Sergi Olmedo
The majestic Grand Hotel Son Net has a wonderful location in Puigpunyent and is set amid the foothills of the Tramuntana mountains. This old family estate dates from 1672 and was converted into a hotel 25 years ago. It has belonged to the prestigious Cortesín Hotel chain since last year, and today is a food-lover’s heaven. Mallorcan chef Sergi Olmedo is in charge of designing the hotel’s different menus and its flagship restaurant, Mar & Duix, showcases his cooking. The product, local suppliers, and sustainability are the key concepts Olmedo worked with to create his menus, and his aim was to offer diners a taste of the extraordinary land around Son Net.
Sophistication, serenity, and privacy
The lush gardens, private malvasia vineyard and ecological farmland at exclusive hotel Son Net invite its guests to luxuriate in the authentic spirit of the Mediterranean and to placidly experience all the pleasures that make life worth living. The beautiful surroundings are an irresistible call to enjoy the luxury of unwinding in the heart of nature.
Meticulously refurbished by renowned interior designer Lorenzo Castillo, each space at Son Net has been designed to emphasise the manor house’s original features, such as its rustic beams, beautiful stone floors, and old fireplaces. It’s impossible not to fall in love with its elegant 17th century interior courtyard, spring well, and private chapel. Son Net has countless magical spots that are a destination in themselves. Sophistication, elegance, serenity, and privacy: Son Net is the highest form of Mediterranean luxury. It provides its guests with the exclusive opportunity to enjoy the Mallorcan lifestyle from the relaxing waters of a private swimming pool or the peace of its exclusive drawing rooms and splendid gardens.
In search of the island’s flavours
From aperitifs and cocktails served throughout the day to dishes of Mallorcan haute cuisine, Son Net is a genuine culinary destination, and lovers of fine dining should make a pilgrimage to this temple of good food to taste the authentic flavours of the island.
Inspired by the old olive oil mills typically found on Mallorcan estates, Mar & Duix, Son Net’s gourmet restaurant, has impressive six-metre-high ceilings and an elegant terrace where diners can enjoy the finest local produce, much of which was grown on the hotel’s land. A Km 0 philosophy and sustainability are the two concepts around which all the hotel’s food revolves, dishes at Mar & Duix in particular.
“Mar & Duix is our gourmet restaurant but I wouldn’t describe it as fine dining because we don’t serve a tasting menu, for example. We work with a menu and daily recommendations. Our philosophy is the product, and keeping the product seasonal. We aim to ensure that the menu follows the seasons, and that the product is as fresh as possible,” explains Sergi Olmedo. He adds: “Mar & Duix isn’t a Mallorcan restaurant as such. We don’t want to make traditional Mallorcan food by following recipes to the letter. What we do is try to express the land through local produce, using local recipes, our memories, and our experiences. We want to make customers feel the land. It’s as if we wanted to cook the local environment and bring it to the table,” he explains. And there’s nothing like a fine wine to make the Tramuntana landscape taste even better. Mar & Duix has a wine cellar with over 300 labels and a sommelier who guides diners to the wine that best suits their preferences.
We want to make customers feel the land. It’s as if we wanted to cook the local environment and bring it to the table
In turn, Gazebo is Son Net’s more casual restaurant. It has an open kitchen so that diners can see market-bought ingredients be transformed into delightful dishes before their eyes, and its relaxed atmosphere by the pool makes it the perfect place to lie back and enjoy the spectacular views of picturesque Puigpunyent valley from the estate. “Barbecuing is the order of the day at Gacebo. We have a Josper oven and cook fresh, seasonal produce (vegetables, meat, fish, rice dishes, etc.), always respecting its purity. The concept is a little more casual,” continues head chef Olmedo.
In addition to the two restaurants, the hotel has a 24-hour bar, Green Bar, where customers can enjoy a careful selection of aperitifs and tapas, and classic dishes that celebrate the opulence of local food. Green Bar has a large terrace for sunny days and a cosy lounge with a fireplace for cooler moments. Its menu of signature cocktails and impressive wine cellar make Green Bar the perfect spot to savour the island’s endless contrasts.
Local suppliers and sustainability
Sustainability is a byword at each of the Son Net restaurants. To achieve it, the hotel has a small kitchen garden where it grows seasonal vegetables, and malvasia vines that it uses to produce its own wine. “We place great emphasis on using local suppliers, and sustainability. We’ll soon start to produce compost for organic matter,” Olmedo continues, explaining that, for his team and him, “the concept of sourcing from the island is based on being committed to local products to boost regional growth, and trying to support artisans and small producers.”
This approach is demonstrated by the fact that Son Net’s restaurants work with a high percentage of local farmers. “We’re always looking for producers who work with single products. Instead of having one supplier for everything, we work with lots of small producers. That really helps us to define our identity and to make us stand out from other restaurants,” Olmedo explains. For the chef, sustainability is synonymous with finding these first-class products on the island, and making sure that they are produced in a way that is sustainable, ecological, environmentally-friendly, and protects animal welfare. “At Son Net, we put local produce at the heart of things and are then open to regional, Spanish, and international suppliers, but always look for Mediterranean products,” Olmedo concludes.
