From Branson to Nadal – big names are investing millions in Mallorca

Forget the parties and tacky tourism around Magaluf. Celebrities and luxury hotel chains are putting up brass plates across one of Spain’s favourite Balearic Islands.

Jane Knight

Apr 3, 2024 – 5.00am

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It was love at first sight for Sir Richard Branson. When the Virgin group founder first set eyes (more than 25 years ago) on the sprawling Son Bunyola Estate running down to Mallorca’s north-west coast from the Tramuntana mountains, he knew “immediately [he] wanted to bring it back to life”.

But rarely does the course of true love run smoothly. After years of seeking the relevant permits to develop the estate – during which time he sold, then repurchased the property – finally, in June last year, his 26-room hotel opened in the grounds of his 16th-century finca, or country estate.