When I told my Mallorcan friend Miquel that I was visiting Menorca for the first time, he smiled and said: “Ah yes, Mallorca with common sense.”
Even before the plane had landed I had begun to understand a little of what he meant. The aerial view from the window was wonderfully green, with large expanses of nothing save for a low-rise building or two, and maybe a pool attached. Yes, there are cities, but there are few structures higher than three storeys and, thanks to Unesco, 124 miles of its coastline are almost entirely undeveloped.
My hotel for the weekend, a converted 18th-century farmhouse on a private hilltop, further cemented this peaceful, rural perception of the island. It’s a 20-minute drive from the airport to Son Ermita, 1.5 miles inland from the coast in the wilds of northern Menorca, with the final road steep and bumpy with arid plants clinging either side to the red clay. It felt more like the road to nowhere than to somewhere swish.
When we pulled through the gate onto the vast 800-hectare estate, however, we were met with the most astonishing far-reaching views. In front is a beautiful deep emerald valley and hillside — you’ll have to squint to spot a smattering of farmhouses in neutral hues and the remains of the 10th-century Santa Agueda castle. Glimpses of the sea appear as you swing to the left and right, with the northern tip of the island and the Cavalleria lighthouse, built in 1857 and open to visitors, visible too.
I was so captivated by the view that I barely noticed the property’s white sandstone buildings and two infinity pools, designed to blend in rather than stand out. There are 11 rooms spread between the former farmhouse and stables, all in a rustic yet refined style that honours the buildings’ history.
This is what the Vestige Collection, a growing group of boutique hotels in historic Spanish properties, is becoming known for. It’s run by the Madera-Fernandez family from Asturias, who came to Menorca and fell instantly in love because it reminded them of their home region a decade or two ago. They bought Son Ermita as a summer home, initially with no plans to transform it into a hospitality business. But after finishing the renovation of a palace in Asturias — an 11-year project — they got the itch to take other forgotten properties to new heights and bought several more, including Son Vell, their first hotel, which opened in Menorca in 2023.
Son Ermita was once a farmhouse
Son Ermita opened last summer and is less grand than Son Vell’s golden manor house and manicured gardens. While they are both special, I was particularly captivated by Son Ermita’s wild beauty.
Our Grand Suite on the upper floor of the farmhouse was all exposed beams and thoughtful details, from linen throws to antiques and dramatic potted plants — it’s the kind of look you wish you could emulate in your own home. My boyfriend, Paul, who had just redone his kitchen, particularly coveted the reclaimed terracotta tiles in a pleasing herringbone pattern. I adored the oversized stone tub behind original wooden doors, with a quaint window through which we could hear the sparrows flit in and out of the palm trees. From another tiny storybook window I looked out over rooftops at the rolling hills. The light was so special, I felt as if I was peering into a painting.
Rooms vary in shape and size as the owners were constrained by the buildings that already existed here — any development has to be within the original floorplan. They kept the earthy colour palette, carefully restored original features such as stone fireplaces and vaulted ceilings, and added hugely comfortable beds. If you’re after sea views, try Villa Jardines de los Ullastres.
Rooms have comfortable beds and an earthy colour palette
In spring 2026 it will add a sister hotel, Binidufa, on the same estate at the bottom of the valley, separated from Son Ermita by a Mediterranean oak forest. Like the group’s other two Menorcan hotels, it will be open seasonally from April through to October. Binidufa will have its own pool and restaurant and the rooms, also in a former farmhouse, will each have a private garden, with equally gorgeous interiors. Antiques are sourced from the family’s collection, while bespoke pieces are being made by Vestige’s in-house architecture and design studio — they found this to be a necessity given the number of projects on the go. The Madera-Fernandez family’s plans extend to 25 across Spain (and Namibia — another destination they love for its untouched feel).
How Menorca has remained underdeveloped
The fact there are just 11 rooms at each hotel isn’t simply a choice, it’s all that is allowed. The guest experience manager José Molina filled me in on this and much more besides: he’s friendly, knowledgeable and a brilliant storyteller. He explained how Menorca’s rugged beauty is thanks in part to the very man that hoped to punish its residents. The island remained loyal to the Spanish Republic for most of the Spanish Civil War and as a result the dictator Franco denied it any funding, inadvertently protecting it from mass development.
By the time mass tourism came to Menorca in the 1970s locals had a clear example of what could happen without rules and restrictions: Mallorca, next door, with its high-rise hotels, obstructed views, traffic gridlocks, crowded beaches and more. The Menorcans were united in that they didn’t want the same.
Some rooms come with standalone stone bath tubs
In the 1980s local groups fought to protect rural land and in 1993 Unesco made the whole island a biosphere reserve, protecting virgin beaches. This was bolstered in 2003 by the Pla Territorial Insular, which froze urban boundaries and made building even a single additional house on rural land near impossible. And so the turn of the millennium’s construction boom didn’t happen here in the same way it did across the rest of Spain and its islands. Today the contrast is stark: Menorca has about 70,000 hotel beds, Mallorca more than 400,000.
What to do on the island
As for how to fill your days at Son Ermita, you can do as little or as much as you please. The magic of the place is that it feels so far removed from the world that you may want to spend your time getting stuck into a good book by one of the serene pools with a glass of something cool and only the bees for company. Note that the pools are unheated so require a little courage at the end or beginning of the season. On rainy days, or if the heat gets too much, there are a pair of spacious lounges with soft sofas and armchairs for sinking into, and contemporary art from nearby galleries to ponder.
A string of palm trees just behind one of the pools dates back to the 18th century, when affluent merchants would bring them back from north Africa and the Canaries to plant outside their family homes, thereby showing off their wealth and worldliness. All but three are original. Perhaps the status symbol has evolved nowadays, though… the Madera-Fernandez family brought a collection of olive trees (some more than 500 years old) from Extremadura to plant in the grounds. They fit right into the landscape.
Cala del Pilar beach
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Those who prefer something a little more active will enjoy the daily selection of activities, from guided hikes to yoga. I studied Spanish at university and enjoyed hearing the names of the poses, such as El Gato Despues de la Siesta (the cat after his nap). Add an orchestra of birds chirruping, leaves rustling and the first rays of the sun warming your skin, and it’s a great way to start the day.
There are also mountain ebikes to explore the wind-blown landscape crisscrossed with dry-stone walls, and two nearby beaches — the red sandy Cala Pilar and the pebbly Cala Ets Alocs — that you can hike to or request someone to drop you off at in a 4×4 buggy. The latter is a thrilling ride in a machine that can tackle even the steepest, rockiest paths. From the beaches you can access the historic Cami de Cavalls (horse path), a 115-mile route that encircles the entire island. Today it’s popular with walkers and mountain bikers but in the 14th century it was used to protect Menorca from pirates.
You’re half an hour by car from Ciutadella, a historic city with the lovely medieval old town of Es Born for wandering about in — look out for the intriguing Statue of the Lamb and the gothic Cathedral-Basilica of Saint Mary. The hotel can organise excursions, from boat trips to horse riding, across the rest of the island. We opted for paddleboarding with a chilled instructor who took us to the picturesque Cala Morell, a small bay with rocky rust-hued cliffs and clear waters on the northwest of the island. Paul had never done it before and looked as though he might never forgive me in the first 20 minutes, but by the end was standing up confidently.
We got back to the hotel in time for a pre-dinner cocktail, sinking into giant wicker chairs looking down towards another charming cove. It seemed fitting to match my drink to the orange sunsets — a negroni sbagliato (made with cava instead of prosecco, claro).
There is one small but accomplished restaurant with tables inside and out, and menus of locally inspired dishes for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Some ingredients come from the estate. The silky gazpacho (£16) with strawberry carpaccio is so delicious we ordered it every lunchtime, paired with a mountain of crispy bread rolls and olive oil.
At dinner try the amberjack (£26), a local fish, and sweet grilled peppers, flavourful rice with cured red shrimp and spring garlic (£37), and the sautéed steak (£33) with garlic butter and rosemary (the farm has 50 or so of their own red Menorcan cows). Wines are Spanish and we were taken with the juicy red Los Colmenares from Arrocal.
• More great hotels in Menorca
After our final evening meal we returned to the wicker chairs to take in the vast sky and its glittering stars. It’s no surprise the island has low light pollution and is a Starlight Destination and Reserve, the first in the Mediterranean to have both certifications.
As I peered up at the constellations above I thought how much I agreed with my friend Miquel about this island’s charms. Common sense has worked beautifully for Menorca.
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Lizzie Frainier was a guest of Son Ermita which has B&B doubles from £541 (vestigecollection.com). Fly to Menorca