Inside: accommodation at Cas Padri Pons is spread over two floors. A gentle restoration has transformed the property into a 21st-century home without sacrificing its original features or its authentic atmosphere. Light wood-beamed ceilings, white-washed walls, characterfully shaped windows and smooth-worn stone stairs provide a welcoming, soulful backdrop to more contemporary features, such as the bathrooms, the kitchen and the fixtures and fittings.
The main entrance takes one into an open hallway, off which the ground floor accommodation flows organically. To the left is the super-modern kitchen, featuring sleek white cabinetry and a black marble island. To the right is the first bedroom, a double with an in-room shower and WC next door.
Straight on, through a wide archway, is a bright communal space hosting a dining table to one side and a sofa, a few easy chairs and a modern log burner to the other. A wide, arched floor-to-ceiling window and a glass door bring in the light and provide access to the courtyard garden and pool area.
A staircase leads up from the communal area to the first floor landing, off which one may access a terrace with steps leading down to the pool, and the remaining two bedrooms:
• a spacious double with garden views, a stylish in-room bathtub and an en-suite shower room behind smoked glass sliding doors. This room is separated from the landing by a fitted wardrobe divider that is open at the top.
• a double-twin with sitting area and a central en-suite shower room, around which the space circulates.
Outside: al fresco life at Cas Padri Pons take place in the secluded walled courtyard, which is accessed from the living and dining area and, via steps, from the first floor terrace. Here there is a stone-flagged terrace furnished for sitting and dining, and a covered area with a large built-in barbecue, a sink and the original feeding troughs, which hark back to the property’s former life.
A couple of steps take you up to a central solarium which is flanked on one side by a temptingly slender pool and on the other by a planted garden.
Steps from one end of the pool ascend to the first floor terrace, a kind of wide boardwalk decorated with antique tiles. This is where, as the sun sets over Mallorca, you may wish to sip on an aperitif and toast the evening ahead.
ABOUT THE AREA
A municipality and town in the island’s south-east, Santanyí is pretty, rural and authentically Mallorcan. Occupying a privileged position slightly inland from more than 48km of ravishing coastline, next to the second-largest nature park in the Balearics, this golden-stone village is blessed with stunning natural surroundings.
Combine this with a serene atmosphere and some fine places to eat and stay, and you have the ingredients that give Santanyí its special quality. Here we provide all the information you need to enjoy a visit to this quietly enchanting southern town.
History & Culture
The surrounding environment, the light and the atmosphere of the town seems to be made for creative people and has attracted many international artists over the years. Today art seems to play a central role, and you can find many types of galleries and workshops in the narrow alleys of this quiet country town.
The local people know each other well and like to stop for a chat with their neighbours. Visitors enjoy watching the daily routine sipping a café con leche or a glass of wine on one of the many terraces on the square.
You don’t have to look far to see marks from Santanyí’s pirate-suffering past. The fortified city wall and Porta Murada (gate) still stand as symbols of past generations’ fear of the constant threat of pirate attacks which plagued their town. Moorish invasions got so bad in Santanyí that many people took to sleeping in the town’s locked church.
Take a trip to nearby Cala Llonga and you’ll see the remains of an 18th century fort built to repel invasions, complete with embrasures used to house cannons. Several defence towers are located along the coast, including Torre d’en Beu, in Cala Figuera.
The town’s original name Santi Annini means ‘Lamb of God’, the symbol for which can be seen in the church and Santanyí’s coat of arms.