Orient-Express Hotels announced today that it has acquired the 63 room hotel La Residencia in Deià, Mallorca from Virgin Hotels.

La Residencia is set in 30 acres of olive and citrus groves on the slopes of Es Puig in Deià on the north western coast of the island where the British poet and classical scholar Robert Graves is buried.  The hotel was created from two private 16th and 17th century manor houses - Son Moragues and Son Canals.  It has a total of 63 keys, composed of 37 double bedrooms, 8 single bedrooms, 15 junior suites and 3 suites with private pool.  Each room is individually decorated and furnished in a Mallorquin country style.

The hotel has attracted many accolades since its opening in 1984.  Most recently, it was voted 13th best overseas leisure hotel by the readers of Conde Nast Traveller UK, who also put it at number 89 in the World’s Top 100 ‘Best of the Best’ list.  It won the Wine Spectator Award for Excellence and was also the El Punto Hotel of the Year in 2001.

La Residencia has two notable restaurants, El Olivo and Son Fony.  El Olivo, which occupies what was once the olive press of the old manor house, is renowned as one of the best restaurants in Spain and Son Fony offers light Mallorquin/Mediterranean cuisine in an informal environment.

La Residencia’s two outdoor swimming pools are fed by a natural spring and offer spectacular views and, with 300 days of sunshine a year, there is plenty of time to enjoy them.  There is also access to a rocky seacove, perfect for swimming and snorkelling.  The hotel has two tennis courts, one of which can be floodlit, and a tennis coach is available.  There is a fully equipped gymnasium and a spa, which has its own indoor pool with jet stream, sauna, steam room and beauty salon.  There is a heated jacuzzi on an adjoining terrace, also with beautiful views.

The hotel has two fully equipped conference rooms with audiovisual facilities. The Albeniz Room can accommodate up to 60 people for a reception and is linked to three terraces ideal for coffee breaks and informal break out rooms. The Gallery Room is smaller and can hold meetings of up to 20 people.

Deià is a small village of green-shuttered houses below the Teix mountain, 40 minutes from the island’s capital, Palma.  Originally an artists’ colony, it is now a sophisticated enclave in the heart of rural Mallorca.  Robert Graves’ presence from the 1920s until his death in 1985 attracted other artists such as Pablo Picasso and the writer Anaïs Nin.  The Museu Arqueològique has an exhibition of the work of the American archaeologist William Waldren.

Essentially, Deià is a place in which to relax, to walk through woods, terraces and fields and to admire the breathtaking views along the rocky, forested coast.  For those looking for more activity, there is plenty to do nearby.  Apart from swimming and snorkelling at the hotel’s beach cove, there are 13 golf courses on the island, plus ballooning, deep sea diving, water skiing and horse riding among the many attractions.

Mallorca sightseeing includes La Seu, the gothic cathedral in the island’s capital, Palma with its Gaudi centrepiece; museums and galleries; Coves del Drach, the Dragon Caves with Europe’s largest underground lake; and the Carthusian Monastery in Valldemossa where Chopin and George Sand stayed.  Shopping enthusiasts will enjoy a large choice in Palma.  Mallorca has excellent leatherware and there are Mallorcan Pearl and glass factories and local markets throughout the island.

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