Valldemossa Hotel, Valldemossa, Spain

Before it became one of the best luxury hotels in Mallorca in 2004, The Valldemossa Hotel was a lavish private residence owned by the village of Valldemossa’s famous Royal Carthusian Monastery. The monastery and the Costa Nord cultural centre founded by the actor Michael Douglas attract thousands of visitors to this picturesque Mallorcan village every year. When Chopin eloped here with his lover, the writer George Sand, he declared Valldemossa was the most beautiful place in the world. But only a stay (or a candle-lit dinner) at the Valldemossa Hotel will evoke the village’s real romance.

When you arrive at this classy boutique hotel and buzz reception from the imposing front gate, the porters will take your luggage and park your car. Reception is reached either by climbing a spectacular sweeping staircase surrounded by manicured gardens or by riding the glass elevator which opens onto the main patio. The intimate lobby is lined with original Miró prints, seventeenth-century tapestries and an antique grandfather clock. By the check-in desk hangs a signed photo of the Valldemossa Hotel’s most famous visitor, Crown Prince Felipe of Spain. He visited in 2005 with his wife Leticia, Princess of Asturias, when they publically announced she was pregnant.

The facilities

Guests at the Valldemossa Hotel wake up to the sound of birdsong and goat bells and stunning views that stretch to Palma de Mallorca and the Mediterranean beyond. They start the day with a generous breakfast on the sunny, wrap-around terrace. For lunch the restaurant serves simple bistro fare. In the evening its nouvelle cuisine, which fuses Mediterranean and Asian flavours, attracts locals and visitors from across Mallorca.

But the main focus for guests at this exclusive boutique hotel is the large outdoor pool. It has powerful jets that massage your neck, wifi, an honesty bar, shower and toilets. A row of mature Cypress trees and a no-mobile-phone policy ensure peace and privacy. Drinks and light lunches are served in the shady pool bar in the summer months. In the winter, guests take refuge in the small spa which has a sauna, indoor pool, a generous Jacuzzi and a mural of the hotel’s panoramic views over Valldemossa. Massages and beauty treatments are offered in the guest bedrooms and are bookable year-round.

Beyond the pool, a vine-covered pergola is a popular venue for small weddings and concerts for up to 75 people. Then there’s the kitchen garden which supplies the Valldemossa Hotel with organic herbs and fruit and a new area dedicated to boules, an activity that should prove as popular as the hotel’s three free mountain bikes.

The rooms

The three Double rooms and nine Junior Suites at the Valldemossa Hotel are all named after famous visitors to Valldemossa including Chopin, George Sand and the Argentinian poet Jorge Luis Borges. All rooms are furnished with original antiques and elegant paintings by contemporary Mallorcan artists. They all have private terraces except Luis Salvador which is the only room with a 4-poster bed. It’s the size of a Junior Suite but is sold as a Double.