It’s the light that has drawn so many poets, artists and writers to the Balearics over the centuries – the unfiltered sort that slices through pergolas and douses the landscape in gold. Everything is dialled up – blue coves rendered luminous and surreal. The Spanish islands’ cicada chorus and wild agricultural hearts are shoulder-lowering stuff – even party isle Ibiza has it in droves away from the clubs.
Having redeemed themselves from an all-inclusive, budget-holiday chapter, the islands (Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza and Formentera) are gently luring their fincas, noble town houses and rustic buildings into the 21st century – many as a home-spun agriturismo project, others with radically reverential design houses who showcase the talent of local artisans. Some whisper tales of Spain’s golden age through tapestries and elaborate tiling, while many adhere to an earthy, artisanal aesthetic and ethos, where breakfast is drizzled with jam from the orchards, beds are framed with ceramics from local potters, and rustic walls are dotted with the works of those who have escaped the cities for a go-slow lifestyle.
