PRIVATE MALLORCA
Private Mallorca - Luxury Travel Magazine
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Private Mallorca | |||||
| By: Saska Graville, Issue 28 – Spring 2006 | |||||
| (Mallorca, Spain) | |||||
| ON A TRIP TO THE UK, DISCERNING TRAVELLERS AFTER A CHANGE OF CULTURE CAN WING-AWAY FOR A SUNNY SPANISH WEEKEND, ABOARD A PRIVATE PLANE. | |||||
| You’ve got to envy the Brits. Their own island may be a tad grey and bleak at times but there’s a European playground on their doorstep. Paris is a mere three hour train ride from London’s Waterloo and an increasing number of budget flights with airlines such as Easyjet and RyanAir has made popping off to the continent for a weekend, an everyday occurrence for frazzled office workers. But to get away in true style for a few days of glamorous rest and relaxation, a commercial airline is far too commonplace. All those crowds. Enter UK-based executive jet service Club 328. Teaming up with Mallorca-based travel company Balearic Discovery, the airline is offering a truly five star service to the Spanish island in its plush 12-seater turboprop jet. Think white leather armchairs instead of airline seats, and gin and tonics on tap. There’s no stressful two hour check-in, no waiting around in a crowded departure lounge, just an easy stroll across the tarmac and onto the waiting plane. Less than three hours later you’re landed at Palma and on your way, leaving less privileged travellers still loitering at the luggage carousel. Mallorca is a magical place – just ask Michael Douglas. Island folklore has it that when the actor split from wife Deandra, it was the marital Mallorca hideaway that neither party wanted to surrender. (The couple now share visiting rights to the stunning hilltop hideaway.) Bespoke travel company Balearic Discovery has long known the island’s hidden charms. Owner Jane Stanbury is a Brit who spent childhood holidays on Mallorca and calls the island home. She loves the place, and her passion is her business. Only the best experiences will do for Balearic Discovery’s clients, with Jane and her partner Anthony Quayle creating tailor-made experiences at Mallorca’s best villas and hotels. Top of the list is Son Net, a 15th century villa tucked into the hillside overlooking the village of Puigpunyent. For those in the know, this is the hotel of choice on the island. The larger and more high profile La Residencia may have a starrier reputation, but it’s the quiet luxury of Son Net that is the real winner. With lush, grassy terraces, a sparkling pool and outdoor jacuzzi with views across to high-rise-free hillsides, the hotel is a place to stop, relax and wish you were the ex Mrs Michael Douglas with access to this sort of paradise on a regular basis. Jane and Anthony quite rightly love the hotel (they even have a favourite room in which they treat themselves to a stay from time to time) and encourage clients to visit and fall in love with Son Net’s charms too. No luxury hotel is complete without a helipad, and it’s from Son Net’s landing field that Balearic Discovery can arrange for Sloane Helicopters to collect clients and whisk them off on an airbourne island tour. Swooping over turquoise coves, steep hillside villages, even the Douglas compound, a heli tour shows off Mallorca’s charms at their best. From the postcard perfect village of Deia, where singer Annie Lennox has a holiday home, to the high altitude monastry where you can hike up the mountain with your sleeping bag and stay for $8 (5 Euros) a night (our pilot’s favourite head-clearing pastime), your perspective of Mallorca is forever changed by seeing it from the air. Back at ground level, it’s off to Read’s, a family run hotel and spa, for lunch. Literally, the whole of the British born Read family are in residence, including, until her death last year, 101-year-old Grandmother Read. The Reads senior and their son Marcus are justifiably proud of their beautiful 500 year old, 23-room property, which they have lovingly restored, adding a private vineyard, stunning pool and soon-to-be-opened spa along the way. Read’s Michelin-starred restaurant, run by Gordon Ramsay trained chef Marc Fosh, is famous the island over. A tasting menu encompassing smoked pigeon with hibiscus, salt cod with fresh prawns and chocolate with banana-avocado-passion fruit is a foodie’s delight. Coffees and chocolates on the sun-drenched, geranium- filled terrace complete the experience. For an insight into the uber-luxe experience on offer in Mallorca, a glimpse of the Suite Imperial at the hotel Son Julia is all you need. Yet another 15th century palatial villa, the hotel is the perfectly placed for departing travellers who want to sample the charms of Palma before leaving the island, but don’t want to base themselves in the town. The mansion has just 25 rooms, including the infamous 400 square metre deluxe suite. How deluxe? A mini fitness centre in the bathroom, private kitchen and three giant plasma TVs, that’s how deluxe. With just 25 rooms, Son Julia is that rarified breed of hotel with enough space for every guest to feel like they have their own private patch of paradise – even the basic double rooms come with a sunny terrace overlooking a field of almond trees. As for the hotel’s greatest asset? Make sure you meet Venezualan General Manager Rebeca Malatesta. She greets every guest personally and is a roaringly entertaining companion over a glass of local tipple Pacharan in the bar. You have been warned. With more Michelin-starred restaurants than Madrid, movie stars lurking in the hills and world-class hotels, Mallorca is a jewel of an island. OK, it may not be a three hour hop for Australian travellers, but it’s well worth a visit during any northern hemisphere travels. Book your Club 328 flight, leave your itinerary in the capable hands of Balearic Discovery and enjoy. If it’s good enough for Michael Douglas… | |||||
| Details: | |||||
| Balearic Discovery: www.balearicdiscovery.com | |||||
| Gran Hotel Son Net: www.sonnet.es | |||||
| Gran Hotel Son Julia: www.sonjulia.com | |||||
| Read’s Hotel & Spa: www.readshotel.com | |||||
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