Behind an electronically-operated steel entrance door, a stillness pervades the air so soft even birds seem to sing their tunes lightly.
Such is the aura of tranquility at Fontsanta Hotel Thermal Spa & Wellness, a 36-room 19th-century holiday retreat deep in the Mallorcan countryside. A short drive from the sandy beaches of Es Trenc, Ses Covetes and Sa Rapita, the hotel sits near Campos in the southern part of the island.
As the gate slowly opens, a bucolic vista presents itself: a wide expanse of manicured lawns with wicker seats, gleaming waters from two open-air swimming pools and a series of Jacuzzis complete with double day beds. Beyond lie the salt flats of Es Salobrar de Campos, alternate ponds and fingers of land that are home to hundreds of bird species.
Straight ahead along a pebbled-pathway are sandstone buildings containing hotel bedrooms and the Balearic island’s only thermal-waters spa. Now owned by the Cosmet family, the spa has been in use since the Roman era 2,000 years ago when they’d extract salt, then known as ‘white gold’ by channeling sea-water into salt-pans. Spa treatments continued through the Middle Ages and in 1869 the waters were officially approved for public use.
Heated thousands of meters below the surface, the waters emerge at around 38 degrees Celsius and contain high levels of minerals such as chlorine, sodium, magnesium, calcium and potassium, all having restorative and healing properties on skin and the blood and lymphatic systems.
Entrance into the main building is past an airy lobby and a relaxation room complete with a cozy fireside decorated with artifacts handed down through generations of the Cosmet family. These include some interesting pieces, including Castellano furniture, an Isabelino chair with a false bottom (used in childbirth), a Canterano chest and an embroidered rebosillo (traditional headscarf). Dangling from the ceiling is an original oil-lamp dating from the 1800s. A modern sculpture hangs intriguingly from a nearby ceiling.