Review of Cases de Son Barbassa, by Jeroen Bergmans

Cases de Son Barbassa is an affordable, family-friendly boutique hotel that's an ideal hideaway for young families and couples who don't have the cash to splash out on the fanciest of Mallorca's luxury hotels.

Perched high on a hill, the boutique hotel has spectacular views of the rolling countryside that surrounds the town of Capdepera in the North East corner of the island. Cases de Son Barbassa is also a short drive from Mesquida and Cala Aguilla, two of the best beaches in Mallorca and the ancient, arty town of Arta.

Housed in a four hundred year-old finca and ancient watchtower, the boutique hotel has sleek, white contemporary interiors spruced up with textiles in retro hues of orange, brown and cream.

The facilities

A boxy, glass extension houses the restaurant at Cases de Son Barbassa and it has a small terrace which is popular during the summer months. A choice of two different modern European dishes with a Mallorcan twist made from ingredients grown in the boutique hotel's kitchen garden and orchards are served up for dinner every night. On Mondays the menu consists of traditional Mallorcan dishes and on Thursdays dinner is always a BBQ.

Guests spend most of their time at Cases de Son Barbassa lolling about on loungers and under canopied sun beds around the boutique hotel's large pool. True to the hotel's casual and homely atmosphere, there's an honesty bar and two small salons in the main building that offer a cool, shady refuge from the scorching Mallorcan sun. The boutique hotel has no spa, but in-room massages can be arranged on request.

The rooms

Cases de Son Barbassa has 12 rooms including two suites which are popular with young families as extra beds and cots can be added on request. All rooms have small terraces facing the boutique hotel's pool or the mountains and spacious bathrooms with stone floors and large rain showers now de rigeur in luxury hotels. Some even have decadent massage jets. The wardrobes are also generous so groups of friends and families can easily settle in for a long stay.