Looking for a quick escape to recharge, recalibrate, restore and return renewed?

Ibiza is the answer.

Ibiza is, of course, the answer to many questions such as ‘Where can I go to party for three days and nights on the bounce?’  Judging by the demeanour of 80% of our flight companions, they will also have asked themselves that question and found ‘Ibiza’ to be the answer. 

Ibiza is, of course, known for its dusk-till-dawn hazy hedonism, but in recent years, the island's original spirit, soul, and bohemian character has drawn a new (or indeed, slightly older returning) visitor in search of a quiet, restful, and distinctly more grown-up experience.

The goal of every holiday is, after all, to leave feeling better than you arrived.  So, with that in mind, we leave our four kids, dog, two businesses and full-on lives to escape to the white isle for a large dose of ‘healthy hedonism’.

For two days, we’re going where the A-listers recharge and retreat: Atzaró Agrotourism Hotel and Spa.

An easy three-and-a-half-hour flight from Edinburgh, followed by a 25-minute whizz in a taxi to San Lorenzo in the north of the island, and we’ve arrived at our heavenly hideaway feeling a million miles away from the beats and buzz of the dancefloors (which we did actually find ourselves on a few weeks previously…).

Nestled at the foot of the Atzaró mountain, against a lush backdrop of Sabina and pine tree forests, the hotel is built on the site of a 300-year-old finca.  The sprawling, secluded estate is 13 hectares of thriving farmland, fragrant orange groves, tropical palms and Mediterranean herb and fruit gardens.

Climbing roses and cascading bougainvillaea cover the original finca, which has been converted and developed by the fourth generation of the Gausch family. Black-and-white photos of the family, whose legacy is now talked about and written about all over the world, adorn the walls of what has become an Ibizan institution (if you know, you know…).

The hotel is luxurious, serene, and secluded: a ‘respectful hush’, an under-the-radar destination that has made it a favourite of celebrities and A-listers ranging from Rihanna and Shakira to actress Kate Hudson and the Fendi family.

The hotel has 24 individual suites: 10 near the original finca with a rustic, authentic Ibizan feel, and 14 hillside villas and suites in a private, elevated position with a more modern design.

My husband and I have a vast but cosy suite (September in Ibiza can bring a slight chill at night), with a covered, private terrace shaded by an orange tree.  Polished terracotta floors stretch from the suite’s charmingly rustic lounge and fireplace past a four-poster bed and beyond, into our natural marble bathroom.

I’m gently struck by the intricate craftsmanship and authentic aesthetics of the interiors, which pay homage to the hotel’s rural heritage, creating the feeling of being somewhere back in time: the 300-year-old Sabina tree roof beams, teak four-poster bed dressed in crisp white linen, the locally crafted furniture and lighting and mother-of-pearl inlaid doors. 

The Atzaró Design team sources items which fit with the energy of the spaces within the hotel, creating a unique feel from the bedrooms to the outdoor spaces, the restaurant to the spa.  The welcome table, which, unusually, has been carved from the roots of the tree, is an item like no other.  Perhaps this is why everything here has a strange air of serendipity, a sense of things being ‘meant to be’.

The connection to nature is 360 degrees strong, and a unique energy washes over each of the senses as you meander through the village like whitewashed pathways and tiptoe across the lilypad pond stepping stones.  The air is filled with the tranquil sounds of palms swaying in the wind; a family of peacocks strut majestically across the gardens, rustling their tails and displaying their plumage.  The soothing sound of trickling water is all around; there are nine pools dotted throughout the estate (one is 43 metres long).  Body and soul are filled with the gentle warmth from the fiery red earth as you wander through the three-hectare vegetable garden, home to passion fruits, apples, avocados, papayas, lemons, pomegranates, limes and oranges, cucumbers, lettuces, tomatoes and herbs.

After a dreamy wander through the grounds, cocoon yourself in the Atzaró spa for an otherworldly experience in one of the carved wooden treatment rooms.  Immerse yourself in a vinyasa flow yoga session in one of the spa temples, detox in the sauna and renew your skin cells with a soapy scrub in the hammam.

Emerge in a blissful, zen-like ‘zero worries’ state, float through the spa and herb gardens (the botanicals provide the ingredients for the organic Atzaró Spa product range) and spread out on one of Atzaró’s famous giant outdoor four-poster daybeds, where I promise, you’ll be asleep within minutes.

Food is one of the hotel's strongest points.  Ex-River Café chef and food consultant, James Adams, famous for his work with Somerset House, Heckfield Place and some of London’s top restaurant kitchens, partnered with the Atzaró team earlier this year to launch a new concept for the hotel’s restaurants.

The farm-to-fork Mediterranean menu at the hotel’s main restaurant, La Veranda, connects every dish with nature; organic vegetables, fruits and herbs are plucked daily from the Atzaró Vegetable Garden. 

Simplicity and taste are key features of the menu; the Seabass Citrus Ceviche on our first evening was a truly uplifting, zesty experience, the grilled beef fillet with sage sauce, roasted potato and sweet potato a beautifully warming dish and harissa roasted carrots with tahini yoghurt and pistachios a deliciously moreish side. 

The breakfast buffet offers a selection of fruits, pastries, meats, cheeses, yoghurts, cereals, fresh juices and Cava.  The menu features a range of healthy options such as coconut chia pudding with mango and strawberries, acai banana bowls with pomegranate, smoked salmon with avocado on toast, eggs any way you like it and a rich, smoky, spicy Shakshuka, which my husband and I chose.

A two-day trip to Atzaró is an authentically restorative, blissful bohemian break; a truly uplifting, mellow and restful experience in the most idyllic, quiet and exclusive surroundings. We decompressed, nourished our bodies, souls and senses with uninterrupted time to connect with nature (and each other) and returned home, ready to turn the volume back up on life.