The Guasch family has tilled the estate that now comprises Ibiza’s Atzaró Agroturismo Hotel since the 13th century. Land-rich but increasingly cash-poor, in 2004 the family decided to turn their birthright into a luxury hotel, and the result is stunning.
They have stayed true to the principles of self-sufficiency that characterised the finca in its previous life – so much so that any distinction between the farm of old and the hotel of today is unwarranted.
This is still an active agricultural enterprise, growing vegetables for the hotel’s outstanding restaurant, and botanicals for its spa’s oils and products, across its three-hectare organic garden.
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The Atzaró Agroturismo Hotel’s 3,000 orange trees sell to the market, supplying most of the north of the island’s oranges as well as providing a charming backdrop for the plush daybeds that populate the hotel’s gardens.
There are nine pools in all, fed – as is most of the hotel’s water – from three wells across the estate. The gardens around them are cleverly arranged so as to give each its own character.
The main pool, stretching away towards the yoga shala in the far corner from the gardens, feels communal and spacious. Others, though, are tucked away and secluded, discovered piecemeal as one wanders the winding flagstone pathways.
Secluded pools are dotted about the property
(Image credit: Atzaró Agroturismo Hotel)
The hotel takes its name from the Atzaró mountain, around which the estate sprawls. That in itself captures the essence of its ethos. Everything here is derived from the natural surroundings. Nothing is contrived or artificial. The water comes up from the ground and the power comes from the sun via 200 solar panels.
Every detail, from the pine- and olive-wood beams in the 18th-century foyer to the custom-made ceramics, is rooted in the local, the natural and the traditional. Creating the sense of splendour that the Atzaró Agroturismo Hotel achieves from these simple ingredients is easier said than done, and yet the result feels effortless.
In fact, it is the lack of any gauche overreach that puts you at ease as soon as you step through the door. Having 13 hectares of estate to work with doesn’t hurt either. There is so much space available that it never feels crowded, even at peak season.
Bedrooms are spacious and have verandas
(Image credit: Atzaró Agroturismo Hotel)
The spa is the main attraction
There are 24 rooms at present, though more are on the way. Each started life as an outhouse for the farm’s workers. Even the most modest are spacious affairs with secluded verandas, but larger options – including deluxe suites with private pools – are available. All feature charming artwork from locally-based artist Abigail Jackson.
At the heart of it all is the hotel spa. Fringed by a shallow pond, adorned with lily pads that shelter frogs and terrapins, the spa takes on a character all of its own, becoming an island of even greater calmness within the still sea of the orange groves.
It is fully equipped with a sauna and hammam indoors, and outdoor sauna, Jacuzzi and ice bath, as well as a gym, but the spa truly prides itself on its massage treatments.
The spa’s signature Atzaró Integration Massage is perhaps the Atzaró Agroturismo Hotel’s main attraction. A combination of Swedish, Balinese and Thai techniques, for the most part it is a gentle, meditative experience, though there’s enough gumption to iron out any stubborn knots.
It lasted 50 minutes, which was more than enough to send me into a blissful fugue state before wandering, blinking, back into the sunshine, greeting the terrapins on my way back to the day beds.
Besides the spa, the restaurant is the other feature that keeps non-resident visitors streaming into the hotel. It is a destination in its own right.
With the entire produce of what was recently a working farm at its disposal, the Atzaró Agroturismo Hotel’s formula of simple, natural ingredients, combined with care, once again delivers sumptuous results.
The hotel’s 3,000 orange trees sell to the market
(Image credit: Atzaró Agroturismo Hotel)
Particular highlights are the grilled sea bass with sweet, creamy baba ganoush, laced with sharp citrus, or perfectly tender chicken marinated in orange and lime.
Given the vegetable garden on its doorstep, it is no surprise that the vegetable elements of each dish make their voices heard, and vegetarian options – such as the punchy mushroom and truffle risotto – feel well-crafted, rather than afterthoughts.
Perhaps it says something about my own particular love of food, but the restaurant really feels central to the whole experience. While the hotel offers a full schedule of yoga and pilates sessions, here, wellness is about more than an exercise class.
The spa, the food, the water, the sounds of crickets, cicadas, birdsong, frogs and distant cockerels breaking the otherwise perfect silence of the gardens – these all are integral parts of the restorative whole.
It is no surprise that the Atzaró Agroturismo Hotel quickly became a favoured haunt of the Hollywood elite (Penélope Cruz visited in the hotel’s first year).
A particularly high-end complex across the road from the main site gives A-listers their own sanctuary, but even for “civilian” visitors, the hotel offers escapism from the stresses of everyday life.
Seclusion and tranquility are bywords – this is about as far as you can imagine from the other Ibiza. The island’s clubbing scene may loom larger in the popular imagination, but ask anyone who knows. This luxurious tranquility is the island’s true spirit. A still, quiet, nourishing Ibiza.
Dan was a guest of Atzaró Agroturismo Hotel. Rates are from €465 in off-peak season, including breakfast.
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