Finca es Castell

An ancient farmhouse at the foot of the Tramuntana mountains, with great food, excellent hiking and bags of rustic charm

This finca seems to have grown organically over its 900 years. At is heart is an ancient almazara (olive press) where the fruits of this 750-acre estate were pressed into oil; now it’s a rustic barn where homegrown dinners are laid out on trestle tables. Around it lies a warren of cosy rooms, whose bones (500-year-old ceiling beams, metre-thick stone walls) are visible beneath white plaster and modern bathrooms. Outside, cobbled patios are festooned with ancient vines, a stone bench sits in the shade of a carob tree, and among the terraced olive groves you’ll find a pool catching the morning sun.

It sits at the foot of the craggy Tramuntana mountains, above the tiny hamlet of Binibona – an idyllic spot, and the result of a long search by Paola and James. It took all his negotiation skills (he's a former media consultant) and her considerable energies (she’s from a dynamic Italian-English family in Kenya) to secure a 10-year lease. But they did, and immediately started transforming it into the kind of stylish rustic retreat which their friends would flock to. It opened in 2004, and the rest is history - nine centuries of it, no less.

Highs

• Stunning setting at the foot of the rugged Serra de Tramuntana in northwestern Mallorca
• Great hikes on your doorstep, with free guidance from James and a pool to plunge into afterwards
• Superb home cooking – and a choice of 3-4 excellent eateries in tiny Binibona, if you feel like eating out
• The warm welcome of Paola and James, who create a laid-back house-party atmosphere

Lows

• It’s in the middle of nowhere: 45 mins from Palma airport, 20 mins from beaches (Pollensa, Alcudia etc) but is well signposted
• Few mod cons in the bedrooms (no TV or phone) - so as to keep the atmosphere peaceful
• Prices are quite high for what is essentially a rustic guesthouse