The second property by Mallorca’s Soldevila-Ferrer family, Can Ferrereta is on track to become the island’s most raved-about cultural hideaway while opening up lesser-known Santanyí to luxury travellers for the first time – and that’s far from all.
When working on our Magnificent Mallorca issue in 2019, one thing became clear to us right away: some of the island’s most vibrant and inspiring areas continue to remain off the tourist trail. But despite our efforts to explore beyond Palma and Sóller, under-the-radar Santanyí eluded even us. Idyllic, totally local and within spitting distance of a glistening bay begging to be rubbed in your Instagram followers’ wide-eyed faces, the pueblo is one of those destinations you can’t believe still exist on an island as revered as Mallorca. So, how come we hadn’t heard of it?
Well, it’s probably helped that there aren’t any major tourist draws in the traditional sense. Santanyí itself is arguably its own main attraction, and we mean that quite literally: known as the ‘gold-stone village’, the locality has long been a source of the Balearic island’s golden sandstone, and several local buildings were essentially built from the ground they’re standing on (well, not literally – you know what we mean!). Though among all that honey-tinged stone and vibrant Bougainvillea, one structure certainly stands out, and you’d be excused to mistake it for an attraction.
Set among lush gardens and adorned with artworks from the Soldevila-Ferrer family’s private collection, 32-key and five-star Can Ferrereta is out to become the most culturally inspiring hideaway along Mallorca’s south-east coast, let alone the rest of the island. Guests will find themselves surrounded by the works of several Spanish creatives, from Guillem Nadal and Manolo Ballesteros to OutThere favourite Jaume Plensa, whose poolside 2m and 280kg sculpture promises to come in handy when looking for shade. The finca-esque building itself, a sensitively modernised structure from the 17th century, contrasts beautifully with the contemporary exhibits: rustic beams, gold-stone cameos and walls splayed with rough plaster – there’s even a set of barn doors for all your Mallorcan ‘cottage-core’ fantasies.
Between two restaurants, OCRE and LA FRESCA, as well as the auspicious-sounding LA CALMA spa, relying heavily on natural ingredients sourced from across the island, it’s hard to imagine guests getting bored easily. Though if you can’t sit still for long, there’s always Can Ferrereta’s in-house library. Given, we tend to find hotels’ literary collections can be a bit of a hit-and-miss, but a library curated by the tastemakers over at Assouline? Sign us up for the Can Ferrereta book club.
We’ll tell you why we’ll be checking in, too: on an island whose hospitality scene has seen it all, it’s refreshing to find a new hotel combining the best of what Mallorca has to offer, from coves to culture, while maintaining a totally understated atmosphere. If the property is anything like the Soldevila-Ferrer family’s much-loved Palma bolthole, the Sant Francesc Hotel Singular, Mallorca will be one fine hotel richer when doors open on 19 April – not to mention Santanyí.
Photography courtesy of Can Ferrereta
