In our ongoing series, Millie Walton selects and explores the world’s best art hotels. This month, she finds herself at La Residencia in Mallorca.
Sprawled across the rugged mountainside on the edge of Deià, La Residencia is a Belmond hotel that feels more like the home of an eccentric art collector. The 45-minute drive from Palma sets the scene: winding roads that snake along the cliffside, through forests and ochre villages. Deià itself sits high above a cove, with the dramatic Tramuntana mountains soaring up on either side. You can walk around the village in about ten minutes, and a 30-minute scramble down the cliffs takes you to the beach.
It’s no wonder this corner of Mallorca has had such a magnetic effect on creative figures over the years, drawing in artists, designers, musicians and writers. Robert Graves, who was one of the first foreigners to settle here, wrote: ‘the Majorcan countryside is not at all a place to go in search of inspiration; but admirable for people whose minds already teem with ideas that need recording in absolute quiet.’
The Concept
Absolute quiet might be harder to come by these days, now that Deià is firmly on the tourist map and a favourite among celebrities. But the artistic spirit of the place – and of La Residencia – remains. In a nod to changing times, and the increasingly unrealistic idea of an artist being able to retreat here unaided, the hotel runs a residency programme that brings artists from around the world to live and work on the island. Originally a collaboration with Galleria Continua and now run in partnership with artnet, the programme is currently in its third edition.
When we visited, the onsite studio was being prepared for the arrival of Chinese artist Liang Fu. Spanish artist Lara Ordóñez will take over in July and August, followed by Berta de la Rosa, who will stay until the hotel’s seasonal closure in October. Although the artists don’t stay in the hotel itself, they’re provided with an apartment in the village, a stipend, and complimentary meals at the hotel restaurants.
Guests are also actively invited into the creative atmosphere. You can meander along Poet’s Walk, a pathway that takes you up past donkeys, through the citrus and olive groves to a viewing spot overlooking the sea. Along the way, you’ll pass granite plinths made by La Residencia’s permanent artist-in-residence Juan Waelder, which pay tribute to poets including Graves, Pablo Neruda, and Rosalía de Castro. Waelder also curates sculpture throughout the grounds and leads art classes from his studio. Or else you can find a secluded spot to muse – there are plenty to find among the grounds and many of the rooms have private terraces or gardens. It’s not exactly an artist’s life – there’s too much luxury around for that – but it’s the dream of one, the kind you see in films.
The Collection
There are more than 800 artworks dotted throughout the hotel, most of which come from the collection of the hotel’s head curator Cecilie and her late husband George Sheridan, both of whom are artists and who met on the island and made it their home. Their connection to La Residencia predates the Belmond era (the group – then known as Orient Express – took over in 2001), back when the hotel was just two old farmhouses. They were invited to fill its walls with art, with a focus on the local artistic community, which remains central to Cecilie’s vision.
Now in her eighties, she continues to lead visits to the artists’ homes in the neighbourhood and hosts weekly meetings with artists at cocktail events. The art from their collection largely comprises big, colourful modernist paintings – lots of landscapes where you can clearly see the influence of the Mallorcan light – but there are also sculptural works and installations that have been left behind by visiting contemporary artists. Restaurante Miró, one of the hotel’s three dining options, houses a museum-worthy collection of 33 original works by Joan Miró, thanks to a long-standing relationship with the Miró Foundation in Palma. There’s also Sa Tafona, the hotel’s gallery in a former olive mill, now overseen by Cecilie’s daughter Amy. It presents exhibitions of work in all media by international artists.
The Design Details
The hotel’s main buildings are two honey-coloured farmhouses from the 16th and 17th centuries, joined by arches, narrow passageways, uneven steps, and plant-filled courtyards. Later additions climb the hillside in terraced gardens but mimic the same architectural language so seamlessly that they’re almost indistinguishable. There has been a big effort to retain the original character of the place – dark wood, exposed beams, terracotta floors, antique furnishings – while brightening spaces with floaty fabrics and a soft colour palette. Everywhere the focus is on the views, with big shuttered windows and wide open terraces that wrap around the building and spill out into the gardens. There are tennis courts in the olive grove, a spa with an indoor pool, steam, sauna and a hot tub and ice bath in the garden. The pool sits up behind the main hotel, with rows of green striped sunbeds overlooking the mountains. It’s quite literally breathtaking.
The Rooms
It’s hard to pick a favourite from the 70 rooms and suites, which all have a distinct character and their own standout features whether it’s the views, a private plunge pool, garden, terrace or even a tower. Villa Robert Graves, located a few minutes away from La Residencia, is the largest accommodation sleeping up to six guests, with interiors recently refreshed by Studio Ashby. We stayed in the room that balances above the passageway connecting the two main buildings, with views on one side across the mountains and into a courtyard on the other. The four-poster bed was so tall that we almost had to jump into it while the sitting room felt properly homely with a deep red Persian rug, fireplace, sofa and abstract paintings by George Sheridan himself. In the evenings, with the shutters thrown open, we sat here sipping wine while our baby slept, and listened to the sounds of live music drifting up from the restaurant below.
The Food & Drink
There are three restaurants to choose from: El Olivo, which is dinner-only, fine dining with a tasting menu of six to ten courses; Restaurante Miro for all day dining; and Tramuntana Grill, by the pool. The food across all three focuses on fresh, Mediterranean ingredients. But for us, as we were travelling with our one-year-old, Tramuntana Grill was our favourite pick for a relaxed lunch where he could potter about round the tables while we drank wine and shared a platter of fresh grilled seafood. We both agreed that if we had to eat one meal for the rest of our lives it might be the grilled avocado and cucumber on a bed of whipped feta – a total revelation.
Art in the Neighbourhood
© Fundació Joan Miró
Palma is only 45 minutes away making it perfectly doable for a day trip or even an afternoon. Here you can see more of Miró at the Miró Foundation, worth visiting for both the art and the architecture, designed by Josep Lluís Sert. There’s also Es Baluard Contemporary Art Museum, which houses over 780 works, spanning the 19th century to the present day, including pieces by Miro and Picasso. And there’s an exciting roster of commercial galleries to explore too, including the likes of Gallery Red.
Images credit to La Residencia, Mallorca
We may earn a commission if you buy something from any affiliate links on our site.
Any Questions or Tips to add?