Located in what’s widely agreed upon as one of Spain’s most beautiful villages, the new Hotel Valldemossa provides the rock-nestled abode for a nature and wellness retreat nestled amongst the romantic peaks of Mallorca’s Tramuntana Mountains.
From the courtyard garden on the terrace of Royal Carthusian Monastery, where the composer Frédéric Chopin famously spent a winter in Mallorca with his lover George Sand, the Tramuntana Mountains frame the city of Palma in the distance, but it is Valldemossa that sits at center stage. The building was once the Royal Charterhouse Palace, where important guests stayed during monastery visits, and is now Valldemossa’s newest eponymous hotel.
Opened in February 2024, the 12-room adult-only hotel is the latest design-forward project from the IT Mallorca portfolio of transformed historic properties. As general manager Maria Martínez tells me, the brand’s philosophy is based on recognizing and paying tribute to the irreplicable charm of antique buildings. “Nature was the main element for this project,” Martínez says of Valldemossa. “Therefore, we looked for decorative elements that are respectful to the environment and wellbeing, that is, natural and ecological, top-level contemporary art, with original pieces and, in many cases, created specifically for our walls.”
Courtesy of It Mallorca, Valldemossa
I arrived at Valldemossa with my gaze drawn upward past the 800-year-old olive trees and along the multi-level staircase leading the way to the lobby with pale terracotta banisters, punctuated by the familiar and vibrant petals of the ornamental bougainvillea. I check in outside, sipping leisurely on local red vermouth under the dappled shade of the olive branches. The layered terraces are reminiscent of the Amalfi coast, laden with citrus groves and surrounded by the high cliffs of the mountains from which birdcalls emanate like a melody from a grand stage, accompanied by the pastoral orchestra of rooster crows and donkey brays from the farm below.
I am handed a heavy gold key with a thick tassel and shown to Room #4, the same number of Chopin’s cell in the monastery across the way. The Valldemossa Suite’s terrace, which boasts a big round outdoor tub, is almost as large as the rest of the one-bedroom suite. It feels immediately and intimately Mallorquin with dark wooden beams and rustic Spanish tiles. However, the designer furniture bridges the room’s charming antique style to create an enigmatic palate of organic textures, complemented by contemporary artwork and luxury amenities like Casall yoga mats, a Marshall Bluetooth speaker, and a sit-in shower with an Effe steam machine.
Following the curve of the hotel’s perch above the valley down towards the pool, I find the outdoor gym overlooking the Valldemossa monastery view and follow the stairs past the three treatment areas of The Sanctuary, the hotel’s innovative spa concept with one of the island’s top wellness and beauty practitioners at the helm. Entering the pool and garden area, the views of Valldemossa are perfectly uninterrupted, and the ambiance is filled with the soft sounds of nature and the trickling flow of an antique fountain embedded in an ivy wall. I take a shortcut through the pergola and find a small garden awaiting a future crop of tomatoes before rushing back to the suite to try out the personal steam room.
In 1838, Chopin came to Valldemossa seeking relief from his tuberculosis and finding inspiration in the slow, far-away pace of life in a mountain village on an island in the middle of the Mediterranean. My two days at the hotel pass with a similar musical serenity, particularly in The Sanctuary, where I seek my own relief — not from tuberculosis but from a big week of hiking and mountain biking. The tailored-to-me ritual experience starts with a personal wellness consultation and ends three hours later. I emerge so relaxed that I am almost in a daze, smelling of Piroche alpine herbs and feeling completely renewed. Later at dinner, I’ll watch the sun set behind the mountains and, from this privileged position, catch the magical moment when the whole village lights up.
Here, read Travel + Leisure’s full review of this special spot on Mallorca.
Valldemossa Hotel
- Valldemossa’s sultry interior design appeals to artistic sensibilities that complement the peaceful adults-only atmosphere.
- The second outpost of De Tokio a Lima brings the unexpected flavors of Japan and Peru to the terrace, which overlooks the village skyline and serves a trip-defining lemon meringue tart.
- Not your typical resort spa, The Sanctuary delivers an epic treatment menu that utilizes state-of-the-art equipment while prioritizing traditional Chinese medicine techniques.
The Rooms
There are just 12 rooms at the hotel, spread across the varied terraces. Just one, the Junior Suite, is located in the main building. Between the traditional tiles and wooden beams, the chic mid-century frames of the Le Corbusier furniture set a foundation for the nature-inspired textiles that bring a light touch of boho to the earthenware color scheme.
Courtesy of It Mallorca, Valldemossa
I stayed in the largest room, the 700-square-foot Valldemossa Suite, which boasted a large terrace with a private tub separated from the rest of the property by a high stone wall. While I enjoyed the extra space in my private patio and the spacious walk-in shower and steam room, the noise and chatter from the restaurant directly above the suite spills over at night and in the morning as guests roll in for breakfast. If you don’t need so much room, I’d suggest opting for one of the more private Deluxe Terrace suites on the Palma-facing side of the hotel or a Junior Suite with views towards the monastery.
Activities and Experiences
Courtesy of It Mallorca, Valldemossa
The al fresco fitness area is one of the hotel’s highlights, capitalizing on the pristine views and providing top-end yoga mats, weights, and other fitness gear ephemera, plus a punching bag and a bench press. There is a complimentary yoga class every Saturday, and personal trainers are available by reservation for one-on-one sessions. There are two pools, but the indoor pool, while complimentary, is for private use only upon request. In the lower garden, the outdoor pool has plenty of loungers and some natural shade from the trees. There is also a separate bathroom with an outdoor shower, and food and drink service can be ordered from the restaurant above. Guided hikes and excursions around Mallorca can also be arranged, but the hotel also offers a unique facility for cyclists with a fully-equipped repair center and storage racks.
Food and Drink
Courtesy of It Mallorca, Valldemossa
The hotel’s only restaurant is De Tokio a Lima, the second location of the popular Japanese-Peruvian-Mediterranean fusion concept from chefs German de Bernardi and Ricardo Rossi. The menus in both restaurants are the same, but the Valldemossa location — more peaceful and easier to get a reservation for — is still a bit of a secret for now.
Menu highlights include the crispy shrimp fritters, umami-packed tataki, and the classic ceviche. But it’s the lemon meringue tart, filled with a sorbet made from local lemons from Sóller, that will be the trip-defining dessert. Creative signature drinks also stand out on the cocktail menu, such as the Ringo Mojito, a bright infusion of apple, yuzu, and mint that’s refreshing and almost tropical but delightfully not quite.
In the morning, a breakfast buffet is set up in the restaurant, offering a wide variety of bread and cheeses, plus lactose-free and vegetarian-friendly alternatives. Mallorquin staples like soppressata appear alongside local pastries and savory surprises like gazpacho topped with a sprinkle of caviar. The restaurant’s signature lemon dessert is also represented in miniature in case you wake up dreaming of another bite.
The Spa
There are three parts to The Sanctuary: a main building with one single and one double treatment room connected to a jacuzzi tub used for soaking treatments, a satellite treatment room equipped with a Head Spa Fountain designed to work magic on your scalp, and the private area with an indoor pool and sauna that each guest can reserve once per day, retrieving the key from reception, for private use. I made the least use of the latter, and although I was initially excited to try the high-pressure hydrotherapy jet, its odd placement at the deeper end meant I had to stand on my tip-toes just to stay above water.
The core of the spa experience is the menu curated by Amor Garzón, featuring one or multi-day rituals. Depending on what you decide on after your starting consultation, you will receive a medley of treatments ranging from body wraps and acupuncture to Indiba radiofrequency therapy and lymphatic drainage massage. Beyond pampering, the whole experience was like a complete physical reset for all my aching and water-retaining muscles.
Accessibility and Sustainability
The rooms are scattered across the property’s multiple levels of stairs, so nothing is wheelchair accessible. With flights of stairs between all the main areas and rooms, those who struggle with mobility may have difficulty moving around the hotel. Although an elevator can be used to access the restaurant and the main terrace from the ground entrance, the bathrooms are not large enough to accommodate wheelchairs.
The hotel makes some effort towards sustainability with small placards letting guests know that linen changes and vanity amenities are available upon request and using refillable glass bottles to supply shower amenities.
Location
The hotel is a short and leisurely walk to the pristinely maintained village of Valldemossa, where you can roam the museums of the large monastery complex, visit the cell Chopin and Sand resided in, and take a romantic stroll through the adjacent rose garden.
Valldemossa is a 30-minute drive from the Palma de Mallorca Airport, and although many visitors choose to explore the island by rental car, Transfer Class is the top luxury car service on the island. There is much to explore in the Tramuntana Mountains, full of similarly charming villages like Deià, most notable for its hilltop cemetery, and Sóller, accessible from Palma by an antique wooden train. Beyond romantic retreats, Valldemossa is an ideal starting point for cycling and hiking adventures on the trails of these UNESCO-protected mountains, which are a bastion of authentic Mallorquin history.
How to Get the Most Value Out of Your Stay
The hotel is not affiliated with any rewards programs, but you can check their website for special offers and packages.
