Biniarroca Hotel

LASHINGS OF RUSTIC CHARM and flower-shaded bowers make Biniarroca a big favourite with honeymooners. Once a tumbledown farmhouse in the midst of the Menorcan countryside, this pretty boutique retreat is tailor-made for unwinding.

Rambling roses, leafy lavender and cascading bougainvillea intertwine with rustic stonework and neo-classical statues to create a lush garden setting.

With two gorgeous tiled pools set in the gardens (definite shades of the Italian Riviera here), deciding where to stretch out on your sunlounger is one of life’s toughest decisions at Biniarroca. There’s a Roman-style pool with its own terrace bar, and a more intimate smaller pool set in flower-filled surrounds. This is a tranquil oasis made for lazy and indulgent days.

Twinkling lights

Biniarroca is a picture at night, when candles twinkle above the pool’s shimmering water. Have a nightcap or a poolside lunch in the Bar Renoir surrounded by scented flowering shrubs.

Inside, it’s a bit like walking into a post Impressionist painting. Team up the talents of a landscape artist and a fashion designer, and you have interiors that are as winsome as the gardens outside. Biniarroca is filled with art and antiques, and walls are adorned with many of owner Lindsay Mullen’s own paintings. She and her partner spent five years transforming this once dilapidated farmhouse into a rustic gem.

Biniarroca’s 18 comfortable and beautifully presented rooms – all different – reflect the owners’ eclectic tastes. Expect wrought iron or hand carved mahogany bedsteads, huge oil paintings, richly draped fabrics or hand-crocheted bedcovers. Some have painted four posters, while others open onto private terraces.

Classic doubles are located in the main house, while the grander Garden rooms enjoy bigger beds and private terraces. Cool white walls and tiled floors complement the toasty Menorcan summers. You can also relax in the spacious lounge with its bookshelves, internet, TV and DVD player.

Dining is a high point at Biniarroca, and the restaurant has won plaudits far and wide. Dine on the rose garden terrace (or privately in the garden gazebo) on classic dishes with a Mediterranean twist, all prepared by an enthusiastic team of young chefs using mainly local fish and seafood.

Too much of the good life? Book a massage under the shady pergola or one of a range of holistic feelgood treatments.

© Room for Romance