In Menorca, Son Blanc Farmhouse Boutique Hotel Blends Heritage And Sustainability
The sensitively restored Son Blanc Farmhouse boutique hotel champions the quaintness of the idyllic Menorcan countryside through rustic design and local craftsmanship.
In pursuit of experiential travel, discerning travellers seek a genuine connection to culture and place. A sign of the times, this approach to travel, has paved the way for the intersection of luxury travel and responsible tourism. In Menorca, the Son Blanc Farmhouse is the archetype of this shift in travel trends. Set over 130 hectares in an untouched nook of the pastoral Balearic island, the restored 19th-century farmhouse-turned-boutique hotel seamlessly integrates creature comforts and sustainability into a heritage setting.
Dating back to the late 1800s, the quaint Son Blanc farmhouse and barn were in ruins when Benedicta Linares Pearce and Benoît Pellegrini acquired it. Born in Menorca but living in London, Benedicta, a hotel owner and developer, had long desired to reconnect to her roots; Pellegrini, who had visited the island several times, was drawn to its charm. Like other remnants of the Talayotic culture—farmsteads, churches, fortresses and monuments— the farmhouse was crafted using marés, a beautiful ochre and eggshell-white limestone indigenous to the island. The stone is, in fact, distinctive to the rugged Menorcan landscape.
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A Synchronous Meeting
The journey to renovate and restore their newly acquired property involved a generous side of sensitivity. It was a moment of synchronicity when the couple met architects Anne-Cécile Comar and Philippe Croisier of the Paris-based Atelier du Pont; Comar had visited Menorca many a time and was attuned not only to its beauty and history but also to the idea of integrating nature and traditional architecture into projects. The co-founders of Atelier du Pont are widely known for their sensitive and contextual builds that consider climate, topography, and local raw materials.
“Menorca embodies an authentic corner of paradise where one can feel the harmony between man’s hand and nature. It is from this balance that the Son Blanc project takes inspiration,” says the designer of Atelier du Pont. Son Blanc opens a new path. A place of travel based on ecological responsibility where principals are shared through immersive experiences and in connection with nature,” say the designers.
A Focus On Local
The 14-key Son Blanc Farmhouse encompasses 11 guest rooms in the Finca (a 482 sqm main farmhouse) and three suites, a reception, restaurant, bar, and yoga studio in the Boyera, a 253 sqm barn house. The renovation process began in 2019 with the near-dilapidated finca with the original structure meticulously restored to incorporate the beauty of existing features like soaring vaults and arches.
The omnipresence of local marés limestone—from ceilings to walls to the main staircase—infuses every space with a true Menorcan identity, as does the extensive use of wild olive wood, or local ullastre, clay, terracotta, natural stone and textiles. Further, the material palette shares a unified, earthy tone throughout.
Across the expanse of Son Blanc, textured walls blend with local marés limestone to create a coherence with the environment. The new walls were treated with plaster created in situ by Menorcan crafter-builders who together with Atelier du Pont devised various metal tools to create the textured plaster coating. “Like a comb, this accessory sculpts the surface into a fluted volume,” say the designers who worked in tandem with local architecture firm ARU Arquitectura to bring this project to life.
Aside from using locally sourced materials, Atelier du Pont drew from traditional know-how and processes including stone and cork for insulation and whitewash finishes to complement the solar-powered hotel’s energy-conserving processes like geothermal heat pumps and rainwater harvesting in restored underground cisterns. The hotel is now many steps closer to ultimately moving towards energy, water, and food self-sufficiency.
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Breakfasts at Son Blanc are a leisurely affair at the sun-drenched kitchen swathed in marés limestone carved by local stonemasons Fuguet. The breakfast kitchen island was crafted from locally sourced volcanic stone. Apart from the carefully considered palette that comprises local materials, there is a keen focus on the use of seasonal and local ingredients and produce. As of today, the 130-hectare site has returned to its original production function as a working farm by Menorcan firm Agroassessor, while an edible garden by Sergi Caballero provides produce for Son Blanc’s restaurant.
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A Spotlight On Craftsmanship
Atelier du Pont worked with local artists and craftsmen to give each room a unique identity and to craft site-specific works for Son Blanc’s social spaces. “Local artists Adriana Meunié and Jaume Roig, who normally work separately, pooled their know-how to create an installation for the yoga room of the Boyera. It’s an impressive piece that unites two materials in a harmonious silhouette inspired by the vegetation, the stone and the vegetation of the island,” said the designers at Atelier du Pont.
“The marés staircase is one of the most remarkable features of the house,” say the designers. “All in stone, its sinuous and organic ramp is the result of a collaboration between the ingenuity of Menorcan masons and the architect’s design.” A two-story-high textile work hanging at this staircase of the Finca from ceiling to floor was crafted by Perrine Rousseau known for creating astonishing silhouettes on a traditional loom.
“Her approach to weaving and the monumental scale of one of her works immediately seduced us and owners. Like a composition of propellers of various dimensions, the textile piece flows from the ceiling, magnifying the volume and marrying the undulating shape of the staircase.” Another ceramic piece by Meunié and Roig complements Perrine’s woven piece.
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The eleven guest rooms in the Finca retain a local charm with an emphasis on eco-friendly, locally sourced materials. Most of the bedrooms have a custom headboard dividing the space between the room and bathroom. While some rooms carry terracotta detailing, others are adorned in wood; some have a fabric headboard. In rooms with terracotta detailing, a lattice-style terracotta headboard functions as a light filter that creates geometric shadows and sets the tone for bathrooms with clay basins and tubs.
For the fabric-themed rooms, the headboard takes the form of an artwork made by Cañadas Murúa, a textile artist duo from Barcelona, using local cotton, wool and lustre, Menorca’s wild olive wood. To develop the project, the artists looked to the landscape, local know-how and Son Blanc itself to express their intent through textiles.
Outside, several al-fresco spaces present opportunities to enjoy the rhythm and beauty of the island, including terraces of the restaurant and Finca, and the outdoor yoga space overlooking the rugged landscape. Eugenia Corcoy was roped in to landscape the beautiful outdoors. Guests can also indulge in a dip in the large natural infinity pool, a void carved out of the very limestone of the land. In all its simplicity and rusticity, Son Blanc Farmhouse is where travellers can enjoy the Menorcan pace of life with a novel, experiential approach to luxury travel.
