The afternoon sun beat down as my car rattled along an olive-tree-lined gravel road and through a gate in an ancient stone wall. As I climbed out, I was immediately struck by two things: the heat and the silence. The former made sense; while it was September in Mallorca, summer temperatures here typically last well into October and often longer. But the latter was the real reason I was there.
Living in Barcelona, I have visited this island more than 20 times, but the lesser-known rural heartland is the place I keep returning to. I first came here after a particularly rough breakup and then again after lockdown. Two years ago, I flew here after my Mum’s funeral. But Mallorca isn’t a sad place. It is where I come to recharge, be fed (both literally and physically), and to heal. And as I pulled up in front of Son Xotano’s impeccably restored stone and pale-yellow stucco façade, that familiar calm swept over me.
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Like Barcelona, Mallorca hit the headlines this summer because of overtourism protests, but the hinterland is much-less visited than the coast, and my multiple visits to the rural southeast of the island always remind me of how there are still pockets of land here that remind blissfully off the tourist trail.
Son Xotano opened in August and is the latest addition to Annua Signature, a growing Spanish boutique hotel brand with four properties, including the already-iconic Cesar Lanzarote in the Canary Islands. Set in a 12th-century possessió, a traditional Mallorcan manor house originally built for a local nobleman, the estate is surrounded by ancient olive trees, vineyards, lavender-swept fields and, well, not much else.
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The building itself has been painstakingly restored by ClapésPizà, a Mallorca-based studio headed by Adrià Clapés and Joan Pizà, known for rehabilitating ancient buildings according to local practices. Their respectful, place-sensitive style is everywhere: the baby-blue shade of the shutters, the shape of the stone arches, the grey Binissalem stone in the floors, the exclusive golden Mares stone in the walls. As Pizà explained to me, in the build, they used traditional materials because “nature knows best what belongs where.”
The result is a place that pays homage to its roots but is not afraid to move with the times. As evidenced by the large swimming pool surrounded by luxe sunbeds, a newly planted orchard that will soon provide Son Xotano with its own fruit and vegetables, and bathrooms kitted out with lush Aesop toiletries. I heard the occasional purr of planes on the flight path overhead, but otherwise, glorious silence and the buzz of cicadas was the soundtrack to my stay.
As for the interiors by Madrid-based interior designer Virginia Nieto, they are understatedly chic, sporting natural materials, patterned textiles and soft, textural palettes. The 22 guest rooms are unique, and most come with either a leafy garden or a sun-drenched terrace.
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The sense of place continues into the kitchen, where the menu developed by Annua’s Menorcan Executive Chef, José María Borrás is like a homey love letter to the Balearics. I enjoyed perfectly grilled turbot, served with little balls of citrus caviar, pak choy, and local carrots and broccolini; a cooling, yet earthy beetroot gazpacho laced with Mallorcan prawns; and a meaty spin on paella with suckling pig cooked in collagen-rich chicken stock. Every meal came with chunks of crusty bread that I shamelessly drenched in organic extra virgin olive oil from the town of Felanitx down the road.
There was more of the same at breakfast: strawberries, melon, kiwi, honey, marmalade, nuts, cheese and charcuteries – all grown or made on the island – alongside the Mallorcan national indulgence, a fluffy, powdered sugar-topped pastry called ensaïmada. If the current recommendation is to consume 30 different plants a week, I had them all in two days in Mallorca (ensaïmada sadly doesn’t qualify).
The verdant plains in the middle of Mallorca felt a world away from the throbbing beats of Magaluf on the coast, yet Son Xotano is conveniently only a 25-minute drive from Palma de Mallorca airport, while the island’s best beaches are 45 minutes away. It makes the perfect escape for frazzled urbanites looking to sleep well, eat well, relax and maybe swim a few laps or do a spot of yoga. Should you visit later in the autumn, as temperatures start to cool, you will probably spend less time lolling around the hotel and more exploring the island. And for that, you will need some wheels.
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In my hire car, I set off for the nearby town of Sineu, the royal seat of rural Mallorca in the 14th century, now best known for its Wednesday market. I wandered through the narrow, cobbled streets and sun-drenched squares in search of more ensaïmada. The artisanal sourdough bakery, S'Era Forn Artesà didn’t have any that day, but the doughy, oven-warm cinnamon roll stuffed with sun-ripe apricots was even better and cost just €2 (£1.75).
At Santa Catarina Winery (tastings from £39), which makes Mediterranean wines using mainly Mallorcan grapes, I tried a cherry-red Manto Negro, but fell in love with the crisp, straw-coloured Giro Ros, which was also available at Son Xoatano. I made my own pan amb oil, the Mallorcan national dish of toasted bread rubbed with plump Ramallet tomatoes, drizzled with extra virgin olive oil and topped with local cold cuts such as tangy sobrasada sausage, while I listened to the breeze whispering through the vines.
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Back at the hotel, I joined a creative workshop and learned to bundle dye a silk sarong using plants and wild flowers from Son Xotano’s garden before designing my own Mallorcan flower bouquet. I emerged grinning contentedly, my hair wild and covered in petals.“We want to get past the artifice of the tourism industry in Mallorca and connect with real people,” says Lucy Elrich, from Dada Days, the creative collective that runs the workshops for Son Xotano (experiences from £78).
For the more energetically inclined, the hotel also offers a range of experiences ideal for the cooler months, from hiking to horse-riding to guided day trips to the Mallorcan capital, Palma.
Son Xotano isn’t a luxury hotel in the conventional sense. There are no airs and graces, no elaborate turndown service, and the vibe is more upscale agriturismo than see and be seen. But if you are looking for quiet luxury, namely the privilege of doing nothing at all in a spectacular setting, it delivers in spades.
Isabelle Kliger was a guest of Son Xotano.
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How to get there
Return flights from London Luton to Palma with easyJet start from £55 in October.
Where to stay
Son Xotano, where doubles come with breakfast included.
