Spanish hotel group Vestige sprang from a labour of love. The Madera Fernández family purchased their first property – a dilapidated 16th-century palace in Asturias – as a home. But after 11 years of restoration, they decided they loved the process of bringing historic buildings back to life too much to stop there. There are now five properties in its growing portfolio, including the second to open, Menorca’s Son Vell, which typifies Vestige’s careful approach to both aesthetic and experience.

“From the very beginning, our role was not to impose a new vision, but to listen carefully to what the building and its landscape were already expressing,” says Maria Obdulia Fernández, matriarch of the family and head of a studio of more than 60 architects, interior designers and landscape designers. Having a large in-house team is unusual in the hospitality industry, and it is perhaps why each property always seems so coherent in its design direction – and so much the best version of itself.

She continues: “We worked extensively with lime plasters in soft mineral tones, terracotta floors and marés stone, allowing their natural textures to remain visible. These were complemented by natural textiles such as linen, cotton, jute and raffia, which echo the agricultural character of the estate and age gracefully over time.”

Each of the 33 rooms and suites is different, approached according to its own merits, from timber beams to the proximity to the gardens. The project includes several Design Centre, Chelsea Harbour brands, with fabric from Lizzo, Casamance and Romo. In a demonstration of attention to detail, the interiors of the wardrobes are lined with textured wallcovering by Phillip Jeffries – a choice that Fernández says is “a quieter layer of craftsmanship, ensuring that even the most functional spaces remain connected to the overall material coherence of the interiors.”

The hotel has a sense of patina and age, partly from the choice of materials, such as the soft lime plaster, but also because of the introduction of antique pieces from the family’s personal collection. “In many cases, a single antique piece would be the starting point for an entire room. We would build the atmosphere around it, ensuring that everything felt coherent and harmonious,” says Fernández. They are combined with furniture designed in-house as well as contemporary art, which keeps the dialogue going between past and present.

“This balance between old and new defines the character of Son Vell,” says Fernández. Add in the hotel’s other outstanding features – including its beautiful gardens, two pools and a signature restaurant – plus the boutiques and cultural attractions of nearby Ciutadella, and this and this is a destination where history and hospitality meet in perfect harmony.