Son Bunyola Hotel & Villas
Hotel · Balearic Islands ·
Restored 1,300-acre estate with villas, pool, spa, local food
Information
Ctra. C, 710, 07191 Banyalbufar, Illes Balears, Spain Get directions
Restored 1,300-acre estate with villas, pool, spa, local food
Ctra. C, 710, 07191 Banyalbufar, Illes Balears, Spain Get directions
"This Mallorca hotel offers complimentary historical walking tours of the secluded Tramuntana mountain range, a UNESCO World Heritage site, letting guests learn about the landscape and local history on guided outings." - Cat Sposato
"Son Bunyola is a resort opened by Richard Branson in the wild coastal mountains of western Mallorca. The medieval tower and the surrounding 16th-century farmhouse have been converted into 27 splendid rooms and suites, many with private terraces and sea views. The estate has been replanted with grapevines and citrus and olive trees. The resort features a lovely terrace restaurant, Sa Terrassa, and offers a private roof terrace with commanding views of the Tramuntana Mountains." - Travel + Leisure Editors
"A few years later, in 1994, he came across this even more spectacular estate; after building two private villas and years of being denied planning permission to turn the central farmhouse, or finca, into a hotel, he sold it in 2002, then pounced when it came back on the market in 2015, and following a multi-year transformation the property has been reborn as the sprawling getaway he always envisioned, with 26 bedrooms and three villas available for private rental." - Liam Hess
"I found Son Bunyola to be a spectacular, recently opened (June 2023) addition to Virgin Limited Edition: a restored, 1,300-acre historic estate in Mallorca’s Serra de Tramuntana that Branson first bought in 1994, sold in 2002, and repurchased in 2015 to realize his vision. Because the mountains are a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the team worked within strict preservation rules, shrinking the original plan to 26 unique rooms housed in the main finca, the Tafona building (with its historic olive press), and an annex; Rialto Living designed each space to feel like a guest in someone’s fantastic home. The property centers on a dramatic 92-foot infinity-edge swimming pool with a separate hot tub and sweeping Mediterranean views, and offers a handful of low-key activities (morning yoga, bikes and mountain-bike rentals, weekly history walks, billiards and ping-pong, tennis and pickleball), easy access to a pebble-strewn beach with paddleboarding, and a two-room spa built into the former kitchen and oven. The food program emphasizes local sourcing (about 75 percent Mallorcan ingredients) with on-property crops and beehives moving the operation toward true farm-to-fork and even estate-grown malvasia wine in the coming years; some amenities and additions (boutique, more animals, lawn for events) were still being finished during my visit. The overall effect is intentionally hospitable and home-like — a restored historic finca that feels like staying at Richard Branson’s Mallorcan home." - Jennifer Bradley Franklin Jennifer Bradley Franklin Jennifer Bradley Franklin is an Atlanta-based multi-platform journalist and author, specializing in travel, food, interior design, and other lifestyle topics. In addition to Travel + Leisure, her work has appeared in the Wall Street Journal, Condé Nast Traveler, Architectural Digest, and other publications. Travel + Leisure Editorial Guidelines
"A 26-room country estate hotel opened by Richard Branson on a 1,300-acre property, featuring estate-produced olive oil from on-site trees and a recently planted, nascent vineyard that underscores its agrarian, farm-to-table character." - Mark Ellwood