Menorca, Spain

Son Felip

Low season per night from$984High season per night from$2,389

Style

Farm-fresh finca

Setting

Estate of play

Sleeps

14

Bedrooms

7

Fields stitched with butterscotch walls and hay bales glowing golden in the sun mark your arrival at Son Felip. This end-of-the-road outpost on Menorca’s quiet north coast is the place to decamp and decompress. The only other thing you’ll find down this bumpy country lane are signs pointing to the virgin beach of Cala Pilar, whose molten-red sands and soaring rocks reward those who make the 40-minute hike to reach it along the coast. Guests at this exclusive-use villa get the run of a 2,500-acre farm with resident pigs, cattle, chickens and sheep, plus their own private nature trail that snakes down to the sea. Walk it on two feet or hop on the finca’s fleet of ink-black Menorquín horses with host Toni to ride out along the Camí de Cavalls trail – an ancient 100-mile route that the erstwhile equine inhabitants of the island once used to patrol the coast.

Smith Extra

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A basket of fruit and wine on arrival

First Glance

  • Son Felip sets up shop in the shell of a restored Menorquín finca – all whitewashed walls, terracotta roof and sage-green shutters.
  • The everyday running of the estate is presided over by Toni (who looks after the horses and activities) and his wife Sisca (who takes care of the house). They’re your hosts and are on hand if you need to call in massages or yoga lessons (both bookable on request).
  • The interiors are cool, calm and collected: a mix of whitewashed walls, woven carpets and organic accents, with bunches of wild herbs and wheat adding to the bucolic flair. Furniture nods to the villa’s farmhouse roots with antique wooden tables, rattan chairs and earthy, natural fabrics.
  • In the main house, there’s a huge open-plan lounge will extensive seating, a traditional country fireplace and bookshelves lined with equine photos and memorabilia of Sisca’s family riding at the Festes de Sant Joan horse festival in Ciutadella, which takes every year in mid June.
  • Along one wall, glass doors open onto an olive-shaded private garden with country views and steps to the pool.
  • In one corner, there’s a guitar propped against a wall and a white Yamaha piano that can be set to automatic for instant entertainment.
  • To the back, there’s a fully kitted-out kitchen (complete with Son Felip’s own olive oil) and a counter-style breakfast bench for morning meals.
  • Come evening, there’s also a rustic farmhouse dining table in a separate room with seating for 14.
  • Upstairs in the main house, there’s a small library-style lounge outside the master bedroom, with books and trophies from the family’s prodigious horse-riding haul.
  • The only other communal space is at the lodge: a converted cow shed overlooking the crop fields that has an open-plan kitchen, dining table and fireplace-attended lounge.

Villa highlights

  • Secluded farmstay
  • Horses on site
  • Pool and virgin beach

Sleeping arrangements

  • Rooms at Son Felip are split between the bougainvillea-draped main house (with two ensuites), its trio of adjoining annexes (home to three ensuites); and the separate apartment-style lodge (with a further two ensuites).
  • In total, the villa sleeps between four and 14 people – and whether you rent it for a few or a full house, it’s available for you and your group alone, so privacy comes guaranteed.
  • Bedrooms range from 17sq m to 24sq m. They’re all air-conditioned with king-size beds that can be converted into twins (except for the master room, which functions as a double only).
  • Bedrooms in the main house and annexes have the best views of the finca’s gardens, pool and the craggy Menorcan countryside.
  • All rooms have smart, hotel-standard bathrooms dressed in a creamy hues, with indoor plants, linen robes and Penhaligon or Meraki bath products, plus a mixture of baths, showers and twin marble sinks.
  • You’ll also find yoga mats, beach towels, bags and sun hats ready and waiting.

Key kit

  • Parking for up to eight cars.
  • High chairs, children’s beds and cots on request.
  • Air conditioning.
  • Bluetooth speakers.
  • Books and games.
  • Yoga mats.
  • Beach towels, bags and sun hats.
  • Yamaha piano and guitar.

Poolside

  • The 150sq m pool is encircled by olive trees with views of the golden wheat fields and vegetable gardens.
  • Cooling fountains cascade from one wall of the pool.
  • Slatted wooden sunbeds with coffee-coloured cushions line up around its edges.
  • At one end, there’s an area shaded by garland-strung olive trees with an outdoor table, kitchen and bar, that’s perfect for alfresco meals – day or night.
  • There’s also an outdoor shower and WC for freshening up after a swim.

Grounds

  • Two adjacent farms, collectively covering a vast 2,500 acres, form your backyard at Son Felip. As well as pigs (who greet you at the gate) and a stable’s-worth of thoroughbred horses (who take you out for rides), there are chickens, cattle and sheep dotted around the land.
  • The farm is organic with everything from almonds to melons, rosemary, lavender and thyme, grown in the vegetable gardens and fields around the estate.
  • There are also bees that make rare honeysuckle honey and, in your kitchen, you’ll find bottles of Son Felip’s estate-made extra-virgin olive oil.

Location

  • The farm is between the sandy beaches of Cala Algaiarens and Cala Pilar, on Menorca’s north coast.
  • It’s a 50-minute drive from the capital Mahón and the island’s only airport; and 30 minutes from either the scenic port city of Ciutadella (with its smart boutiques and seafood restaurants) or the island’s highest town Ferreries (traditional, whitewashed and with a Saturday morning food market for stocking up on supplies).
  • Just before the gate to Son Felip, there’s a public car park and signs that point to the 40-minute walking trail leading to Cala Pilar beach. Keep driving, though: once inside, guests have their own private path that leads straight to the sea, taking around 30 minutes.
  • Like many of the coves on Menorca’s north coast, Cala Pilar is a virgin beach, so you’ll need to bring parasols, towels, snacks, drinks and sun cream for the day. There are no sunbeds, shops or restaurants here, but that’s the appeal.
  • Other beaches, including Platja des Bot and Pla de Mar, are within three miles of Son Felip.
  • Among the activities that Toni and Sisca can advise on are horse-riding on the farm’s thoroughbreds (for ages 14 and above only); hiking along the waymarked Camí de Cavalls trail; sea-kayaking to quiet calas; and star-gazing in the unpolluted natural nighttime observatory of Menorca’s north coast.
  • For sunset drinks, Cova d'en Xoroi (www.covadenxoroi.com) is a stylish cocktail bar on the south coast, with tables and terraces staggered into the cliffside and DJs who turn the caves into a club after dark.
  • Afterwards, we highly recommend Binifadet vineyard and restaurant (www.binifadet.com) for either a wine tour, lunch or dinner. The food is exceptional.

The Guestbook

Whenever you book a stay at a Smith hotel or villa, we’ll invite you to review it when you get back. Read what other Smith members had to say in Son Felip’s Guestbook below.
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Price per night from $983.53