A Vision of Renewal: The Story Behind the Vestige Collection
February 29, 2024 by Hidden Doorways
From Ruins to Renewal
The Restoration of Palacio de Figueras
It began with a palace. Close to 500 years of history can be traced across what were crumbling walls and gardens ensnared in roots within a sheltered spot of unspoiled coastline on the glittering Eo estuary. But then a family came upon it, realizing they’d found what they’d been searching for. A building frozen in time, calling out to be nurtured back to its former glory. A building to rescue and restore to royal standard. The project took eleven years of thoughtful restoration before it opened its doors to those who appreciate secrets, who delight in detail, who crave privacy, and who value kind, honorable intentions.
Palacio de Figueras was the preface to the Vestige Collection story. A palace now transformed into a stunning private estate by the company’s husband and wife founders Victor and Maria. Surrounded by lush gardens on Spain’s northern coast, a stay at Palacio de Figueras offers an intimate connection to the country’s historic past. Complete with 11 majestic bedrooms, spacious common areas, high-end kitchens, and modern bathrooms, the property has every comfort one could hope for while retaining the charm and character of its venerable roots.
Custodians of Culture
The Family Force Behind Vestige
Over the last 15 years, the Madera Fernandez family has scoured the Spanish landscape to carefully select a portfolio of 25 extraordinary sites ripe for regeneration. From abandoned 13th-century castles to early 20th-century modernist builds, theirs is a quest to safeguard sites of exceptional architectural, environmental, and cultural significance.
With two of their daughters also part of the team, this is a family who’s made it their mission to rescue from oblivion and restore with integrity, granting a second lease of life to buildings that may have otherwise been forgotten forevermore.
Along Came Son Vell
Unveiling The First Vestige Hotel
An 18th-century Italianate-style Menorcan manor house, the newly opened Vestige Son Vell is another story of detailed restoration. Bringing together historians, curators, designers, architects and artists, the Madera Fernandez family delicately coaxed the 180-acres of grounds and the historic marés sandstone walls of all five farm buildings into a new era.
Soon, the farmland would once again be alive with citrus trees and olive groves, and an organic vegetable garden would thrive to feed grateful guests. The original wood, limestone, and clay features of the building’s exterior would be resurrected. And the interiors would blossom again, softly speaking to the Venetian lilt of the main house but with whispers of contemporary design too to wrap residents in sumptuous comfort, endless elegance, and a sense of complete serenity.
Son Vell’s 33 tranquil suites and bedrooms are set within a verdant 7-acre enclave on the estate with rose gardens and landscaped grounds to look out onto.
Among the hotel’s expansive facilities are two pools – one the original 18th-century feature and the other larger and more modern – surrounded by custom-made Balinese daybeds; two dining options to nourish from dawn til dusk; a Pétanque pitch and Pilates terrace; a star-studded cinema experience; and an open invitation to roam the island’s whitewashed villages, rippling hills and shores speckled with white and golden sands await.
There’s a ribbon of excitement that you’ll feel when staying here. People share the same spark in their eyes. They pass unspoken thoughts of – are you feeling what I’m feeling? Here, you retreat and leave renewed, much like the building itself.
Sensitive. Subtle. Sublime.
The Hallmarks of a Vestige Property
What unites all these endeavors is a commitment to authentic restorations that respect the original identity of the building. The design team harmoniously blends past and present, using materials true to the era and craftspeople local to the area but with modern touches and sustainable measures woven in, such as warming underfloor heating beneath aged flagstone floors.
To them, buildings are to be read. They don’t dictate, they dissect and listen to each element of the property, protecting the land and those who they share it with to rejuvenate the riches as a collective effort.
And because of that gentle, respectful approach, the result is not just a building of great beauty, but a community and a team that feels connected, hearts full of pride. To stay at a Vestige property is to feel that. You’re part of a secret. You’re experiencing something special. It’s warm. It’s welcoming. It’s all that quiet luxury should be.
On The Horizon
Vestige Jewels to Come
With 25 historic properties under their custodianship at present, Vestige will gradually unfold to reveal 12 hotels and 13 private estates over time. All carefully chosen, guests will enjoy privileged access to Spanish coastlines, unrivalled views, and captivating expanses of land previously out of reach to visitors.
Later this year, Santa Ana will be completed – a six-room private home in southern Menorca, followed by another exclusive-use property (Miramar) in Mallorca with a stunning location directly next to the Palma Cathedral. Two sister hotels, Son Ermitá and Binidufá, contrasting in style but within one estate, are being developed in a deeply rural Menorcan location with exceptional coastal access. They will join the growing collection in 2025.
Contact:
Vestige
Email: info@vestigecollection.com
Website: www.vestigecollection.com
