8 Best Hotels in Ibiza and the Balearic Islands, Spain

A countryside setting on a hillside overlooking a valley makes this lovely late-19th-century manor house a quiet escape in a lively destination, with photo-ready views of Ibiza's highest mountain (1,567-foot Sa Talaiassa). Open year-round, this intimate hotel is only about 11 km (7 miles) from the beach and main attractions, but it places a premium on privacy—which is why celebrities like Richard Gere and Claudia Schiffer have been known to vacation here. There's a monitored gate at the driveway, and the Mediterranean-style restaurant (which uses homegrown organic products) and spa (offering a mix of Eastern and Western therapies) are available exclusively for guests. The airy, rustic guest rooms with wood-beam ceilings are gracefully furnished, each in a different style, and bathrooms have Moroccan-style tiling. Bicycle tours and sailing charters can be arranged if you're up for leaving the idyllic grounds.

Built in 1811 by a Spanish ship captain, this casa señorial (town house) in the heart of Mahón was lovingly restored by architect and co-owner Fernando Pons as a boutique hotel. The restoration preserved even the original tower and its widow's walk. Rooms have queen-size beds, high ceilings with exposed beams, working fireplaces and wood-burning stoves (a plus in Menorca's blustery winters), original tile floors and antique furniture, ample stall showers, and deep oval tubs. Luxurious extras include robes and slippers, towel warmers, and huge mirrors. Dinner is served from Thursday to Sunday, and the café offers breakfast, brunch, and afternoon tea daily. The best room is No. 1, with a private terrace overlooking the interior patio.

Situated not too far from Palma near the UNESCO-protected Tramuntana Mountains, Castell Son Claret is a paradise. Rooms here are expensive, but they are entirely worth it. Most have a cottage-like feel where you can spend your entire holiday in one and not want to leave. The on-site Michelin-starred restaurant, Sa Clastra, is a treat. Make sure to grab a reservation before it gets full. Book a table during summer months to sit in the outdoor patio and have a perfect alfresco dining moment.

A favorite way station for groups of cyclists touring the island, the Son Sant Jordi is a small, family-friendly gem of a boutique hotel, formerly the convent of the adjacent Church of Sant Jordi. The palm-shaded patio garden in back is a delight, with orange and lemon trees, a small pool, and a fishpond. Guest rooms have antique furniture, king-size four-poster canopy beds, ceramic-tile floors, exposed-stone walls, and ceiling beams. Full amenities include robes and slippers. The best room in the house is No. 4, "Les Aguilas." Book for a week, and the hotel will arrange free transfers from and to the airport.

Just across the tram tracks from the train station, this former home still feels much like a family hideaway. The lobby is a cheerful clutter of bric-a-brac (sconces, candelabra, bronze heads, novelty teapots); guest rooms are light and airy, with antique furniture, walls in white or Mediterranean blue, exposed beams on the ceilings, and original terra-cotta floors. The bathrooms are ample, with robes and standard amenities. Ask for the Terrace Room, which overlooks the garden.

Inside the medieval walls, this intimate hillside hotel has fine views of the old town and the harbor from some rooms. Painted in soothing pastel blues and yellows and accented with exciting art and antiques, all have four-poster beds draped in white canopies; ask for a third-floor room to get the view. The little roof terrace offers a chill-out space with Moroccan-style sofas.

Warm Mediterranean tones and crisp, clean lines give this boutique hotel in the center of the shopping district an atmosphere very different from anything else in the city. Occupying a 16th-century former Episcopal palace, it has rooms with linen curtains and plump comforters, and bathrooms with posh amenities. From the terrace in the tower, you have a 360-degree view of Palma's old quarter.

An avenue lined with chinaberry and fig trees leads to this lovely restored farmhouse with environmental credentials, including some solar power and organic produce from the farm. Inside, it has retained many old features—an excellent upstairs suite has an oratory—and a row of adjoining stables has been converted to additional accommodation with individual terraces. The family proprietors are opera aficionados, so all rooms are named after composers. On the first floor, public spaces feel calm and relaxing thanks to modern blond-wood furnishings, while the excellent restaurant (also open to the public) serves meals on the deck in good weather: reserve ahead.