The restaurant world equivalent of the Oscars (Academy Awards) are the Michelin stars, and last night was when the new stars for the 2026 edition of the Guía Michelin were announced. The gala event was held in the SOHRLIN Cultural Centre in Malaga – which was hosting this prestigious annual event for the first time. Among the 700 attendees was the Hollywood actor, Antonio Banderas, who was born and still lives in the Andalusian city. After […]
Not only has Palma’s Izakaya High Japanese Cuisine been named Spain’s Best Fine Dining Restaurant in the Tripadvisor 2025 Travelers’ Choice Awards, but also the Second Best in the World. Tripadvisor’s annual Best of the Best Restaurant Awards are based on the quality and quantity of traveller reviews and ratings over a full year, as well as an additional editorial process. Izakaya’s success was in the category Best Fine Dining. In the World’s top 10, […]
Last year, Michelin announced a new distinction, for hotels rather than restaurants. 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 […]
There’s nothing quite like a spa experience to help you unwind and benefit from some time away from tech screens and other distractions. If your holiday accommodation in Mallorca doesn’t have a spa, or you’re an island resident who wants some time out, the website Hotel Treats is worth a look. Two of my girlfriends and I recently bought our first Hotel Treats’ spa pass and lunch. Our chosen hotel was Palma’s smart, contemporary-style 4-star […]
Here are three more rural hotels in Mallorca with restaurants that I recommend. Jacaranda This is the restaurant of the 5-star Finca Serena, the appropriately named rural hotel near Montuïri, in the heart of Mallorca. The estate covers some 40 hectares that are home to vineyards, more than 800 olive trees, and fresh-produce plots, but also plenty of space for walking, jogging (if you’re so inclined), and soaking up the peace and beauty of the […]
I’ve become such a country girl since we moved to rural Mallorca in 2004. Although I love the buzz of eating out in Palma and the pleasures of a seaside restaurant, sometimes I crave the tranquillity of eating in a rural restaurant. There’s something about hearing birdsong and cicadas along with the soft buzz of conversation and gentle sounds of cutlery meeting crockery that soothes my soul. Here are some of my recommended rural restaurants […]
When we moved to Mallorca in 2004, the previous owners of our finca left us a helpful list of their favourite eateries in the area. Most of these have since closed, but Estragon in Felanitx became one of our go-to places. Estragon After Anna and her chef husband sold Estragon, a German couple briefly took over the place. Since November 2023, Felix Passow and his wife Vivien, have owned it, after moving from Berlin to […]
For anyone who’s visited this famous village, finding sanctuary when the streets are crowded with tourists sounds a little unlikely. But the sanctuary I’m thinking of is in a place of tranquillity and natural beauty on the edge of Valldemossa. Hotel Valldemossa describes itself as a natural sanctuary. This adults-only 5-star hotel reopened last summer after the IT Mallorca group of hotels acquired and renovated it. Five-star hotels with spa facilities are in abundance in […]
For a start, the change of name to Rotana La Reserva from La Reserva Rotana. It’s subtle but significant: the 5-star hotel with a nine-hole golf course and vineyards near Manacor has new owners (a family from Singapore). New management is also in place, led by experienced hotelier Giovanni Merello – whom I first met when he opened Palma’s 5-star Can Bordoy Grand House & Garden. He’s directed eight new openings and managed projects in […]
I’ve written about Ca’n Beneït in Binibona before because it’s my favourite small rural hotel in Mallorca. I love the people who work there, the surrounding countryside of the Serra de Tramuntana foothills, the handsome ginger cat, and so much more. We’ve stayed in several of the rooms and suites but for our latest visit – in February – we were in the Panorama Suite, which truly lives up to its name, being on the […]
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