History
1988 – 1995 Creation of a Fantasy
How often have we dreamed of escaping the grind of every day work? Of finding a grand house somewhere in the heart of the Mediterranean that had fallen into ruin. And how we would buy the house, restore it to its former glory, fill it with wonderful antique furniture and porcelain, have an artist paint exquisite murals on the walls and then sit back and invite everyone to come and share the beauty with us? This is the dream but for one man the dream become a reality.
Vivian Read was a solicitor with a busy practice in London and a holiday cottage in the village of Alaró here in Mallorca. Every time he drove to Palma he would take the quiet road through to Santa María passing the old Ca´n Moragues estate. Clearly the estate house, dating back 500 years, was not occupied and was falling more and more into disrepair. In 1988 the estate came up for sale and with not too much thought of the problems ahead he decided to give up his career, move to Mallorca with his family, buy the estate and convert it into a hotel.
SEVEN years and many heartaches later the project was finally completed and Read’s luxury hotel and restaurant opened its doors to the public.