Mallorca: Cool and calm

Minimalism is the choice of the rich and famous when it comes to buying a home in Mallorca

Ground-breaking, that is, in both innovation and excavation. Innovation, because the designer development in Cala Llamp near Andratx, in the salubrious south-western corner inhabited by the beautiful likes of Claudia Schiffer, Pierce Brosnan and, er, Jaspar Carrott, is the first minimalist apartment block in Mallorca.

And excavation, because this gravity-defying project requires bulldozing through 1,000 tonnes of the hardest kind of rock on a site 135m above a particularly blue and sparkling sea. Building on such unfeasible gradients is nothing new in Andratx. If you want a priceless, uninterrupted sea view, you'll need a JCB balanced 10 metres up a precarious mound of rubble.

But Alejando Von Waberer, the young Mexican architect in charge of turning Las Vistas' rocky mount into a minimalist triumph, admits the site poses some additional challenges.

"Everyone wants their house to be frontline, so we're used to the topography," he says, "but it is very difficult to work with this kind of terrain, especially now that the Government has clamped down on obtrusive building which covers entire mountainsides."

Then there's all that rock, which Von Waberer predicts will take a year to break through. "We can't use dynamite because the neighbours wouldn't welcome lumps of rock flying into their gardens, so we've installed a 25-tonne machine which resembles a bulldozer with a giant spike on the end," he explains. "It vibrates to break the rock in a clean line, then we use an expanding concrete to fill the gaps."

While minimalist chic is all the rage in Mallorca's capital, Palma, with hotels such as El Convent de la Missió and Puro, and bars such as Minimal, this crisp, clean look is a first for anything residential larger than individual houses - and a big departure from Bendinat's signature style, which is more multi-coloured Mediterranean "pueblo".

When complete in 2007, Las Vistas will consist of 11 apartments and six penthouses in six chic blocks, with one property per floor so there is no-one to bother you next door.

"The term 'minimalism' is overused commercially," says Von Waberer. "For me, it simply means the lack of architectural ornamentation such as fake arches or pillars that serve no purpose. Ours is a functional, rational kind of minimalism. Every feature is there for a reason and all the materials are 100 per cent natural."

Unlike, perhaps, the rich and famous who may buy them, these properties - says their architect - are "buildings without make-up. They are designed to make the most of their natural characteristics and to age well."

He adds: "With this development, the protagonist is the sea." Metal pillars on the terraces have been designed specially so as not to block the views. Huge south-facing windows break up the white exteriors and every property has terraces, lawns and a Jacuzzi. There is even - miraculously, given the terrain - a large infinity pool on the upper level.

Interiors will be akin to a five-star hotel, with lots of white marble, local stone and high quality German appliances. "Everything will be as open-plan as possible. We have specially designed metal pillars on the terraces so as not to block the views of the sea," says Von Waberer.

"The market is crying out for minimalism," says Andrew Spence, Bendinat's Marketing Director. "In the 90s, everyone slipped into a Mediterranean daze and wanted everything in apricot or yellow with lots of cushions. With Las Vistas, it's all about neutral colours, teak wood floors, decking outside and glass and stainless steel facades."

At around €1.3m (£929,000) for a three-bedroom apartment, buyers as Las Vistas are likely to be wealthy, foreign individuals or couples wanting a supremely high quality holiday home. And if Bendinat's other projects are a measure, there won't be any problem shifting them.

While mainland Spain's holiday coasts have seen property sales slump, Mallorca has bucked the trend and remained remarkably buoyant, up 15 per cent in the past year, with British buyers now the dominant force in the absence of German investors.

"Mallorca's resilience can be explained by the limited number of new developments on the island, keeping supply tight and prices high, and for continuing to manage well its upmarket reputation, which gives it an edge when it comes to attracting wealthy buyers," says Mark Stucklin of information website Spanish Property Insight.

It's not only the seriously moneyed who can afford to buy off-plan in Mallorca. At Las Adelfas, another Bendinat creation in nearby Santa Ponsa, prices start at €250,000 (£179,000). So far, 56 of the 100 apartments have already been sold, predominantly to British buyers, with a smattering of Swedes and Spaniards.

In more traditional Bendinat style, Las Adelfas has a range of apartment blocks in bold blues, pinks, greens and yellows set around a vast swimming pool and lawns. Port Adriano marina, with shops and restaurants, is a short walk away, there will soon be cafés and banks on site, and Santa Ponsa's country club with sporting facilities and a spa is 10 minutes away by car.

Those who bought early can pride themselves at having snaffled the best prices, but there is the snag of having to wait till 2007 before the builders stop banging and the greenery has grown enough to provide some privacy from the neighbours.

This doesn't seem to bother Stuart and Gina Cooper. These retired property developers from Ipswich bought an off-plan, three-bedroom apartment in Las Adelfas in January for €425,000 (£304,000) - and are already enjoying monthly holidays there.

Having holidayed often at Bendinat's first development, the swanky Anchorage Club which opened 25 years ago and became a favourite of the likes of Anoushka Hempel and Princess Margaret, the Coopers' ears pricked up when they heard about Las Adelfas.

"We knew the builder and Bendinat's reputation so we were happy to run with it," says Cooper. "We were thinking about moving to France, but everything closes down on the Mediterranean coast there in the winter.

"In Mallorca it's still beautifully warm and the restaurants stay open all year. Also, the facilities at Las Adelfas are very impressive. It has the biggest swimming pool I've ever seen and the fittings are as high a standard as you would have at home - not what you would expect from a holiday house."

Bendinat bought Las Adelfas as a bank repo, with the basic structures already in place - a bonus for buyers, says Andrew. Spence. "It means that even though you are buying off-plan, you can already see the shell of your apartment and you can see what the finished apartments look like.

"When buying off-plan it's a good idea to look at older developments so see how they age," Spence also advises. "Gardens take four or five years to mature, but Bendinat is unusual in landscaping gardens while they are building so you have less time to wait."

Shifting planning laws and buyers tastes have seen Bendinat adjust the finer details accordingly. The Anchorage Club's uninterrupted pastel-coloured terraced houses, like an exquisite model Spanish village, are a thing of the past. New developments must have separate blocks divided by green areas. And inside, buyers want space and light instead of the cosy Mediterranean look.

At Sa Vinya, the most luxurious of the developments set on an 800-acre estate surrounding the Real Club de Bendinat golf course, the decorators have run riot with the paintbox and each block experiments with individual touches ranging from Gaudi-esque mosaics to classical limestone townhouse facades.

But the interiors give a nod to minimalism, with white and beige everywhere and streamlined fittings including the poshest granite worktops money can buy.

There are 35 apartments left at Sa Vinya, where you can snuggle up alongside such celebrity owners as singer Suzi Quatro, who snapped up a show flat here while jogging past one day, and the usual quotient of footballers. Properties with views over the Bay of Palma are priciest, at €1.4m (£1m) for a three-bedroom apartment. Elsewhere on the complex two-bedroom apartments start at €530,000 (£379,000).

But if you really want to splash out, minimalism is the answer. At Las Vistas, as ever, less is more. But it's certainly not for the vertiginous.

Bendinat: (www.bendinat.com), 0207 731 8171; info@bendinat.net

British Airways flies to Mallorca from London Gatwick. For more details visit www.ba.com