Vestige Son Vell

Son Vell is one of the grand agricultural estates that Menorcan landowners built in the eighteenth century, and its restoration is notable for what was left alone. Lime-washed walls, original shutters and worn stone were kept rather than smoothed over, and the thirty-odd rooms are furnished with antiques and contemporary pieces in roughly equal measure.

The setting is inland rather than coastal, a few minutes from Ciutadella at the western end of the island, with formal gardens giving way to olive groves and open farmland. There is a chapel, a courtyard that serves as the social heart of the house, and a pool set apart in the grounds. The mood is more house party than hotel.

Menorca is a UNESCO biosphere reserve and the estate's ethos reflects that: local produce, a slow pace, and easy access to the Camí de Cavalls coastal path and the string of undeveloped beaches on the south coast. Its sister property, Son Ermità, sits nearby for guests who want something even smaller.