There is something about arriving at Son Blanc Farmhouse, when you first set foot on the road leading to the central building, that slows the heart rate—that makes it feel as if time has stopped. This, according to the owners of the resort, which is located between the towns of Alaior and Es Migjorn Gran, rings true for the entire island of Menorca, which was classified as a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 1993.
“Growing up in Menorca is to grow up in a kind of bubble, where you are not aware of the place you inhabit,” says Benedicta Linares Pierce, who is the daughter of an English real estate agent and a Menorcan farmer. “You are in a paradise and, every morning, when you open the windows, you find it normal. In my case, it wasn’t until I went to university at the age of 17 that I began to appreciate it.”
For her husband, on the other hand, visiting Menorca was a case of love at first sight. He first discovered it in the summer of 1998, the same year he met his current wife during their Erasmus in the city of Tilburg, Holland. “She showed me Menorca and, of course, I fell in love with it,” admits Benoît Pellegrini, who was born in Baden Baden in Germany. “And not just because of the sea, but because of the architecture, the history, the environment, and the people who live there.”
Benedicta and Benoît’s love story is one that branches out in many directions; not only across their own romance, but also to the region where they have built their life’s work. In fact, it was this Mediterranean passion that sparked the idea—or even the need—to build a refuge that would reflect their devotion to the environment and welcome visitors who are committed to respectful tourism.
The chosen location was an abandoned 19th-century farmhouse that they first visited in 2016. “We fell in love with the sea view, because that is something very rare here—there are no
constructions in the middle of the forest with this panoramic view. The old houses and farms used to be located inland to protect themselves, precisely, from the sea air,” explains Benedicta. Seven years later, as the hotel opens to the public, they note that the experience has been a true adventure. “It was crazy and the pandemic didn
t help: If we had known that the transformation was going to take seven years, we probably wouldn’t have done it,” she jokes.
The construction process for Son Blanc was far from straightforward, with the guiding ethos of using local materials and creating a resort that could be self-sufficient and have the smallest possible environmental footprint. “We wanted Son Blanc to reflect our values, ideas, and tastes, so it became the project of a lifetime,” the couple says. “We had to make a lot of sacrifices to bring it to life, but for us, it was the only way we could open a hotel business. Our priority was to generate as little environmental impact as possible, not only with the construction, but in the day-to-day running of the hotel and the farm that would follow.”
For the transformation of the complex, they turned to the French studio Atelier du Pont, who made all their architectural wishes come true. Among many other innovations, the site has a thermal roof to avoid the use of air conditioning, photovoltaic panels, geothermal wells, and a cutting-edge composting system; they have carried out the restoration of subterranean rainwater cisterns, as well as the construction of their own water treatment plant in order to irrigate all of the crops on the estate. Within the estate’s 130 hectares, there is also space for animals and various gardens that include an edible forest, olive groves, and a space dedicated to aromatic plants.
So too are both the buildings and the objects within it—whether decorative or utilitarian—all in keeping with the philosophy of agritourism. “We wanted the materials to be local and natural as much as possible, and that requirement created many limits,” they say. “That is why most of the hotel s decorative elements are custom-made and, to a large extent, built with raw materials such as rock, clay, sandstone, or limestone.”
Across its rooms and common spaces are pieces by local artists such as Cañadas Murúa, the creators of the macramé headboards found in several guest rooms, or the Mallorcan design duo Jaume Roig and Adriana Meunié, who have collaborated for the first time in the creation of pieces that incorporate the artistic disciplines of both: ceramics and textile art.
All of the artists and artisans involved worked in a spirit that reflects what Son Blanc stands for. “We wanted to give visibility and value to manual craftsmanship, much of which is being lost,” adds Benedicta. “Here, in the past, baskets, chairs, and ceramics were made. Little by little these trades are coming back, but it is crucial to appreciate them. We have to give them the value they deserve—that was an important part of our mission.”
Within a sector like tourism, so closely associated with consumption, hotels like Son Blanc offer a glimmer of hope. What if luxury were not necessarily synonymous with excess? Perhaps the real luxury is knowing the exact impact that your leisure and enjoyment are having on the environment around you, knowing the origins of the pieces that decorate the rooms, or simply being able to eat jam that has been made that same morning with strawberries that were picked the day before, just a few meters from the kitchen.
“Tourism is going to adjust and head further in this direction,” Benedicta says. “I think that being able to tell a client their stay has a negative carbon footprint is the coolest thing of all—especially without sacrificing comfort or aesthetics.”