Santanyí

If the buildings in Santanyí look a particular shade of warm gold, there is a reason: this small inland town is the source of the marès sandstone that built Palma's cathedral, La Llotja, and half the grand architecture of the island. The stone is still quarried here today, and it gives Santanyí a mellow, honeyed glow found nowhere else — a town literally made of the material of Mallorca's masterpieces.

Four kilometres inland from the southeast coast, Santanyí is the administrative heart of a municipality that includes Cala d'Or, Porto Petro and Cala Figuera — which means that from this one town you are within a fifteen-minute drive of some of the finest beaches on the island. But Santanyí is a destination in its own right, and has quietly become one of the most cosmopolitan small towns on Mallorca, its sandstone streets now mixing traditional cafes with design boutiques and galleries drawn by an influx of discerning international residents.

The town and its market

The heart is the Plaça Major, framed by sandstone cafes and presided over by the eighteenth-century church of Sant Andreu — built, of course, from the local stone, and home to a notable organ. The town comes alive at its Wednesday and Saturday markets, among the most appealing on the island: produce, crafts, clothing and the browsing-and-coffee rhythm that makes a Santanyí market morning one of the quintessential southeast experiences. The streets around the square reward slow wandering for the boutiques and design shops the town is now known for.

The coast and country around it

Santanyí's position is its luxury. Within minutes lie some of the most beautiful beaches in Mallorca — the protected coves of the Mondragó Natural Park, the perfect arcs of Cala Santanyí and Cala Llombards, and the celebrated wild beach of Es Caló des Moro — along with the famous rock arch of Es Pontàs, a magnet for photographers and, improbably, world-class climbers. Inland, the medieval Santueri Castle on its hilltop gives one of the great views of the southeast.

Where to stay

Santanyí and its surrounding countryside are finca-and-villa country at its best. The cosmopolitan town has drawn a wave of beautifully restored country houses and design-led private villas in the surrounding fields and toward the coast — pools, stone, olive groves, and the market town minutes away for dinner and the beaches a short drive. This is the discerning way to do the southeast: a private estate inland, with the coves as your day and Santanyí as your evening. We know this countryside and its houses well.

Where to eat

Santanyí's cosmopolitan turn shows on the plate — the sandstone streets now hold a strong mix of traditional Mallorcan cooking and the more design-forward, internationally-influenced tables that have followed the town's smart new residents. The market-day lunch in the square is a ritual; the better dinners are tucked into the side streets and the surrounding fincas. As ever, the best tables reward a booking in season.

When to come

Spring and autumn are Santanyí at its best — the market mornings pleasant, the nearby coves uncrowded, the inland walking and cycling at their finest. Summer pairs the town with the southeast's beaches a short drive away. Come for the golden town, the markets and the design scene — base in a finca in the country around it — and Santanyí gives you the most cultured, characterful base on the southeast coast.