Pastoral Daydream

Pastoral Daydream: Balearic Islands

Out in the Mallorcan countryside, this villa is surrounded by stone-walled orchards, fields and family farms. Yet, it’s a leisurely walk into the heart of old town Pollensa, around fifteen minutes on foot, where you’ll find romantic restaurants and plenty of shops. If you fancy a day at the beach, Port de Pollensa is around fifteen minutes away by car.

The villa is finca-style, in keeping with the old farmhouses of the area. A porticoed veranda is where you can recline on the huge outdoor sofa in the shade, or set up for long, lazy lunches overlooking the gardens. And what a garden it is – Mediterranean shrubs burst with flowers, palm fronds rustle in the breeze and a pond attracts swans and ducks throughout the year. To top it all off, a turquoise swimming pool invites you for a dip when the sun hangs high overhead.

Stepping past the traditional stone facade, you’ll find two cosy living rooms to choose from where gnarled wood beams are on display alongside an old brick fireplace. The second sitting room, upstairs, houses an upright piano for an evening sing-along. The huge, picnic-style table in the kitchen is the ideal spot for breakfast and a more formal dining room can handle evening meals of sopas mallorquinas and bread drizzled with olive oil. The old-world charm continues in bedrooms where mahogany accents keep things classy.

Home truths:
*All of the bedrooms are upstairs, so this place may not be suitable for those with limited mobility
*Air conditioning has restricted hours of use in keeping with the island's energy-saving measures
*It's over 1km into town, so having a car is recommended and there is plenty of private parking
*Your host can provide a cot and high chair for infants, just ask
*Though there isn't a dedicated desk here, the dining table doubles up as a laptop-friendly workspace
*The swimming pool isn't fenced and there is an unfenced pond in the garden, so children will need to be supervised at all times