Assistant Travel Editor Emilee Tombs stays at Vestige Binidufà to see how this former farm has been transformed into a chic and sustainable stay
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Around 45 minutes from Mahón airport and 20 minutes from Ciutadella – having a car is essential. Beaches are close at hand: the estate has its own red-sand cove where nesting turtles visit – access is by the hotel’s golf buggy. The south coast has more of the swim-and-sit variety just a 15-minute drive away, while the northern coastline is more rugged. The 185km-long Camí de Cavalls hiking trail is a short walk from the hotel.
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Owned by Spanish company Vestige Collection, which transforms historic, often crumbling, listed buildings across Spain and the Balearics, Binidufà is a former farm with a traditional 18th-century finca at its heart. The sister hotel to Vestige Collection’s Son Ermità, Binidufà opened in April 2026 and would suit design-conscious travellers who want to immerse themselves in the island’s peaceful, rugged-chic aesthetic.
The main finca at the hotel has been sympathetically restored, using heritage building methods where possible: stonemasons, carpenters with specific traditional skills, and ancient stone-cutting techniques dating back to ancient Greece, Egypt and Peru. On our property tour, we learned about a technique used to make the impressively symmetrical gates, each hewn from a single olive tree. Most of the furniture is custom-made and designed to fit the exact space it sits in. Other pieces are antique, while artwork is carefully chosen and typically created by local artists.
An infinity pool sits at the heart of the estate, surrounded by considered plantings of olive and almond trees, and wild Mediterranean shrubs and herbs. Adjacent to the swimming pool is a shaded bar/restaurant built using a dry-stone wall technique and set with Scandinavian-inspired blond wood tables and chairs.
Across a red-earth track are the reception building and some of the accommodations, and further up the hill is the transformed finca.
Warm and attentive. There aren’t always staff around to call upon, but when ordering, our drinks and food always came quickly. We were able to change restaurant reservation times and find out about on-site activities easily, and the check-in process was quick. Bags were whisked up to our accommodation, and we could WhatsApp requests instead of using an in-room phone.
The hotel has 11 rooms and suites, all decorated in muted plaster and terracotta shades, with textural details such as exposed stone walls, original beams, and rustic farmhouse stone floors. Natural linens run throughout, and some suites add pops of colour (mustard, sage) with headboards and soft furnishings. The overall look is minimalist, rustic-chic, with large weathered planters, original shutters and doors, modern art, and a mixture of antique and bespoke furniture.
All have expansive bathrooms with poured-concrete freestanding or sunken tubs and separate showers with statement zellige tiles and pewter fixtures. Bathroom amenities are by plant-rooted, organic beauty brand Rowse. All suites have balconies, terraces or a small garden.
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Both the pool bar and Mesura restaurant offer 100 per cent plant-based menus with a Middle Eastern leaning. There’s the option to add meat reared on the estate or fresh-caught fish
There’s a concise and well-chosen wine list including local bottles and regional Spanish wines – we had a very delicious cava from a family-owned winery in Penedès – and a few unique cocktails mixed with local spirits and herbs. Try the island special, a pomada, which is Mahón-made aromatic gin served with with cloudy lemonade.
Breakfast is a small but well-chosen continental spread, including local cheeses and charcuterie, natural yoghurt and honey from local bees, plus homemade cakes and pastries. You can also order hot dishes, including a sobrasada (spiced local sausage) on toast with honey that was so good we ordered it on both days of our stay.
Mesura has a beautiful setting, with a view over the pool and across the valley. It is particularly atmospheric at night, with mood lighting, tables set out under trees, and a trendy background playlist. A standalone bar also serves cocktails. Dishes included grilled Dani García avocado with marinated tofu salad and coriander pesto (we added estuary-caught sea bass sashimi); a delicious pumpkin dish with hummus, Kalamata olives, stracciatella, oranges and spinach; and confit tomato tatin, with stracciatella and basil.
There are a few activities you can sign up to for an additional cost, such as bike riding or hiking with a guide, a guided art tour of Ciutadella and horseback riding. Yoga is offered on a complimentary basis several days a week, hosted by a wonderfully intuitive teacher in a quiet, woodland area. There is one outdoor pool with a shallow area that’s useful for families with young children.
Guests can also use the facilities at Son Ermita, a 10-minute golf buggy ride over the hill (staff will whizz you over there with a moment's notice), and these include two pools, a star-gazing clifftop area, a restaurant with incredible sunset views and a comprehensive gym built into a clifftop overlooking the sea.
Read more: Is Menorca or Mallorca the best Balearic island for you?
Binidufà has one fully adapted room, and ramps can be provided where necessary. Contact the hotel for more details.
Children of all ages are welcome. Cots and futons can be set up on request, and a soft toy gift is provided. High chairs are available in the restaurant, and children’s menus can be adapted as guests see fit. A small but tasteful play area (so tasteful my four-year-old didn’t actually notice the wooden rocking horses were there to be played on) is set behind the pool, but is not shaded.
Read more: I competed in a swim-cation in Spain – here’s why I’ll be doing it again
Best thing: Commitment to regeneration and sustainability
Instagram from: Mesura restaurant terrace
Address: Diseminado Binidufa, 18, 07750, Menorca, Spain
Website: vestigecollection.com/son-ermita-binidufa
Emilee was a guest of Hotel Vestige Binidufà
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