Villas in Mallorca West

In the west of the Tramuntana, between Valldemossa, Banyalbufar and Estellencs, the mountains drop most steeply into the sea. The Ma-10 coast road winds past viewpoints such as the Mirador de Ricardo Roca, and at Banyalbufar the Moorish terraces planted with Malvasia vines run right down to the water. Valldemossa, with the Carthusian monastery where Chopin spent the winter of 1838 to 1839, is the best-known village; Esporles and Puigpunyent lie green and quiet in the hinterland.

Villas and fincas here stand on slopes facing the bay, in stone hamlets above Valldemossa, in the valleys of Esporles and Puigpunyent and as country estates at the foot of the Galatzó. They are mostly old houses with thick walls, an inner courtyard and terraced gardens, sensitively modernised, with a pool where the cistern once stood. Sandy beaches are scarce on this coast, but there are shingle coves such as Port des Canonge, Cala Estellencs and Cala Banyalbufar, and a sea that murmurs beneath the terrace at night.

Palma is only 20 to 30 minutes away and the airport 30 to 45, which makes the area attractive to guests who want to combine city and mountains. Locally: walks to Sa Foradada and along the Camí de s'Arxiduc, the Sunday market in Valldemossa, the La Granja estate at Esporles, wine tasting in Banyalbufar and golf at Son Termens near Bunyola. Florian Settele knows every house in person and will tell you where the drive is steep and where you can watch the sun set from the terrace.