Surrounded by the Tramuntana mountains in Mallorca is the small but beautiful town of Valldemossa.

A five-minute walk from the centre of town is the boutique Hotel Valldemossa, a 200-year-old building that serves as a 12-room hotel surrounded by swirling terracotta staircases and beautiful stonework and filled with stylish interiors and art. Renovations on the property were completed earlier this year, and the result is very special.

The rooms are light and aesthetically pleasing, but most of all they’re serene. Think caramel-hued rooms with exposed wooden beams, lots of natural light, terracotta tiled floors and plenty of natural fabrics on the soft furnishings. 

It’s small, intimate and the perfect place for a long weekend break, whether that’s a last-minute holiday or something you book ahead for autumn (the weather is optimal outside of the hotter summer months).

A true sanctuary, the hotel is surrounded by 360-degree views of nature, including tree-covered mountains and orange groves to the west, Valldemossa town to the north and a gap in the mountainous backdrop to the south-east, where the Balearic Sea is visible in the distance.

A neighbour keeps four donkeys, and the faint chime of a donkey bell is one of the few sounds you can hear from your room, alongside birds chirping and the gentle buzz of cicadas.

The restaurant De Tokio A Lima is a hotspot in the area, welcoming locals as well as hotel guests. It serves Mediterranean food with both Japanese and Peruvian influences, such as super-light tempura, ceviche, tartar steak, plenty of fish and vegetables with tangy Japanese dressings and excellent signature and house cocktails. I’d highly recommend the pisco sour, the crispy tempura chicken salad with mango and the light, perfectly crunchy lemon meringue pie.

The Sanctuary is an extension of the hotel, a small private area between the pool and the restaurant with two private rooms and a terrace with a seating area and a large wooden tub. Its aim? To improve health and longevity.

The most popular treatments at The Sanctuary (it truly is a sanctuary, and staff will correct you if you refer to it as a spa) combine Eastern influence with advanced technology. One of the most popular treatments is the Detox Piroche (60 min/€189). The Piroche method merges the Eastern wisdom of tendomuscular and energetic meridians from traditional Chinese medicine with the Western practice of lymphatic drainage. Benefits include cleansing through bioenergetic drainage, helping the body eliminate toxins and waste as well as restoring the body’s energy balance and cell regeneration.

During my drainage massage, I noticed ladders nestled between the wooden beams in the unusually light and supremely relaxing treatment room. The ladders are used as part of the Korean chiropractic massage treatment, which is performed by therapists using their feet to stimulate muscles and involves acupressure on acupuncture points and topical ingredients that decrease pain and inflammation, balance energy centres, and promote deep and lasting breathing and relaxation.

The final element of the nature-led wellness experience at Hotel Valldemossa is the outdoor gym (apparently exercising in nature is essential to improve the body’s ability to naturally and effectively purify itself). The gym overlooks La Cartuja and the mountains, and yoga and pilates are also hosted outdoors in the mornings in an attractive, secluded spot between the pool with the organic vegetable garden. 

You’ll leave feeling more wholesome and taken care of, I’m not sure how many years, if any, that The Sanctuary has added to my life but it’s brought my resting heart rate down and made every limb in my body look and feel a little bit better.

For more information or to book, visit valldemossahotel.com

Imagery: It Hotels; Hotel Valldemossa