Local's Guide to Deià, Mallorca: Matthew Williamson

Everyone who comes to Mallorca ends up in the Serra de Tramuntana eventually, and they all become slightly evangelical about it. Me, included. Though it’s easy to understand why. The mountain range that runs along the northwest coast of the island is the dramatic, rugged counterpoint to the rest of Mallorca, with vertiginous cliffs dropping into the sea, ancient olive groves terraced into the hillsides forming paths that have understandably become a hikers paradise, and the tiny stone villages (most notably, Deià) dominating every conversation and stealing the spotlight in every travel guide you’ve ever read. The light up there is different too; it’s golden, cinematic, and quickly makes you forgive every cliché ever written about the place; it explains why writers and artists have been making pilgrimages to this part of Mallorca for decades.

Legendary designer Matthew Williamson fell under the same spell that has seduced artists and dreamers for decades when he stumbled upon Mallorca in 2015. “Like many, I was taken by the rugged landscape as you approach Deià,” he tells me. “I remember my shoulders dropping in the car on my first trip.” I’ll admit, the coastal road that threads through the Serra de Tramuntana is one of my favorite drives in Europe. “The following year, I became a parent, so Deià not only became instantly inspiring for my work, but it also suited my family and marked the start of a new chapter,” he explains. After three decades of a relentless fashion career in London, splitting his time between his own namesake label and the creative director role at Emilio Pucci, he was ready for a slower pace, settling into Deià with his family, where he’s lived for ten years now. “Village life in my 50s suits me very well,” he muses.

Since then, he’s channeled his energy into design projects, collaborations, and even designing a signature suite for Belmond La Residencia just up the road. This season, he took it a step further, expanding his universe into a shop in the village that is, in many ways, the culmination of everything he’s built: a single, joyful space where his eye for color, pattern, and craftsmanship converges into something entirely his own. I wrote more about it for T Magazine’s T List, which I’ll let you read in full here.

Below, I asked him to share some of his favorite local spots in Deià…

The friendships I’ve made. It’s taken time but I now have way more friends than ever before. Deià attracts an eclectic bunch of people, but the common thread is creativity. We know poets, painters, musicians, ceramic artists, and so on. It’s this wonderful mix that I love most as no two days feel the same. There’s always something fun happening in Deià.

Coffee on my terrace with views out to the Mediterranean and the village of Deià.
Maybe a dip in Cala de Deià early morning before everyone else gets there.
Lunch at Hotel Corazón.
A visit to my store Caserra71 to check everything’s okay and remerchandise the stock.
Back home to work on paintings in my studio.
Cocktails at hotel Sa Pedrissa for the most amazing views and dinner at Balm with friends.
And soon: Barracó, the new bar in town owned by my friends, opens this summer.

We like to walk around the coast on the weekends. There are so many trails you can take from Valldemossa through Deià and on to Sóller.
Hotel Corazón is now a new favorite spot for food, and my shop is open now and I find myself in there every other day as I’m enjoying meeting people and seeing how things are going.
Just opposite is Grøenk Deià where you can get a good steak and chips.
Cala Muleta and Cala Alconàsser are both good secret spots for swimming.
Finca Son Mico is a great house up in the hills for afternoon tea.

I love going to a place called Cala Fornells, a very pretty cove with a cute little village.