When we were teeny tiny Mice we holidayed ever summer in neighbouring Balearic island, Menorca. Each year we would return to a sweet little fishing village called Macaret. The three of us were inseparable, spending hours on the beach building sandcastles and of course collecting shells so we could set up a beachside shell shop - yes we actually tried to sell locals the shells from their own beach! At lunchtime we'd scurry across to our villa to devour big plates of parma ham, chorizo and hunks of fresh bread, have a siesta and then go back to do it all over again!
Each evening we'd head to our favourite local restaurant just steps from our casa and gobble down the most delicious feasts! It must have been an unusual sight to see three little blonde girls tucking into great bowls of baby squid, mussels and paella - our tastes for good food were born right there in Macaret! After dinner we would run around with all the children from the village eating sweets and playing for hours until we literally fell into our beds - I'm not entirely sure how we sustained these friendships seeing as the only Spanish we knew was counting from one to ten, but somehow it worked! Despite visiting for over ten years, we loved it just as much every time and would cry as the plane zoomed down the runaway back to London!
Baby Mice, Menorca c.1989
With our hearts totally captured by Menorca, we've never had the chance to explore it's bigger sister, so we thought it was about time! With just a two hour flight from London, it's the perfect long weekend get away. As our watches struck five, we speedily switched on our out of offices and off we scooted on our adventure! Where to start... Son Julia Country House Hotel seemed like the perfect place. A 15th century mansion set in Spanish countryside overlooking vineyards with two pools, a spa and delicious restaurant - we were very happy Mice indeed!
Unfortunately we were delayed on the way out, so we landed just after 1am a little tired and grouchy, however 15 minutes later our cab turned off the main road and crunched and bumped down a winding driveway to our beautiful Son Julia mansion! Despite the time we were greeted warmly, had our cases whisked away and were led to our luscious room with the biggest, comfiest bed in the whole of the island (and quite possibly the universe).
After a solid night's sleep, we sprung out of bed ready for the day ahead. Ripping open the black out shutters (my favourite thing in the world) we revealed a gorgeous little private terrace with cushioned chairs just begging to be sunk into (which we later discovered as the perfect G&T spot for the last of the afternoon sun!)
Our room itself was spacious and chicly decorated with an abundance of natural light, heaps of crisp white bed linen and a massive bathroom with White Company goodies. Beyond blissful!
A quick shower and bikini change later and off we skipped to brekkie!
En route we got to take in the rest of our new abode... the gardens meticulous, the pools perfection and even the gym had water bottles and towels lined up with equal spacing between them! As we dreamily wandered, a peaceful ambiance followed us everywhere. This place genuinely is a little slice of heaven.
After a nosey detour we made ourselves comfortable on the terrace for breakfast. The thought of faceless buffet breakfasts sends chills up my spine... big silver dishes piled high with greasy sausages, grey mushrooms and overcooked scrambled egg... but not at Son Julia, that's not their style - oh no! Instead you'll find plates stacked with oven-warm pastries, bowls of tropical fruits like huge heaps of rainbow-hued jewels, yogurts, granola, parma ham, cheeses, smoked salmon... everything you can think of to make a delicious breakfast! As soon as you sit down the wonderful staff completely take over appearing with freshly squeezed juices, coffee and whipping up eggs and pancakes to order... you won't be disappointed.
With full tummies we quickly scoped out our spot for the day and let our lazy inner selves take over! There are two pools to choose from - one larger pool amongst the gardens with lots of sun loungers and a bar and another much smaller hidden one situated on a side terrace of the mansion with only a few beds to pick from.
We went for the latter - peaceful, beautiful and a hidden gem....
When happy hour struck (4-5pm every day) the wonderful staff took our cocktail orders and brought them up to us by our pool so we didn't have to wait and could relax back into our heaven... perfection!
After an amazing day of sleepy laziness, we reticently packed up our Kindles, copies of Vogue and suncream to head back to watch the sunset from our garden over a G&T!
We decided to continue the laziness and have dinner at our lovely mansion ... we wouldn't want to overexert ourselves now would we?!
Dinner is served on the same terrace as breakfast - the only shame was that the awning makes the dining area a little dark - a total nightmare when you want to snap away for a blog post! However, yet again Son Julia didn't disappoint... we gobbled our way through five scrumptious courses of salmon and avocado tartar, risotto, sea bass, coconut mousse and mango ice cream and finished on a plate of treats... homemade marshmallows, meringues ... basically everything our clean eating doesn't usually allow!
We managed to get a couple of piccies before it got too dark but you'll just have to take our word for the rest and the fact that every last plate that left our table was completely clean - I think that says it all!
All washed down with a couple more G&T's and a bottle of cava made it the perfect Son Julia supper, and one I would love to do all over again in a flash. We later stumbled back to our room trying to be as quiet as possible so to not burst the peaceful, sleepy bubble.
We honestly couldn't have picked a better start to our break, we instantly felt at home and relaxed at Son Julia and although we left with heavy hearts, we also felt totally refreshed, well slept (and fed) and ready to start the last leg of our Spanish adventure!
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