Condé Nast has just published its 23 Best Places to Go in Spain and Portugal in 2023 and Mallorca gets top billing.
The leading international travel publication states: If you thought that the economic upheaval and travel disruptions of the pandemic meant that the Balearic Islands were going to suddenly become a bargain, it didn’t work out that way. At least there is a silver lining. As the destination perfects its approach to luxury, you’ll get a mix of exclusivity, exquisite service, and sustainability that justifies the price.
Mallorca’s most anticipated upcoming openings are from the Four Seasons and the Virgin Group, at opposite ends of the island. The iconic Formentor in Pollença (in the north of the island), where celebrities including Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier stayed, will reopen as the Four Seasons Resort Mallorca at Formentor in 2024.
The property, located on a 3,000-acre estate, aims to be the island’s most sustainable. The French interior design firm, Gilles & Boissier, who recently completed the renovation of the Mandarin Oriental Ritz, Madrid, were entrusted with the interiors of the Four Seasons as well.
Richard Branson’s much anticipated Son Bunyola hotel is now taking reservations for dates after August 1, 2023. The luxury hotel is located in the estate’s 16th-century finca, or manor house, and has 26 rooms. They join three existing villas—Sa Punta de S’Aguila, Sa Terra Rotja, and Son Balagueret—on an 810-acre property with grape vines and almond, citrus, and olive orchards.
Son Net is another luxury property that will open (spring 2023) in this stunning part of the island, from the owners of the impeccable Finca Cortesin in Puigpunyent.
Also nearby the Belmond La Residencia, in Deià, offers polished luxury in one of the most picturesque parts of the island while the new Kimpton Aysla Mallorca, just nine miles from Palma, is a contemporary retreat set amid landscaped grounds.
Sustainability is a focus of other recent openings on Mallorca as with Can Ferrereta, in Santanyí, from the creators of the award-winning Sant Francesc hotel in Palma; the boutique hotel Nivia Born, in Palma; the refurbished agroturismo property Finca Ca’n Beneït, in the Tramuntana mountains; and Es Racó d’Artà.
HM Palma Blanc, in Palma, marries a contemporary style with local Mallorcan materials and power from solar panels. The adults-only Vicenç de la Mar, in cala Sant Vicenç, was designed by architect Rafael Balaguer Prunés and carries the Design Hotels seal. Yurbann, a hotel group from Barcelona, also has an opening planned. You have to be quick to stay on top of Mallorca’s hotel scene.” —C.L.