The lovely rural tourism hotel Can Planells sits in an authentic Ibicenco house and its estate, located near the town of Sant Miquel de Balansat, in the municipality of Sant Joan de Labritja, north of the island.
Ibicenco houses are pure simplicity. Sober architecture that has used traditional wisdom and has passed down from father to son, seeking during the past for subsistence and practicality. Popularly known as “casas payesas” (rustic farmhouse), the Ibicenco houses have its origins during the Punic culture, although Arab influence can be seen as well.
Formerly, when a new house was being built, Ibicenco people followed a rigurous planning. The house had to be located in a high surface to avoid humidity and torrential rain, with a slight incline, leaving the mountain behind it, so it would be protected from the North wind. The entry always looks south to perceive sunlight continuously and assisted by its thick walls, which help to keep a cool temperature during summer and a warm temperature in the winter.
Simple architecture, a rectangular plant and straight lines which start with a main space to which other rooms were attached depending on the different needs: bedrooms, kitchens, storehouses or sheds. The ceilings covered with Juniper beams and flat roofs to gather rainwater which was channeled through a cistern for its consumption and use.
The walls are whitewashed and thick, and are sometimes naked, exposing the stones which are built with through small colored windows which are narrower in the exterior side than in the inside, emulating a fortress with porch arches (“porxo” or “porxet” in Ibicenco), a great main wooden door and a façade looking south.
Around the “casa payesa”, A landscape filled with crop fields arranged in stone wall terraced plots so characteristic in Ibiza.
Can Planells conserves these strokes of authenticity and architectural Ibicenco tradition, to which are added all types of modern accommodation facilities, just like its lovely pool with a wide solarium equipped with practical and modern furniture. Or its nice terrace, where delicious breakfasts are served. But without question, the façade is one of the house’s main attractions, painted in ochre colors that remind of the red lands of the island of Ibiza.
Traditional Ibiza architecture in full nature, with great views to the Sant Miquel valleys. Genuine Ibiza.
