Bendinat

Bendinat is where Palma's money goes to be quiet. Nine kilometres west of the city, set on leafy hillsides between the Tramuntana foothills and the Bay of Palma, it is one of the island's most exclusive addresses precisely because it refuses to advertise the fact. There is no marina strip, no nightlife, no hotel core — just winding, manicured roads, multimillion-euro villas behind hedges, and a world-class golf course threaded through the middle of it all.

The name itself tells you something about the island's long history. Legend has it that in 1229 King Jaume of Aragon, famished after a battle against the Moors, ate so well here that he declared himself ben dinat — "well dined" in Catalan. Centuries later the French architect François Spoerry, who designed Port Grimaud, shaped its modern incarnation of gracefully curving roads and leafy open space. Today it is favoured by international families and the occasional A-lister who want privacy and a healthy, outdoor life within ten minutes of both Palma and the glamour of Puerto Portals.

The setting

Bendinat's character is residential calm rather than spectacle. Much of the neighbourhood is given over to the Real Golf de Bendinat, an eighteen-hole course in a wooded valley with views over the bay to the island of Cabrera and to the medieval Bendinat Castle that gives the area its name. The lifestyle here is lived outdoors — you see residents walking, jogging and cycling the winding roads and the coastal path — and the prized enclave of Old Bendinat, closest to the sea, is among the most sought-after pockets of real estate on the whole island.

The coves and the coast

For all its golf-and-villa calm, Bendinat has the water close. A string of small, scenic beaches sits within a few minutes — Cala Bendinat, reached directly from the residential area, and the nearby Cala Comtessa and Cala Xinxell toward Illetes — quiet, clear-watered coves that locals favour over the busier resort beaches. The polished marina of Puerto Portals, with its yachts, boutiques and restaurants, is two kilometres away when you want the glamour, and Palma's old town a ten-minute drive when you want the city.

Where to stay

Bendinat is, above all, a villa destination — which is exactly why we know it well. The way to experience it is a private villa with a pool and a bay or golf view, the staffed seclusion the neighbourhood was built for. There is also a rare and charming small-hotel option in the five-suite Bendinat Castle, set in its own grounds, for those who want something intimate and historic. Either way, the appeal is the same: a calm, green, private base within easy reach of everything the southwest offers.

Where to eat

Dining in Bendinat itself is low-key — a handful of good terraced restaurants and the golf clubhouse — because the serious tables are minutes away. Puerto Portals next door is where the southwest dines and is seen, with its waterfront restaurants and cocktail bars, and Palma's celebrated food scene is a short drive. The pleasure of basing in Bendinat is having that glamour close but coming home to quiet. We point guests to the right table in Portals or Palma depending on the night.

When to come

Bendinat is a year-round neighbourhood, which is part of its appeal — a genuine community rather than a seasonal resort. Spring and autumn are loveliest for the golf and the outdoor life; summer is warm and the coves come into their own, with Palma and Portals at their liveliest. Come for a week in a villa and you have the most balanced base on the island: city, marina, golf, beach and mountains all within a short drive of a very quiet front door.