The best new hotels in the Balearics

Petunia Ibiza serves tapas as divine as its ocean views

(Image credit: Petunia Ibiza)

published 9 July 2021

Boho chic on Ibiza

“Glow sticks till dawn, idle boho beach breaks or ambling around the quiet north coast as if it’s your own (even in July)” – Ibiza has it all, says Jo Tweedy in The Times. And the “White Isle” hasn’t rested on its laurels during the pandemic.

New hotel openings include Petunia Ibiza (around £200, petuniaibiza.com), “a chic boutique hotel north of Cala d’Hort that overlooks the tiny rocky isle of Es Vedra”. The hotel has its own vineyard, an olive grove and a terrace serving tapas “as divine as the sunset ocean views”. Dalt Vila, “a 2,500-year-old fortified muddle of streets in Ibiza Old Town, founded by the Phoenicians”, is well worth a visit.

Boutique luxury on Formentera

Newly opened Casa Pacha Formentera (€2,500 for two nights, casapacha.com) is a slice of boutique luxury on the neighbouring island, says Lauren Hill for Spectator Life. The hotel backs onto Migjorn, Formentera’s longest beach, providing uninterrupted sea views, which can be taken in from each room’s private terrace or balcony, or from the beach restaurant.

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Over on Mallorca, Zafiro Palace Andratx (€300, zafirohotels.com) is a new resort that has just opened in the seafront village of Camp de Mar, with its backdrop of mountains in the southwest corner of the island. The beach is “moments away” and the historic town of Andratx, with its 18-hole championship golf course, is a ten-minute hop in the car. Combining Mallorcan identity with modern luxury, the suites are joined by “several private rooftop mini pools and hydromassage bathtubs commanding impressive views” and a spa.

Two options in historic Menorca

Menorca’s past is dramatic, says Jan Dalley in the Financial Times. Arab, Byzantine, Roman, British and French rulers have all left their mark on the island’s rich military history, such as in the La Mola fortress that dominates Mahon harbour.

According to legend, at the grand victory banquet following the capture of Menorca from the British in 1756, Parisian chefs created a new sauce from olive oil and eggs, the only ingredients they could find on the island. Sauce Mahonnese, or mayonnaise, was born.

Menorca Experimental (£250, menorcaexperimental.com), a new chic hotel in Alaior, in the middle of the island but still close to the sea, is “garnering great reviews”. Alcaufar Vell (around £200, alcaufarvell.com) is more established, located in a “gorgeously stately house surrounded by gardens”.

Chris Carter spent three glorious years reading English literature on the beautiful Welsh coast at Aberystwyth University. Graduating in 2005, he left for the University of York to specialise in Renaissance literature for his MA, before returning to his native Twickenham, in southwest London. He joined a Richmond-based recruitment company, where he worked with several clients, including the Queen’s bank, Coutts, as well as the super luxury, Dorchester-owned Coworth Park country house hotel, near Ascot in Berkshire.

Then, in 2011, Chris joined MoneyWeek. Initially working as part of the website production team, Chris soon rose to the lofty heights of wealth editor, overseeing MoneyWeek’s Spending It lifestyle section. Chris travels the globe in pursuit of his work, soaking up the local culture and sampling the very finest in cuisine, hotels and resorts for the magazine’s discerning readership. He also enjoys writing his fortnightly page on collectables, delving into the fascinating world of auctions and art, classic cars, coins, watches, wine and whisky investing.

You can follow Chris on Instagram.