May | Travel
LJs Raxto, Mallorca
This freshly-launched site already boasts impressive eco credentials
Susan Ward DaviesThe Tramuntana mountains, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, cross Mallorca from north east to south west, a spectacular, 90km area of deep canyons, monasteries, little villages, vineyards, almond orchards and ancient churches. High up on the rugged slopes, 20km west of Palma, you’ll find LJs Ratxo – a new luxury eco-retreat that opened on May 14. Set among olive groves and palm trees, with wild goats roaming nearby, the building that houses the 25 rooms is built of local sandy-coloured stone.
Interiors are rustic luxe – all neutral tones, wooden beamed ceilings, four-poster beds, soft linens and pale terracotta tiled floors. Each room has a private terrace and jacuzzi, and the two fanciest (the Suite and the Royal Suite) have a private plunge pool. Organic food for the restaurant is grown in the orchard and garden, and the spa uses organic and cruelty-free produce. Hiking trails up into mountains start from the hotel, and if you want the beach, you’re just two miles from the pretty curved bay of Playa de Palmira.
As well as the beauty of LJs Ratxo’s setting, one of the many things that impresses is the sustainability charter on their website, which details the eco-measures they have already taken (reverse osmosis drinking water system, no plastic, local community collaboration, zero-kilometer food …), and what they are working on (renewable energy system; food-waste recycling system) to reach their ultimate goal to be fully sustainable. It is not always possible to be completely carbon neutral from the off, but to set out your intentions when you launch means everyone knows what they are buying into.
Doubles from €220, including all-day breakfast
Carbon offsetting: co2.myclimate.org has a user-friendly carbon-offsetting calculator that lets you work out how much you should contribute, and choose which projects to fund.
