Where to stay in Majorca

published 4 December 2012

Ca'n poma

What's so special

Escape the standard, big chain hotels in Majorca with a stay at this magnificent, rural, 300-year-old country house. It's only 40 minutes from Palma airport, but is quite secluded.

How they rate it

Subscribe to MoneyWeek

Subscribe to MoneyWeek today and get your first six magazine issues absolutely FREE

Get 6 issues free

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/mw70aro6gl1676370748.jpg

Sign up to Money Morning

Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter

The country house has been restored to its "original beauty", says Mick Webb in The Independent. The terraced grounds feature a pool, citrus trees and fantastic views, so all in all this is a "relaxing and affordable base for a break". The bedrooms are "carefully arranged to create a sense of privacy and take full advantage of the views across or down a wooded valley".

The furnishings are "simple but attractive, with terracotta floors, wooden beds and tiled en-suite bathrooms". The hotel is run by Uta Delissen and her husband Theo. Uta is a qualified yoga instructer and offers classes and massages while Theo is an "accomplished chef" and gives cooking classes.

The menu

Dinner is available on request with dishes served up in the garden accompanied by a good selection of local wines. An "impressive" continental breakfast is also served.

The cost

Doubles start from €130, bed and breakfast. See www.canpoma.com or call 00 34 971 63 25 60.

La Reserva Rotana

What's so special

For a country house on a grander scale, try La Reserva Rotana. This restored 17th-century mansion sits in a large estate complete with a nine-hole golf course, tennis courts and a pool. There is plenty to keep you entertained. Spanish tennis star Rafael Nadal is from the local town and the hotel will provide tennis coaches to help you improve your game.

How they rate it

The "golden stone manor house is now a haven of luxurious comfort, filled with artworks and antiques", says Annie Bennett in The Daily Telegraph. It is still a working farm with orchards and vineyards, and your hosts are "charming, friendly and committed to ensuring you enjoy your stay." It has 29 rooms and suites and "no two are the same". All are decorated in a "rustic chic style" and most have "high, beamed ceilings and large bathrooms".

The menu

The restaurant serves a Mediterranean menu with "a good balance of traditional and modern dishes". There are regular barbeques in the summer months.

The cost

Double rooms from €150, including breakfast and useof the golf course. Find out more at www.reservarotana.com or call 00 34 971 84 56 85.

Hotels with Bond connections

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the first James Bond film. Take a trip down memory lane with a stay at one of these four hotels with 007 connections.

Pera Palace, Istanbul

Istanbulfeatures in the latest Bond film, Skyfall, but it first appeared in 1963's From Russia with Love, "when a smooth-talking Sean Connery checked into Room 32 at the Pera Palace, only to discover it had been bugged", says The Independent. Double rooms start from €245, room only (Jumeirah.com).

Fleming Villa, Jamaica

This is "where it all began": Ian Fleming moved to Jamaica after World War II and wrote all 14 of the Bond novels at his house, Goldeneye. Bob Marley briefly owned the house after Fleming's death, but it is now luxury resort. Nightly rental of the Fleming Villa starts from £4,125 and it sleeps ten (Goldeneye.com).

Fontainebleau, Miami

"Remember the golden corpse?" This was the location for the scene where Bond girl Jill Masterson meets her grisly death in 1964's Goldfinger. Now it is a "glitzy goliath" with 1,504 rooms. Doubles start from $470, room only (Fontainebleau.com).

The Peninsula (pictured), Hong Kong

In The Man With The Golden Gun, Bond tracked Scaramanga's mistress's Rolls-Royce here. Doubles start from £476 at this striking hotel (Peninsula.com).