Valldemossa Hotel has peace and quiet in its bones. Having begun life as a pair of 19th-century Mallorcan stone houses owned by the nearby Royal Carthusian Monastery—whose walls still embrace parts of the space—it’s also set right in the heart of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Serra de Tramuntana is an almost 90km-long mountain range recognised for its ancient, back-then progressive dry-stone terraces that break up the landscape into symmetrical lines—like the greenest, prettiest writing paper, blotted by gnarly old olive trees and wandering goats.
Following the 30-minute cruise from Palma Airport, step out of your shiny transfer ride (sidenote: if you don’t spot your driver immediately at arrivals for any reason, you’ll find a bank of the hotel’s premium-service black vehicles waiting, like a pod of the sleekest, speediest seals, just outside), and your shoulders drop, as your internal pendulum begins to swing to Valldemossa time.
Because life has its own tempo around here, the hilltop town—or ‘Valley of Mussa’ as it was first known as far back as the 700s CE—is a five-minute, pleasingly easy stroll from the hotel, and considered to be one of Mallorca’s most beautiful, and well-maintained. This is largely put down to the fact that it’s governed by an independent party focused on the location’s well-being. ‘If a tile falls overnight, it’s fixed come morning’, so the proud locals say. And there are many charming tiles here—especially the turquoise ones atop the monastery’s tower, its focal point; even more cream cobbles and Italianate green shutters.
Also attractive but with a more modern, upscale twist is its adult-only, eponymous hotel, whose early 2024 launch is a bar-raising opening for the area. The sixth spot on the island from IT Mallorca, aka hotelier Miguel Conde and his architect wife, Cristina Marti, the collection is known for using local materials, artisans, and artists for their very stylish, very Spanish restorations of historic spaces—this time with African-infused interiors plus outrageously large terraces.
Service is impressive: you’re greeted with the most relaxed but in-depth orientation; staff are respectfully distant unless called upon on one of the black landlines by the pool and in the spa area (that you can book for yourself for an hour daily; try the non-bruising, rebalancing lymphatic drainage). Choose from a distant sea or close-up town view at destination restaurant, De Tokio a Lima: super Japanese-Peruvian using Mediterranean produce (sharing plates come large, FYI). And while, at breakfast, they may not ask how you like your eggs, serve them with toast as a given, or separate their lattes from their flat whites—it all adds to the feeling you’re in still-authentic, mountainside Mallorca.
Fast Facts
Location: Valldemossa, Mallorca, Spain.
Rating: Five-star
The vibe: Retreat for chic couples in the know.
Food + Drink: A creative combo of local, Japanese, and Peruvian: don’t miss the likes of homemade croissants with pastry cream and pistachio praline at breakfast, or Pisco’s at cocktail hour from mixologists from Palma at sunset.
Amenities: restaurant, bar, spa with treatments, pools, outdoor gym
Our favourite thing about the hotel: Its innate, restorative peace—and the huge terraces with phenomenal views.
What’s nearby? Valldemossa itself.
Any personal neighbourhood reccs? Explore the neighbouring town, but otherwise, aim low with your itinerary. Valldemossa is all about escaping life’s intensity. It’s a valley to tap out for a while.
Rooms? 12
Pricing: From about 1,200 USD.
Closest International Airport: Palma
