cova, an eight-person finca, sits majestically at the top. Here, your throne is a sunbed by the saltwater pool. Outdoors, your empire encompasses terraces of orange and cypress trees; inside, there’s a library full of curl-up sofas, local ceramics, and coffee tables carved from tree stumps. From €400 per night; no children under 6 due to the terrain.
Pleta de Mar
Regulars to Mallorca might recognise Pleta de Mar’s siblings – Can Simoneta, spa-haven Fontsana, plus Palma’s convent-turned-coveted-address, Convent de la Missió. Pleta de Mar is the top-scale, escapist offering – 30 suites flung along the western coastline near Canyamel, outrageously luxurious, and so private that you’ll feel like celebs on the down-low. When you’re not in your freestanding bathtub or outdoor shower, there are two infinity pools, a track to Cala Auberdans beach, a hot tub, and a treatment called Mediterranean Firming Body. Because who doesn’t want to feel Mediterranean and firm. From €380 per night, including breakfast.
Cal Reiet
The ethos of this 15-room 1880s mansion in Santanyí, a 13-minute drive from the salt-water perfection of Cala Llombards, is to leave feeling renewed. Yoga and meditation retreats draw a global audience seeking stillness and purpose; but you can feel its calming effect in a couple of nights. There are formal elements of unwinding: daily yoga, plus nourishing plant-based dining (think: sweet potato gnocchi or white gazpacho of almonds, apple, shiso and basil oil). But time simply slows: deckchairs induce siesta, you read guilt-free, and the scrummy white bedlinens work like hot cocoa. From €275 per night, including breakfast.
Can Ferrereta
Also in Santanyí, Can Ferrereta was set to be summer 2020’s most hyped opening – until You Know What struck. Its team – known for the fresco-adorned Sant Francesc Hotel Singular in Palma’s Old Quarter (with a stunning rooftop pool terrace), plus Barcelona’s Majestic Hotel – decided to hold off until March 2021, making this your hot insider tip. What to expect? A restored 17th-century mansion, 32 rooms – the pick with private patios and terraces, and all with a palette of iron, brushed concrete and wood – a hammam, plus landscaped gardens dotted with poolside daybeds and tables built for supporting G&Ts. From €217 per night, including breakfast.
Son Moragues
Valldemossa’s Son Moragues is first and foremost an olive oil-producing estate. You’ll find its Es Roquissar oil in El Corte Inglés on Plaça Catalunya and Diagonal, as well as in London’s Selfridges; it even scooped a silver award at New York’s Olive Oil Competition. What’s less publicised is its Valldemossa pad – the top two floors of a three-storey townhouse, sleeping up to 12, all spacious rooms, roll-top baths and lemon trees. From here, partake in Son Moragues’ excellent activity schedule: calf-sculpting mountain hikes, bonfire dinners, olive oil sampling, plus a tasting of its new baby – a gin made from finca-picked pine, rosemary, green tomatoes and juniper berries. From €260 per night for four guests, with a three-night minimum.
Photo credits: Pernilla Danielsson @lifestyle_mallorca
If you want to skip the flight, but still get a taste of the Mediterranean, here are some options along the Costa Brava.
