Imaginary Friend

Cristine Bedfor is charming, graceful, and generous. She’s a true bohemian and, if you find yourself in Menorca, a trustworthy confidant. She’s also a hotel.

Cristine Bedfor is the type of person you can talk to. Someone you’d stay up late into the night laughing with. Her passion for hosting friends and travelers runs deep, and is the inspiration for this fascinating hotel of the same name. The whole property bursts with Bedfor’s very specific sense of style — her favorite antiques and art pieces meshing in a wonderfully bohemian jumble of colors and patterns.

She is the muse that informs every aspect of the hotel. She doesn’t exist.

You can call her a character or an imaginary friend. More succinctly, she is the English alter ego of Cristina Lozano, a Spanish entrepreneur who set out to execute her dream project in one of her favorite places: the Menorcan capital of Mahon.

Built around the pleasant surprise of a flourishing garden, Lozano’s hotel is a design oasis in the city’s historic center, not far removed from the secret coves and turquoise beaches that draw travelers to the most laid-back of the Balearic Islands. Cristine Bedfor is quirky and full of passion. You might use the very same adjectives for Lozano.

Of course, that’s the opposite of a coincidence. The hotel takes after Cristina because the hotel is Cristina (with apologies to any of her partners in the endeavor). She’d have named it Cristina Lozano, she told us one morning, except it didn’t have the right ring to it.

“I am Cristine Bedfor,” she says, “but it’s not my name — and I’m not British.”

A certain Britishness for the character is no trivial backstory. Not only does Cristine Bedfor acknowledge the history of Menorca as a British possession, but it embodies the exact sense of hospitality to which Lozano aspires.

The real-life Cristina wanted her 21-room boutique to feel more or less like a cozy bed and breakfast in the English countryside, only with a lot more going on. There is a pool, bar, and restaurant, as well as spa treatments, a corner shop, and ready-made kits for guests to grab and take to the beach. But it retains the small scale feel and personal touch of one woman’s dreamy country inn.

If it seems a little fantastical, well, that’s the point. The entire operation here is a delightful flight of fancy, from the English-influenced artwork (portraits and floral prints) to the mishmash of antiques and colors.

“Every Sunday I go and have a look, and I buy here and there,” says the original Cristina, who scours the flea markets and shops of Menorca, Madrid, and Paris and buys with little idea of where they’ll fit into the hotel. She then presents them to interior designer Lorenzo Castillo, who makes sure the eclectic tastes blend together with a professional touch.

That’s the magic of Cristine Bedfor. That sense of personal taste and whimsy that comes from Lozano’s vivid imagination and bold swings, mixed with the touch of an expert. And it works. After just three months in operation in 2021, Lozano told us, she had already become genuine friends with many of her guests. And just as the fictional Bedfor would hope, those guests come back again and again.

 
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Nuts & Bolts

A bite-sized breakdown of your most frequently asked questions about Cristine Bedfor.

Who comes here?
Couples and friends, international guests and locals — anyone with a taste for a high quality design aesthetic and a friendly, personal vibe. An ideal base from which to get to know Menorca.

When’s the best time to visit?
Summer’s the busy season and the best time for beach lovers, but spring and autumn make for beautiful scenery and temperate weather — and you don’t need blistering temperatures to enjoy the island’s wonderful hiking. Cristine Bedfor is open all year, save for January and February.

What else is there to do in the area?
Beaches and sea, but if you just come for that — you’re missing out.

“If you really think that you’re going to Menorca to have a lovely swim on very clear water, you will, but you will miss a lot of things,” as owner Cristina Lozano puts it.

Among those things: historic monuments, picturesque lighthouses, a historic hiking trail that encircles the entire island, local artisans and studios, and a myriad of restaurants serving Menorca’s famous lobster. At the start of your trip, Cristine Bedfor may recommend a walking tour with a local guide to tell you the story of historic Menorca. Take it.

Best room for a solo traveler? A couple? A family?
Each room is uniquely decorated and delightful, and most fit two guests — with suites that include a couch in addition to the king bed. Larger parties are easily and happily accommodated with adjoining rooms.

What’s a design feature I would miss if you didn’t tell me about it?
Nearly every piece in the hotel was selected personally by Cristina Lozano, the owner who essentially is Cristine Bedfor. Three of her favorite pieces are the tapestries that reside in a hallway, the library, and dining room — all bought together during Lozano’s first trip for the project to the famous El Rastro flea market in Madrid. One depicts a horse, one the sea, and another shows a party. When you cross paths with Lozano, ask her about them and watch her light up at the memory of the discovery.

What’s there to eat?
Local chef Pau Sintes serves breakfast, brunch, and cocktails in the hotels’ own garden, meals in the Pool Bar, and dinners on the patio. Expect locally sourced Mediterranean cuisine, with no shortage of delicacies like Mahon cheese, figs, honey, sausage, octopus, squid, and the freshest catches of the day.

Anything to say about sustainability?
Menorca is one of the most protected islands on our radar — in 1993, UNESCO made the entire place a biosphere reserve, and the culture here is one of sustainable development. The hotel takes its part in that seriously. The garden has been meticulously grown to include only local plants, with some switched out in favor of ones that need less water, and the hotel works closely with the Menorca Preservation foundation to support local producers and sustainable consumption practices, as well as several other local initiatives.

What’s the final word?
A wonderfully personal, miraculously creative introduction to Menorca — this may be the ideal of the small boutique hotel.

 
Book Cristine Bedfor on Tablet Hotels.