Inside Son Net: Mallorca’s Most Beloved Palacio Is Born Again
An iconic Mallorcan estate gets a stylish rebrand from the owners of the famed Andalucian hotel, Finca Cortesin.
At Grand Hotel Son Net, the 21st century feels far away. In an ivy-cloaked, old-world abode dating back to 1672, plights of modern life are swapped for simple, timeless pleasures: sipping citrus-bright malvasia wine in the hotel’s own vineyards, snoozing poolside—in the shade of the royal palms and moss-green parasols—or watching the sun slip behind the Tramuntana mountains.
Son Net is a full renovation and rebrand of the much-loved (but well-worn) historic hotel of the same name. Led by the team behind the famed Andalucian hotel Finca Cortesin, the three-year conversion fully transformed all 31 suites. Now, each is a one-off jewel box with canopied beds, tasselled chaise longues, and waterfall valances. Thanks to the meticulous care and restraint of Spanish star designer Lorenzo Castillo, the interior and exterior common areas have also been completely changed, but 17th-century elements remain such as overhead beams, stone tiles, and archways, plus the private chapel and spring-fed courtyard well.
The result is a delight to behold. The design here isn’t afraid to speak up with madly mixed patterns and dense, baroque flourishes. It’s unmistakably grand but never garish, with the historical touches keeping it grounded, romantic, and—most importantly—authentic to its location on the largest of the Balearic Islands, with its far-reaching and culture-clashing influences.
Of course, achieving a cohesive but still enchanting design wasn’t easy. “My favourite room is the drawing room because decorating it was a challenge, with complicated architecture of huge stone arches crossing the space and a big fireplace not exactly in the centre of the room,” Castillo says. “I’ve decided to transform it into the most decorative and grandiose salon in the hotel. I wanted it to become the classic Mallorcan noble, aristocratic room, filled with the most incredible antique furniture, such as the marquetry chest of drawers and the collection of European paintings: portraits, landscapes, and mythological subjects in original gilded frames.”
Never one to shy away from a challenge, Castillo was aware he was pushing the stylistic boundaries. “The mix of almost a hundred different fabrics could be mad—but it’s not. It’s so balanced and warm that you feel like the room [dates back to a] very early time. At night, it’s so magical, with silk shades and bronze candlesticks creating a unique allure and ambience.”
It’s not just the drawing room that shifts at nightfall. The whole hotel transforms with atmospheric, quixotic drama, especially the marquee restaurant, Mar&Duix, with white-cloth tables set with salt-crusted Mediterranean sea bass and fire-roasted porc negre, a native breed of pig from the Balearic Islands.
Come morning, the hotel and its outdoor pool blush in golden sunlight. Now, the outdoors become the highlight with the surrounding 57,000 square metres of malvasia vineyards, organic citrus orchards, and gardens to explore. A noteworthy addition is the spa, a hideaway of Moorish architecture, with a subterranean green-tiled pool, cardinal-red vaulted ceilings, and bronze lanterns.
