Menorca Experimental Hotel
The latest Experimental Hotel & Villa has opened — embracing the mile-long sandy beaches, turquoise watered bays, and the pine tree lined coast of Menorca.
Words: Emma-Kate Wilson I Photography: Karel Baras
Located on the south side of the Mediterranean Balearic island, Experimental Menorca Hotel & Villa sits on 30 hectares of rugged Spanish landscape. Critical to the ethos of the hotel is the UNESCO-protected environment which inspires the hotel throughout and sees designer Dorothée Meilichzon create her largest project to date.
The hotel is modelled inside an old Finca, in the spirit of an artist's holiday cottage, with 34 rooms and nine private villas. The hotel offers views overlooking the glistening turquoise sea, while each of the Casa de Campo nine villas have their own pools inside tranquil gardens. Inside and out includes Dorothée signature pops of colour and love of art deco — all while preserving the original features and golden Marés stone.
The walls of the hotel use hand-made, artisanal Portuguese tiles.
Stone-tiled floors, arched alcoves with feature banquette seating in a quiet corner of the hotel.
The wall of the reception is covered in hats found across the island, to be picked up and used by the guests.
“Visitors to Experimental Menorca find themselves in an intimate relationship to the environment, beckoned by untouched white sand beaches and sheltered rocky coves.”
The hotel brings together art and sculpture that can be found across the laid-back Mediterranean Island in bright pops of blues, reds, and terracotta oranges.
The hotel brings together art and sculpture, with touches throughout all the interior spaces.
The devil’s in the detail - bright pops of blues, reds, and terracotta oranges can be found scattered throughout the spaces.
Experimental form and line decorate the linens and art acknowledging the Balearic Island's famous artists — Miro, Picasso, and Dali. Menorca colours, turquoise blues, dusty reds, pine tree greens, ring through the ambience, tipping into the bespoke blankets by cult-favourite, Moroccan brand LRNCE. Art deco-inspired style sees curved rise up over doorways, inviting the Mediterranean sun into the interiors.
The arches over the beds evoke the rising Menorcan sun and Dorothée Meilichzon's love of art deco style.
Art-deco curves are echoed in the bathing spaces and are designer, Dorothée Meilichzon, signature touches.
The hotel and villas are located between nature trails down to the beach, allowing the guests to roam the rock-strewn paths between the rooms and on-site dining options. Basque and Catalan cuisine is served up in the internal dining rooms or out on the alfresco restaurants, where guest can dine together on the 30-person communal table. The menu, designed by head chef Sylvain Roucayrol, embraces the biodiverse landscape with food grown on-site.
The infinity pool turns into a cocktail bar as the sunsets. As to be expected the Experimental Group's modern mixology is served, whether out by the pool or in the retro bar in the lobby — all while using local ingredients from the garden.
A cult favourite, Moroccan brand LRNCE designs the simple, yet colourful, linen and blankets, which feature in the bedroom spaces.
Details in the bedrooms - the hotel brings together art and sculpture.
Art-deco curves are echoed in the bathing spaces and are designer, Dorothée Meilichzon, signature touches.
“Surrounded by pine groves, fragrant juniper shrubs and wildflowers, the whitewashed compound has been carefully restored.”
Experimental Hotel's latest opening was born out of the bones of a 19th-century Finca on the island of Menorca in the Mediterranean.