It's his 30th birthday and we are celebrating with a 'Mediterranean Morning' spa package at Belmond La Residencia, Deia, a glorious sprawl of a five-star beneath the Serra de Tramuntana mountain range on Mallorca off Spain. Tumbling away beneath us is a terraced valley of orange and lemon groves. Bleak sunburnt summits rise above. 'Artists' town' Deia helter skelters up and down a hillock opposite - a colourful tapestry of terracotta 'fincas' and riotous bougainvillea.
Our package starts with breakfast, and we while away a couple of hours savouring pancakes with berries (and more than a few of the above-mentioned treats). Then it's on to the spa: we follow a maze of pathways that ramble through preened greenery, up little stairwells and past secluded seating areas for two. Inside, the spa smells of essential oils: heavenly. There's an indoor pool flooded with warm light from outside, and beyond, a private patio with two deck chairs that we will enjoy after our massages and peelings. Needless to say, we emerge from our treatments feeling like new-born babies with skin that has never been softer. Perhaps just the ticket for a chap who has just turned 30!
Then the swimming pool tempts us: we have it, in its high-ceilinged glory, all to ourselves. Later, relaxing on the patio, we feel like millionaires in a private retreat. There's a jacuzzi with views down to the valley and along to the turquoise Mediterranean. Birdsong and the rustling of the hotel's own donkeys cacophony around in the shaded space beneath a gnarled olive tree. It's a lovely touch when one of the staff comes along with chilled cups of cherries for us mid-afternoon. After a fresh mint tea (me) and homemade ice tea (Tim), and a plateful of white chocolate and almond pralines, we reluctantly drag ourselves away. But our weekend on Mallorca isn't over: there is dinner at sea-view La Terrazza in Port Adriano (we shared a platter of sea bass and scorpion fish), swimming/ beach at Camp del Mar and lots of reading by the pool at Tim's parents heavenly apartment to look forward to. Just a shame we only booked four days off...
