Cristine Bedfor Menorca

Cristine Bedfor's name is over the door, and she has never once been in: she does not exist. She is the English alter ego of Cristina Lozano, the Spanish hotelier behind the place, and her Englishness nods to Menorca's British past. Her house is three 19th-century townhouses joined on Calle de la Infanta, in Mahón's old town, and Lorenzo Castillo has filled them with antiques from shops and fairs, among them three tapestries from El Rastro, Madrid's flea market: a horse, the sea and a party, which between them cover most of a holiday. In one twin room the lamps wear rattan shades and French doors open onto a balcony over the rooftops. In the garden behind, planted with local plants only, is a small stone-edged pool, with the Pool Bar beside it under a blue and white striped awning.

Recommended for couples and families who would rather have Mahón on the doorstep than a beach below the balcony: Cala Llonga, the nearest, is about ten minutes' drive. The rest is a walk. The arcades of Ses Voltes are a minute away and the harbour about ten, and from there a boat takes a quarter of an hour to Hauser & Wirth's gallery on Illa del Rei. Encant, the hotel's own gallery, is next door, and there are bikes to rent. Children get cots and babysitting rather than a kids club. Dinner is La Cocina de Cristine, on the palm-edged patio, where Pau Sintes, winner of the European Young Chef Award in 2022, cooks with the island's produce. The bar mixes pomada, Mahón gin with lemonade. Menorca began making gin for British soldiers and sailors in the 18th century, so the house drink is about as British as its hostess, and a good deal more real.