Hospitality Grounded in the Local Area

By Editorial Staff - 20 April 2026

Despite its small size, Menorca offers a remarkable variety of landscapes, including pristine beaches, a rugged interior, and historic towns. The island forms the backdrop for some of Vestige Estudio’s most recent projects, including the boutique hotels Son Ermità (The Noble) and Binidufà (The Humble). These two sister properties, located in the island’s rural north, date to the 18^thcentury. After falling into disuse over recent years, they have been restored with a contemporary approach by Vestige, the restoration highlighting their relationship while preserving each property’s distinct identity.

Located on the estate’s hilltop, Son Ermità forms part of 800 ha of protected ancient woodland and fields dotted with hay bales. Now nearing completion and opening, Binidufà, on the other hand, occupies a site in the valley. It has a more rustic character, reflecting the fact that it was a working farm for most of its history.

Son Ermità features hallmarks of Vestige’s work, notably the use of local natural materials, such as stone, wood, and lime plaster. Its interiors combine period furnishings, contemporary artworks, and custom-designed furniture, while exterior plantings use native species chosen to thrive and to support biodiversity. Prioritizing renewable energy, the project incorporates geothermal wells, solar panels, an exterior lighting system with motion sensors, and a rainwater harvesting system.

Son Ermità Courtesy Vestige Estudio

Other Menorca projects by the studio include Son Vell, a 34-room hotel a short walk from the sunny Cala Son Vell and the ancient Camí de Cavalls. Located not far from the picturesque port town of Ciutadella and surrounded by the Menorcan countryside, it sits within 7 ha of citrus groves, olive trees, a rose garden, and an organic vegetable garden that feeds the kitchen. The hotel features two outdoor swimming pools: the original, dating back to the 18^th-century, and a new, larger one; both offer poolside bars and custom-made Balinese beds.

For lovers of outdoor activities – from horseback riding to snorkeling, from kayaking and diving to boat trips – Menorca offers visitors countless opportunities to explore the island, which is Unesco Biosphere Reserve-protected. An authentic reconnection with nature can also be experienced at Santa Ana, a hotel featuring six large en-suite double rooms, designed to host groups while offering shared spaces – including library, gym, and lounge – as well as areas to enjoy moments of intimacy and tranquility. From this property, surrounded by fragrant Mediterranean gardens and mature woodlands, Cala Macarella and Cala Macarelleta are a short walk away.

Organized around a series of terraced gardens that descend to the coast, Palacio de Figueras is a 16^th century castle in Asturias that offers a similar experience for families and groups. Thanks to a meticulous restoration project, the historic building has been converted into a private residence with 11 guest rooms. It can host weddings, private parties, photo shoots, and other events. From the property, which overlooks a busy port on the Eo Estuary, it is easy to reach Tapia, one of the world’s best beaches for surfing, and, a 1.5-hour drive away, the ancient city of Oviedo, renowned for its pre-Romanesque architecture.

INTERVIEW

“Architecture, Landscape, and Daily Life Are Inseparable”

Interview with Enrique Pujana
Creative Director, Vestige Estudio

Led by Enrique Pujana, Madrid-based Vestige Estudio specializes in revitalizing historic, architecturally significant buildings across Spain, including Asturias, the Balearic Islands, Galicia, Extremadura, the Basque Country, and Madrid. Embracing architecture, landscape design, and interior design, the studio’s multidisciplinary team approaches each project with a meticulous analysis of the existing fabric to preserve and amplify the site’s essence and respect its past.

With today’s world in a state of constant and rapid change, built heritage holds our collective memory and identity and preserves them through time. Whether they involve traditional architecture or protected heritage, interventions on existing buildings allow us to preserve our predecessors’ legacy, prevent deterioration, and pass it on to future generations.

From this perspective, the relationship between a work of architecture and the landscape that contains it assumes deep significance: the built environment is shaped by its natural setting to the point that it would make no sense detached from it. In Menorca, the blue of the Mediterranean meets the green of the island, which in turn is crisscrossed by ancient stone walls that shelter livestock from the winds that sweep this largely flat land. Over time, nature and architecture have merged until forming a single entity that fully encapsulates the history of the place. “Architectural remains speak to us: they are unfinished conversations that invite reflection”, says Enrique Pujana. “By studying ruins as if they were historical documents, we can learn a great deal about their history and our own”.

Materials and local construction techniques provide the narrative voice of this story. “The use of original materials, local techniques, and attention to detail forms the basis of our work”, Pujana adds. Like Mallorca, in Menorca the marés sandstone – common in the subsoil of both islands – was used for nearly all construction from the Roman period until the arrival of concrete in the 20^th century. With Marés the common structural material, nonstructural elements – such as wrought‑iron balustrades and terracotta floors – give each building its distinctive character.

Son Ermità Courtesy Vestige Estudio

Focusing on the inherent qualities of different materials is a key element of Vestige Estudio’s design approach. What is the relationship between the materials typically used in a place’s building tradition and that place’s history?
Materials are never neutral; they carry a place’s history and its lived memory. Stone, wood, lime plaster, and iron are not only deeply tied to local building traditions but also to the daily routines that have shaped a place over centuries. Working with the materials tied to a particular area means engaging with the site’s lived memory. Reusing, restoring, or reinterpreting these materials lets a building remain legible and tell its story without nostalgia or imitation. This focus on materials is, therefore, a bridge between past and present, anchoring contemporary interventions to something authentic that can be both touched and felt.

Son Ermità and Binidufà – The Noble and The Humble: how do these hotels reveal their relationship as sister properties while also expressing their own identities?
Both projects center on respect for Menorca’s landscape, its architecture, and its farming culture. This creates a strong link between the two places, which you can see in the choice of materials, the construction logic, and in a shared sense of proportion. At the same time, each property has its own identity. Son Ermità is more noble, more monumental, as expressed by its spatial hierarchies and architectural presence. By contrast, Binidufà has a humbler, more rural, and domestic spirit. It is closer in scale and atmosphere to a traditional farm building. The relationship between the two hotels is complementary rather than opposing.

The Son Vell project involved bringing an 18^th-century manor house and its farm buildings back to life through the careful restoration of surfaces and finishes. How did the Vestige team work with the local tradespeople?
Working with the local tradespeople was an essential part of the project and happened very organically. From the outset, we worked closely with stonecutters, carpenters, and plasterers from the Menorca building tradition. Instead of imposing our ideas on them, we listened, observed, and allowed the project to evolve on-site. A lot of our decisions came from conversations with the tradespeople, based on their experience and the condition of the surfaces. This made it possible to restore the buildings faithfully and accurately, while naturally integrating contemporary elements into the historic fabric.

Palacio de Figueras occupies a unique location at the exact point where the Cantabrian Sea pushes inland and marks the border between Asturias and Galicia. How does its interior design reflect the surrounding landscape?
At Palacio de Figueras, the landscape is not a backdrop but an active presence. The estuary, the changing light, the humidity, and the surrounding vegetation shape the feel of the interiors. We responded to that by working with materials and tones that resonate with the setting: mineral surfaces, soft textures, muted colors, and a restraint that lets nature take the leading role. Views are carefully framed, and the interiors are designed as a continuation of the landscape; both strengthen a genuine sense of belonging to place.

Back in Menorca, Santa Ana offers guests a balance of private and social spaces. How important is that balance in contemporary hospitality design?
It is essential. Nowadays, guests want both privacy and meaningful shared experiences, and architecture has to supply both. At Santa Ana, we fine-tuned elements like stairways, transitional spaces, and the atmosphere in different areas. Its private spaces offer a sense of calm and intimacy. The common areas encourage interaction – but that feeling is never overwhelming. This balance reflects how people live and travel today – moving easily between the solitary and the social.

In your projects, how do you combine materials, local food, landscape, smells, and sounds to create an immersive multisensory experience?
We approach all our projects as holistic experiences where architecture, landscape, and daily life are inseparable. In Menorca, this involved establishing a connection with agritourism – the land is still productive, the staff are local, and farming is an active part of the project’s identity. We produce our own olive oil from our large olive grove, as well as Mediterranean fruit and honey. We put a strong emphasis on locally sourced products. This close connection between the land and table strongly shapes the character of both the restaurants and the guests’ overall experience. Besides food, we also try to create subtle continuities between past and present through the details. At Santa Ana, for example, the rooms are named after cows that once lived on the farm! In other words, elements of the place’s farming history resonate within the contemporary experience. Materials, local cuisine, landscape, smells, and sounds blend naturally – not as a staged narrative but as an authentic expression of place. When that happens, the result is more than a hotel: it is an experience people perceive, remember, and occupy with their emotions.