La Residencia, A Belmond Hotel, Mallorca

Like most of the world’s fabled tourist destinations, Mallorca has seen its share of development, even verging in places on overdevelopment. This is to one extent or another the natural fate of any desirable locale, yet it need not be all-consuming.

You’ll be hard pressed, for example, to think of Mallorca as overdeveloped once you’re on the grounds of the Belmond La Residencia, a sixteenth and seventeenth-century villa high in the foothills of the Tramuntana mountains, with views of the idyllic village of Deià and the Mediterranean in the distance.

Deià has had something of a literary pedigree in years past, as a magnet for visiting writers; Belmond La Residencia has attracted a slightly different crowd, perhaps a more photogenic one, especially since the ’90s, when it was owned by Richard Branson. His reign has ended, and the hotel is now in the expert hands of the Belmond group — still, one never knows who will be lounging out by the pool.

The guest rooms are light and airy, with whitewashed walls and beamed ceilings, individually decorated, and outfitted with sumptuous traditional Mallorquin furnishings. Many rooms have views over the village of Deià and the surrounding mountains, and some of the higher-end suites feature private pools and terraces with 360-degree views.

There’s every opportunity to nip down to Palma if you wish, a modest drive over the hills — but there’s little reason to do so, and many guests don’t bother leaving the hotel’s grounds. El Olivo is one of the finest restaurants on the island, housed in a 500-year-old olive press, serving a phenomenal Mallorcan cuisine accompanied by an encyclopedic wine list.

If you feel the urge to stretch your legs, the hotel offers tennis workshops, a fitness center, mountain bikes and even the services of a running partner. Or do what most guests do — pass the time in complete idleness, punctuated by a lazy dip in the pool or, at most, a spa treatment.

Belmond La Residencia is a seasonal property and is open from March through November.

How to get there: Belmond La Residencia is a 40-minute drive from Palma de Mallorca Airport.