The first women-only hotel in Spain has opened in Mallorca.
Som Dona Hotel, near Porto Cristo, exclusively caters for women aged 14 years and above.
With 39 rooms, a pool, spa, library and a roof-top terrace, the four star establishment aims to offer “a new space for women who are looking to disconnect from the stress of daily life”.
The wellness services on offer, such as massages, treatments, a whirlpool tub and solarium, are a major focus for the hotel, along with locally sourced food, “flexitarian gastronomy” and healthy and sustainable cuisine.
According to the website, guests can also participate in excursions around the island and cultural activities.
Som Dona claims to welcome women of all sexual orientations, solo travellers, couples, mothers and daughters and larger groups.
It’s worth noting that the no-men policy also applies to visitors, meaning that late-night gentleman callers are not welcome.
Som Hotels president, Joan Enric Capellá, said surveys conducted by the group revealed that female customers liked the idea of a women-only hotel.
While the hotel employs men, in keeping with Spanish gender discrimination laws, the establishment is reported to prioritise women when it comes to staff recruitment.
“One of our objectives is also to give a certain visibility to women doing traditionally masculine jobs,” Capellá told Lonely Planet.
While solo travel by women has grown year on year according to various travel industry studies, female travellers often have more factors to take into account than men when planning a journey.
A British Airways study of almost 9,000 18 to 64-year-olds across the UK, US, France, India, Germany, Italy, Brazil and China in 2018 found that more than 50 per cent of women have taken a holiday by themselves, with 75 per cent of women planning a solo trip in the next few years.
Meanwhile, a Culture Trip survey of 10,500 respondents found that one-in-three women (34 per cent) said they’d be interested in flying solo in future, compared to just one in seven (14 per cent) who’d taken a trip on their own in the previous five years.
Double rooms at Som Dona start at €72.50 (£64) per night, room only.
