Pool at Sa Terra Rotja villa, Son Bunyola

Mallorca opens to international tourists again from June 21st, when Spain’s state of alarm finally ends.

The island is desperate to see tourists back, but – after the lockdown – what part will travel anxiety play in making holiday decisions? My feeling is that rural hotels and private villas will have even greater appeal this summer.

In a discussion I had last week with a real estate expert, I heard that there’s been a surge in demand (particularly in the German market) for luxury villas to rent for holidays. And I mean luxury, as in large with plenty of open space around them; that’s one way to ensure physical distancing during your vacation.

Villas Near Banyalbufar

Mallorca has no shortage of fabulous villas to rent for holidays and, although I’ve never stayed in one, I did have a good look around the Son Bunyola estate, near Banyalbufar, in the spring of 2018. I was in the company of Insider Mallorca and their invited fam-trip guests – a small group of high-end travel consultants (lucky women) – who were staying there for a few days and had come from as far away as Australia.

Son Bunyola is a beautiful 700-acre private estate in the UNESCO World Heritage Site Tramuntana mountains and, if it’s space around you that you want, the location of these villas would be hard to beat.

I first wrote about them here and, when I visited in 2018, I recorded some interviews for my radio show Table Talk on Mallorca Sunshine Radio. You can hear the interviews in Edition 4 of the show’s podcasts here.

Safety & Well-being

Son Bunyola is owned by Sir Richard Branson and will be the first property in the Virgin Limited Edition portfolio to reopen, from July 4th. There are now three secluded villas on the estate, from which to choose.

Speaking about the all-important safety and well-being aspects, Virgin Limited Edition’s managing director Jon Brown said: ‘Guests can expect to see some slight changes across all of our properties as we ask our staff to wear masks, take daily temperature checks and carry out rigorous cleaning measures, whilst ensuring that in our restaurants and guest areas we are adhering to social distancing guidelines.

‘But what’s more important, is that we make these new processes entirely simple and flexible for the guest, depending on their own level of comfort and preferences. Whether that is daily housekeeping with the same member of staff, or no housekeeping at all, we remain completely fluid to how our new processes will work.’

A Choice of Three Villas

The Son Bunyola villas can be rented individually or together, on a self-catering or all-inclusive basis, making them the perfect choice for groups and families to enjoy not only the secluded and beautiful setting, but also the security of a holiday with minimal risk of exposure – without compromising on the typical luxuries and experience guests would expect.

Rates for the four-bedroom Son Balaguaret villa, accommodating up to eight adults, start from 16,100€ for a seven-night self-catering stay during July and August 2020. Shorter stays of 3, 4 and 5 nights are also available on request (outside of July and August) subject to availability.

Time for a villa share with a few friends or family for a luxurious stay in Mallorca?

Jan Edwards ©2020