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Outdoor Cinema in a Mallorcan Vineyard this Summer
Your charming hosts, Walter (left) and William (R), at Los Dos Caballeros Winery One of the highlights of our 2023 summer in Mallorca was attending an intimate outdoor cinema event at Los Dos Caballeros Winery between Inca and Llubí. Such was the success of the evening, Los Dos Caballeros Winery has organised a series of movie nights this summer.
Cinema Paradiso – a private cinema company in Mallorca – will be screening some popular movies amid the vineyards of this relatively young winery, which produced its first wine in 2021. Walter Kraushaar and William Stanley, who own Los Dos Caballeros, are your welcoming hosts for these cinema nights– which include a glass of their wine.
The Movies on Offer
All films are shown on a Thursday night and are in English with Spanish subtitles.
June 13th at 21:30h – The Big Lebowski
June 27th at 21:30h – The Princess Bride
July 11th at 21:30h – Back to the Future
July 25th at 21:30h – Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
August 8th at 21:30h – La La Land
August 22nd at 21:00h – Forrest Gump
September 5th at 20:30h – The Shawshank Redemption
September 19th at 20:00h – The Menu
Tickets are available from Eventbrite. The price includes use of a luxury beanbag chair, fresh popcorn, and a glass of Los Dos Caballeros’s excellent wine.
For tickets to any of these cinema nights, click here.
Jan Edwards ©2024
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A Vegan Restaurant in Rural Mallorca: Plat a Plat
The garden at Curolla Hotel/Plat a Plat Last year we discovered Plat a Plat, a vegan restaurant in Maria de la Salut. This small town in the Mallorcan countryside wasn’t a place where we expected to find such an eatery.
We’re not vegans (although we often eat vegetarian) but wanted to try Plat a Plat because I’m sometimes asked for restaurant recommendations for vegans.
We hot-footed over one evening last autumn and had a delicious and creative dinner. Alas, our plans to eat there again with friends the following week were thwarted: the seasonal Plat a Plat was about to close for the winter. With the restaurant and hotel open again for 2024, we went on a Sunday to try their buffet brunch.
You don’t have to be staying in the attractive 12-room, 4-star Hotel Curolla to eat in its restaurant Plat a Plat. The hotel is in a side street in Maria de la Salut with street parking usually available, although it does have its own car park.
Hotel Curolla occupies an early-19th-century majestic property in Maria de Salut. The large, handsome entrance hall is also home to the restaurant and is dominated by traditional Mallorcan architectural features – arches, exposed stone walls, and ceiling beams. Last autumn, we sat indoors for dinner because it was a cool evening but, for our sunny Sunday lunch, we sat at a shaded table on the terrace. It was a lovely experience because of the peaceful setting, the birdsong, and the hotel’s verdant garden. And, of course, the variety of food on offer.
The restaurant is overseen by Vero (Veronica) Romero, an innovative and enthusiastic young woman who has a ready smile.
Dinner at Plat a Plat
Sadly, Plat a Plat is open for dinner only on three nights a week: Friday, Saturday, and Monday (19:00h–22:00h). The à la carte menu is short but interesting and changes with the seasonal products. Here are photos of some of the dishes we ate there last autumn.
Sunday Brunch at Plat a Plat
The buffet brunch is available from 11.00h–15:00h every Sunday. We’d booked for 13:00h but the buffet still looked fresh because platters were regularly replenished and new dishes added to the spread in the dining room. Chef Silvana Egea and two other chefs keep that buffet looking appealing.
Brunch costs 25€, which includes water, juice, coffee, or tea – and it’s all help yourself. Drinks from the bar are available but charged as extra.
As well as being vegan, 90 per cent of the food is also gluten-free which is good to know for coeliacs. If you’re avoiding gluten for any reason, Vero is your guide as to what’s to leave on the buffet.
We tried home-made vegan cheese, different vegetable burgers, salads, several varieties of hummus, coca, and more. Like all nutritious food, it was very satisfying.
Our fellow brunchers appeared to be mainly locals and the Mallorcan man and his adult daughter we chatted to briefly told us they came from Sa Pobla for brunch.
I’d hoped to have a peek at one of the Hotel Curolla’s rooms before we left, but the young owner, Julia Hälbig (of Mallorcan and German parents) told me the hotel was full. Clearly, there’s a demand for vegan accommodation in Mallorca.
Other Vegan Hotels in Mallorca
Here are three other vegan hotels in Mallorca to check out if Hotel Corolla is full when you want to visit. Although I haven’t stayed in any of them, I mention them because I know of their reputation.
Villa Vegana in Selva
Ecocirer in Sóller
Pension Bellavista in Puerto Pollensa (which also has a good vegetarian/vegan restaurant – which we have tried a few times – with a lovely courtyard garden).
Jan Edwards ©2024
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The Golden Keys to an Outstanding Mallorca Holiday
If you’ve ever wondered about the golden crossed-keys pins that some hotel concierges in Mallorca (and around the world) wear on their jacket lapels, read on to find out more about this elite sector of the luxury hospitality business. These concierges are members of the global professional association known as Les Clefs d’Or or, in Spanish, Las Llaves de Oro. Around 4,000 members of this association work in over 80 countries and 530 destinations all around the globe.
Las Llaves de Oro – the Background
The association of Les Clefs d’Or was officially founded in Paris in 1952 as a not-for-profit organisation, although its roots date from 1929. Concierge members in the French capital would share their knowledge and contacts to help guests gain the most from their stay.
Today, friendship and service are still the foundation stones of the association. These concierges may work in hotels that compete with each other for business, but they share a common desire – and what they know about their locality – to set new standards of hospitality for their guests.
In Spain, Las Llaves de Oro was founded in 1962 and comprises more than 150 active members across six regional delegations – one of which is the Balearics. These members have met the exacting standards and gained the experience, knowledge, and peer respect that the association requires before awarding those golden keys.
What can the Golden Keys Concierge do for you?
The short answer could be, ‘What can’t he or she do?’. These concierges are local insiders par excellence. Their expertise and enviable contacts make a variety of requests possible – from restaurant or attraction recommendations to a one-off wish that may seem unattainable.
A no-uniform away day for Golden Keys concierges – led by Pep Toni Ferreiro Pep Toni Ferreiro, head concierge at Deià’s renowned hotel La Residencia, says, “A concierge works like a ‘dream weaver’.” For the increasing number of Americans who visit Mallorca as part of a European or Spanish tour, this means making the most of even just a few days on the island.
You want to propose to your partner in an isolated romantic setting? Celebrate a birthday with a gourmet picnic while a guitarist strums Spanish classical music? Savour a favourite brand of spirits that’s not available in the hotel bar? Have a hot-air balloon ride at sunrise? Make a private visit to a bodega for a tutored wine tasting? Your golden-keys concierge can make these – and other requests – possible, thus creating lasting memories of a Mallorca that many visitors won’t experience.
The golden-keys concierges are personable, friendly, and discreet, in addition to having expertise and a wealth of local knowledge. Whether you’re staying in your chosen hotel’s most modest guest room or its top suite, they are there with a smile and the ability to achieve what may sometimes seem unachievable.
Las Llaves de Oro in Mallorca
The Balearic delegation of Las Llaves de Oro has 35 members, with the majority in Mallorca. It’s led by Pep Toni Ferreiro, head concierge at La Residencia, a Belmond Hotel. As well as Belmond, the other international luxury hotel groups in Mallorca where you’ll see the golden keys worn are Gran Melià, Jumeirah, The Luxury Collection, Four Seasons, Mallorca Collection, Pure Salt Hotels, Nixe Palace, Iberostar, Virgin Limited Edition, and Zafiro. Needless to say, a concierge wearing Las Llaves de Oro is a mark of prestige for the hotel.
In addition to the hotel concierges, there are honorable members of Las Llaves de Oro representing businesses serving the luxury tourism market in the Balearics. These include Le Luxure (experiences and more), Smart Yachts (charters), The Label & Co (event organisers), Sixt (rental cars), and Lio Mallorca (the hot new dinner show in Palma). If you need a top-of-the-range car, to charter a boat, or to arrange a special event, for example, these are the go-to companies.
Eduardo Salazar from Le Luxure at Hotel El Coto I was recently invited to attend the third Educational Day for the Balearic Delegation of Les Clefs d’Or/Las Llaves de Oro, which took place at the elegant 5-star Hotel El Coto in Colònia de Sant Jordi. The enthusiasm and camaraderie of the delegates greatly impressed me. These are people dedicated to serving their guests.
As Eduardo Salazar, managing director of Le Luxure, told me, “We’re here because we love what we do.” As do the discerning guests who choose a hotel with a concierge wearing the crossed golden keys.
Jan Edwards©2024
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A New Book about Mallorca and Wine
The growth in the Mallorcan wine sector has been significant over the 20 years we’ve lived on the island. And that growth hasn’t been only in the number of wineries but also in the quality and uniqueness of the wines produced. Today, Mallorca has around 100 bodegas, with the oldest (Bodega Ribas) dating from 1711.
Exciting new wineries have opened in recent years – some of them owned by foreign residents of Mallorca – and the viticulture/viniculture scene on the island still has the potential for further development.
How to find out about Mallorca’s bodegas and wine
The new hardback book, Mallorca & Wine – The Bodegas and Their Stories, is an excellent introduction to the Mallorcan wine scene and some of the best bodegas and wines on the island. Its authors (and publishers) are Jürgen Mathäss, Thilo Weimar, and Wolf Wilder. It’s a beautifully produced book that not only looks good but is packed with evidence of the authors’ enthusiasm for wines and the painstaking research that went into it. It’s the book I’d love to have written.
Mallorca & Wine starts with a look at Mallorca’s wine history, terroir, and grape varieties, and a couple of interviews with experts in this field (Ferran Centelles, who writes for Master of Wine, Jancis Robinson, and Gabriel Lucas, wine consultant and educator, who was voted Spain’s best sommelier in 2021). The largest section of the book comprises fascinating textual and photographic portraits of 55 wineries on the island.
There’s a chapter about wine enthusiasts and investors and how to have your own label wine if you own a vineyard in Mallorca but not the facility for making wine. The remainder of the 224-page book comprises wine-related activities in Mallorca, information about hotels with a particular affinity for wine (including two of my favourites, Can Beneït and El Coto), wine stores, and restaurants and wine bars with notable wine selections.
Here are some photos from the Mallorca book launch at Rialto Living on 9th May:
Where to buy Mallorca & Wine
You’ll find Mallorca & Wine – in separate English and German editions – for sale in the lifestyle store Rialto Living in Palma. It’s also available in English and German on Amazon Germany and will soon be available on Amazon.com.
You can also buy a copy at Finca Can Coll in Sóller, which offers a by-appointment-only unique wine-tasting experience.
This impressive book costs 40€ on the island. Someone suggested to me that this was a lot of money but, as an author myself (the novel Daughter of Deià), I can appreciate the huge amount of work, time, and expertise that has gone into the publication of Mallorca & Wine. In my opinion, this book is worth the money if you want to do as Wolf wrote when he signed the book I bought: ‘Explore the island one glass at a time.’
Jan Edwards ©2024
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The Michelin Key to the Best Hotels in Mallorca
If your choice of a hotel is determined by the number of official stars it has, you’ll have plenty of places to choose from in Mallorca: the island now has some 65-and-counting 5-star hotels. If that sounds bewildering, you may wish to check out the Michelin Guide’s new distinction for outstanding hotels: the Michelin Key. It’s the hotel equivalent of the Michelin Star for restaurants and was launched on April 29, 2024.
What is the Michelin Key?
Michelin explains that the Michelin Key is awarded to hotels that are ‘not simply a room for the night, but offer an outstanding stay’. The Michelin Key hotels are the crème de la crème of the more than 5,000 hotels featured around the globe in their famous guides. The awarded hotels ‘excel in design, architecture, service and personality’. A hotel does not have to have a certain number of stars to be awarded a Michelin Key.
Hotels can be awarded one, two, or three Keys: one Key denotes a very special stay; two, an exceptional stay, and three keys, an extraordinary stay.
Michelin Keys in Mallorca
According to Michelin, a one Key hotel is ‘a true gem with its own character and personality. It may break the mould, offer something different or simply be one of the best of its type. Service always goes the extra mile and provides significantly more than similarly priced establishments.’
Here are Mallorca’s one Key hotels:
Es Racó d’Artà, Artà
Sa Creu Nova Petit Palais Art & Spa, Campos
Predi Son Jaumell, Capdepera
Castell Son Claret, Es Capdellà – also has the one Michelin Star restaurant, Sa Clastra
Cap Vermell Grand Hotel, Canyamel – also has the two Michelin stars restaurant, Voro
Finca Serena, Montuïri
Son Brull, Pollensa
Hotel L’Avenida, Sóller
Can Bordoy Grand House and Garden, Palma
Es Princep, Palma – also has the one Michelin-star restaurant, Zaranda
Sant Francesc, Palma
Castillo Hotel Son Vida, Palma
Boutique Hotel Posada Terra Santa, Palma
El Llorenç Parc de la Mar, Palma – also has the one MICHELIN Star restaurant, DINS by Santi Taura
Nobis Hotel, Palma
Nobis Hotel, Palma 
Castell Son Claret 
Finca Serena Michelin’s two Key hotels are described as ‘Somewhere truly unique and exceptional in every way, where a memorable experience is always guaranteed. A hotel of character, personality and charm that’s operated with obvious pride and considerable care. Eye-catching design or architecture, and a real sense of the locale make this an exceptional place to stay.’
Mallorca’s two Key hotels:
Cap Rocat, Cala Blava
La Residencia, a Belmond Hotel, Deià
Hotel Can Cera, Palma
Can Ferrereta, Santanyí
Can Cera hotel (photo courtesy of hotel) 
A corner of La Residencia Jan Edwards©2024
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Healthy Food & Drinks in Colònia de Sant Pere, Mallorca
The coastal village of Colònia de Sant Pere has some of the best views for eating and drinking out in Mallorca – in my opinion. From one of the several, seafront restaurants, you have views across the Bay of Alcúdia to the northern end of the Serra de Tramuntana – the UNESCO World Heritage Site mountain range. Sunset here is glorious.
But there are times when I’d sacrifice the view for a visit to Can Kiwi; times when I want to eat or drink something healthier than the average coastal restaurant fare. This small eatery is just one road back from the seafront and has a front terrace as well as an attractive interior, with original arches, a tiled floor, and cute decorative touches. In colder months, a wood-burning stove makes the place cosy and even more appealing. Alessandro, the Italian owner, is friendly and welcoming too.
Alessandro in action 
Some of Kay’s art 
Relax! 
The bar/counter 
A welcome addition for cooler days Can Kiwi is open for breakfast, brunch, snacks, and drinks, and also offers a set menú del día (16€ at the time of writing) on weekdays (except Thursdays, when the place is closed). Times are extended once the holiday season gets going.
Eats at Can Kiwi
The food menu includes waffles, salads, bowls and poke bowls, organic eggs, and that favourite Mallorcan snack, pa amb oli – made from a choice of two organic, sourdough breads from the local artisan bakery Forn Corpus. Gluten-free options are available.
Drinks at Can Kiwi
Drink choices include freshly made smoothies and juices, ‘golden milk’, kombuchas, organic teas, and healthy shots. But you can also enjoy the alcoholic drinks and coffees you’d find in other restaurants.
You’ll be enjoying the fare at Can Kiwi too much to miss the sea views. And, besides, you can always have a walk along the seafront after your visit – increasing the healthiness of a visit to Mallorca’s coastal gem, Colònia de Sant Pere and charming Can Kiwi.
Jan Edwards ©2024
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New Look & Concept for Hotel Valldemossa
Welcome to the Hotel Valldemossa – The Natural Sanctuary For our first wedding anniversary after moving to Mallorca in 2004 – and several subsequent anniversaries – we spent a night away at the romantic Hotel Valldemossa. The hotel – originally two 19th-century stone houses – has gorgeous views of the surrounding mountains and countryside as well as La Cartuja, the Royal Charterhouse. The Polish composer Chopin famously spent a mid-19th century winter in the former monastery with his lover, the writer George Sand (real name Aurore Dupin, Baroness Dudevant).
After a few years of discovering more of Mallorca, we tried other hotels for nights away to celebrate anniversaries and birthdays. Today, with some 65 5-star hotels on the island, there’s plenty of choice – and variety – for the discerning hotel guest.
Hotel Valldemossa Reborn
I was interested to learn earlier this year that IT Mallorca Unique Spaces had added Hotel Valldemossa to its portfolio of luxury boutique hotels – three of which we have enjoyed staying in. The Valldemossa property has 12 rooms, is an adults-only (14+) hotel, and described as ‘The Natural Sanctuary’. I was curious to see the renovated Hotel Valldemossa and arranged a tour and lunch there last week (but didn’t stay overnight).
The hotel re-opened under its new guise on February 29th, 2024, and the day I visited there was only one room – a Junior Suite – unoccupied on the morning I was there. This suite has a private terrace and superb views. As in the rest of the hotel – and the other IT Mallorca properties – attractive art and stylish furniture and soft furnishings abound.
The Junior Suite 
Bath & shower room with a view 
The bath Health & Wellness
If you’re looking for a tranquil place to stay, with a wealth of facilities and services designed to improve your health and well-being, Hotel Valldemossa could be for you.
Cyclists will find a lockable storage facility which includes charging points for electric bikes.
Near the large, outdoor swimming pool, there’s a terrace for the hotel’s yoga and Pilates classes.
A covered outdoor gym enables you to enjoy the views as you work out.
The Sanctuary offers treatments based on the Piroche method (using Piroche products). These treatments are inspired by Traditional Chinese Medicine and the Western practice of lymphatic drainage. The hotel’s website has a list of treatments.
Guests can book the indoor pool and facilities for their exclusive use for a period of time.
Secure bike storage 
Outdoor pool 
Outdoor but covered gym 
Keep fit while on holiday 
The door to The Sanctuary 
A treatment room for two 
Plunge with a view 
Enjoy this exclusively 
Comfort and privacy The New Restaurant – De Tokio a Lima
Hotel Valldemossa has a new restaurant, which offers the same menu and prices as the De Tokio a Lima restaurant at IT Mallorca’s Can Alomar hotel in Palma. Like the Palma restaurant, the Valldemossa one is open to the public for lunch and dinner.
Read the review of our lunch that I wrote/broadcast for Mallorca Sunshine Radio here.
Read Reviews of Stays at Other IT Mallorca Hotels
Can Aulí in Pollença town here.
Can Cera in Palma here.
Good to Know
Hotel Valldemossa has its own car park for guests and restaurant clients.
The hotel is around a ten-minute stroll into Valldemossa – Mallorca’s best-known village.
Jan Edwards ©2024
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Bakery & Other Treats in Campos
One of Mallorca’s best-known traditional bakeries began life in the market town of Campos in the south of Mallorca.
Pastisseries Pomar was founded in 1902 in the market town and the original premises are still in Carrer de Plaça. Today the business is run by the fourth and fifth generations of the family that founded it and has three premises in Campos and one in Palma (in Carrer Manacor, almost adjacent to the junction with the Avenidas).
The traditional bakery and cafe is a popular stop in Campos particularly on market day mornings (Thursdays and Saturdays), with locals and visitors buying traditional Mallorcan pastries, cakes, and chocolates, and maybe stopping for a hot drink and a sweet or savoury treat.
Sourdough at Larotî
Larotî’s window 
The sign outside 
Organic flours 
Part of the display 
Rosemary and olive sourdough 
Owner Juan Ocampo Before the pandemic, when I had a radio show called ‘Table Talk’ on Mallorca Sunshine Radio, I interviewed Juan Ocampo, then chef at Tess de Mar restaurant in Campos.
Juan no longer works in the restaurant but owns the excellent sourdough bakery Larotî in Campos, just a short walk from his former restaurant kitchen. A small table just inside means you can also have a coffee here – if the table in this popular bakery is free.
Sourdough is Larotî’s speciality and Juan’s moreish bread is available in different flavours. We had rosemary and olive and couldn’t stop eating it once we were home; it was so delicious. Juan uses organic flours to make his breads, rolls, and other baked goods, including croissants, tartlets, cocas, mini banana breads, and biscuits.
On our last visit, during the Saturday market, a queue had formed at the door of Larotî – such is the good reputation of Juan and his team. I recommend going early in the morning while there’s still plenty of bread and baked goods on offer.
Larotî also sells a small range of gourmet products, including delicious bean-to-bar Maüa chocolate (made in Palma).
Here’s an idea: if you’re planning a day at one of the beaches a short drive away, call in at Larotî and buy the ingredients for a delicious, impromptu picnic by the sea. You’ll find the bakery in Carrer Convent, where it’s open from 8am until 2pm, Tuesday to Saturday.
Where to Visit Near Campos
Es Trenc is the beautiful virgin beach that’s a short drive from Campos. Coastal places also worth visiting in this area are Colònia de Sant Jordi and sa Ràpita.
If you like cheese, check out Formatges Burguera on the outskirts of Campos, which has a shop on site selling their own cow’s milk cheeses.
Where to Eat in Campos
Tess de Mar is one of two restaurants within Sa Creu Nova Petit Palais Art & Spa in Campos. Read my review of this restaurant for Mallorca Sunshine Radio here.
Jan Edwards©2024
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Toes-in-the-Sand Lunch at Ponderosa Beach
Our favourite place to eat lunch with our toes buried in the sand is open for the 2024 season. Ponderosa Beach is today a very different business from that started by the current owners’ grandparents back in the ’50s to offer refreshments to people spending time on Playa de Muro’s gorgeous beach. We first discovered the contemporary Ponderosa Beach – an establishment serving surprisingly good and interesting food and drinks – back in 2014 and have been every summer since then.
Some sadness was behind our first visit. One of my uncles had just died. He had dementia and had been in a home for a while. The news of his passing was not entirely unexpected but felt like a wake-up call: Life is too short to spend it all working. In the middle of writing some articles for a magazine, I took the afternoon off (no deadlines were missed) and we made our first visit to this place that friends had recommended. It was also a chance to raise a glass of something chilled to my late uncle.
How to Get There
A family-friendly establishment, Ponderosa Beach is located between the cluster of summer houses known as Ses Casetes des Capellans and the Mediterranean – which often resembles the Caribbean here on Playa de Muro. The entrance to Ses Casetes des Capellans is signposted off the roundabout by the Eroski supermarket,
In previous years, beachgoers and Ponderosa Beach visitors could park in the rough parking area between the houses and the beach, but from mid-June to mid-September parking is now restricted to those who are staying in the casetes. Beware: fines are issued for inappropriate parking (cameras are in operation). Free parking options now are the huge library car park or along the service road parallel to the main road (opposite Eroski supermarket) – only a short walk away.
After a period when the coastal authorities banned Ponderosa Beach and other neighbouring establishments from putting tables onto the sand itself, things went back to normal in 2023. Once again, you can sit at a table with your toes buried in the sand.
The Team
Chef Rafael Serrano The third generation of the founders is in charge. Carlos, Marga, and Balta are hands-on at Ponderosa Beach – with an extra warm welcome for regular clients (of which there are many). The service team has changed over the years we’ve been going, but staff members have always been professional, with a friendliness that makes diners feel relaxed, and several members of the team have been there for a few years.
Chef Rafael Serrano heads up the kitchen, which produces a constant stream of paellas and other dishes throughout the busy service period.
Cocktails (10€), mocktails (8€), vermouths, wines, beers, and spirits, are also available and Ponderosa Beach is a popular spot for an early-evening drink once the kitchen has closed at 17:00h. Perfect after a long day enjoying the soft sands and crystalline waters.
The Food
Squid rings with orange and almond alioli 
John Dory 
Pollo Picón 
Ribs! 
Sea bass ceviche The menu offers starters, salads, paellas, dishes ‘from the land’ and ‘from the sea’, kids’ dishes, sides, and desserts – it’s worth saving space for a sweet end to your lunch. Each dish on the menu is marked to show potential allergens. Daily suggestions are offered in addition.
Favourite starters include the zingy sea bass ceviche, croquetas, and Mediterranean squid with an orange-almond alioli dip – which can be gluten-free on request.
Steaming paellas and fideuás are constantly leaving chef Rafael Serrano’s kitchen, and if you crave a well-made paella, it’s a place to satisfy that craving. Freshly cooked to order, prices range from 19€ to 30€ for the indulgent Barroco, made with queen scallops, red prawns, crawfish, prawn tails, cuttlefish, and mussels. The 20-hr ‘Duroc’ pork ribs are a sticky-fingered delight if you prefer meat. Fresh fish is always good too. For our visit 2024 visit, I chose grilled, free-range chicken thigh glazed with chilli and tamarind sauce with roasted red peppers and coriander alioli; The Boss had John Dory.
Good to Know
You need to book ahead for a table at Ponderosa Beach and once you’re at that table, it’s yours for two hours. Be sure to turn up on time – only 15 minutes’ grace is given before that lusted-after table becomes someone else’s.
There are currently a couple of children’s dishes (15€ each) on the menu.
More dishes will be added to the menu in May, when the season really gets going.
Open daily: Kitchen 12:30h–17:00h; Restaurant 12:30h–19:00h. Closed in winter.
Jan Edwards©2024
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La Residencia Opens for 2024
A corner of La Residencia in Deià, Mallorca La Residencia, A Belmond Hotel – which features several times in my novel Daughter of Deià – re-opens today for the 2024 season.
The iconic village hotel celebrates its 40th anniversary this year and has plenty of interesting activities and developments lined up.
Art
This has long been a hotel for lovers of art and, for the third consecutive year, Belmond continues its collaboration with the international art gallery Galleria Continua. As part of the art series MITICO, the French conceptual artist Daniel Buren’s work ‘Descanso Colorado para La Residencia, trabajo in situ, 2024′ will be exhibited at La Residencia from late April.
Following the success of the first edition of ‘Artists in Residencia’ last year, La Residencia and Galleria Continua have launched the second edition. A prestigious committee will select three artists to take part in this programme and create a work of art to be exhibited in the hotel. The winners of three scholarships will be announced on March 31st. The residency programme will include accommodation and a studio on the premises for two months. Now, where’s my easel and paintbrush?
Gastronomy
Last year La Residencia launched its new Tramuntana Grill, which became a guest favourite during the season (I loved the food cooked in the Josper oven). The second phase of the development has enhanced the area around the pool, which is now surrounded by local, white stone terracing and colourful new parasols.
In 2023, the hotel’s fine-dining restaurant El Olivo introduced its new chef, Pablo Armando Aranda, who has previously worked with the renowned Marc Fosh (whose Michelin-starred restaurant is in Palma). For this season, the traditional menu is replaced by a tasting menu of 12 dishes (the Mayurqa Menu) or the reduced version of six plates in the Deià Menu, taking diners on a journey through history to rediscover Mallorcan and Mediterranean flavours. El Olivo also offers vegan menus.
Sustainability
La Residencia is continuing its collaboration with Viti Vinci, the Palma-based atelier that develops aromatic formulas from essential oils of wild plants. That delicious fragrance in the air in the hotel? It was designed exclusively by Viti Vinci and is known as ‘The Essence of La Residencia’. Last year, Viti Vinci created a line of natural bath amenities for the hotel. This year the hotel is offering a tailor-made activity for guests to create their own perfume in the Palma workshop of fragrance maestro, Victor Alarcón,
Honey is another project: in collaboration with the local honey producer Mel Vici, five beehives have been installed in the hotel’s olive grove. The honey is expected to be produced between June and November.
And finally, La Residencia has achieved EarthCheck Silver certification, in recognition of its efforts in implementing sustainable initiatives and strategies. EarthCheck is the leading certification group for sustainable tourism destinations and organisations.
On Your Bike
To celebrate the hotel’s 40th anniversary, a special cycling route will be implemented leading through the Tramuntana mountains and featuring 40 stops at iconic locations on the island. After the effort of a day’s cycling, returning to the comfort and luxury of La Residencia will be bliss.
Congratulations on the 40th, La Residencia! Have a great season.
Jan Edwards ©2024
Cycling photo courtesy of bedrck on Pixabay.
‘Daughter of Deià’ novel, art hotel Mallorca, Artist Daniel Burden, Artists in Residencia, Belmond hotels, Deia, El Olivo Restaurnat, Galleria Continua, Hotel with EarthCheck certification, Mallorca 5-star hotel, Mel Vici, MITICO, Pablo Armando Aranda, Restaurant with vegan menus, Tramuntana Grill, Viti Vinci
Eat Drink Sleep Mallorca 