Mas dels Arbres, the lovingly restored 17th-century masía set on 100 hectares of protected land in the Cap de Creus Natural Park, Costa Brava, has started the year with an artist-in-residence programme, a conservation volunteer initiative and a landmark bird census in the Cap de Creus Natural Park.
Owner Donald Reid, who spent years transforming this abandoned farmhouse near Cadaqués into a refined retreat is a host who ensures each stay has a strong sense of place. Whether guests book the property as an exclusive rental or take an individual suite as a boutique hotel stay, Reid is on hand to shape the visit around the landscape, the local culture and the season.
You can read The Luxury Editor review of Mas dels Arbres here.
Artist in Residence
In January, Mas dels Arbres hosted its first artist-in-residence programme. The Barcelona-based Catalan artist Miquel Àngel Benejam, known for his plein air painting, collage and mixed media work, spent the month living and working at the farm, painting, reading and walking the land. The residency produced a series of works on canvas and linen that were installed as land art throughout the olive groves and emblematic elms of the estate. A spring exhibition, either at the farm itself or in Cadaqués, is being planned.
The programme fits naturally with the property. Mas dels Arbres already houses a curated art collection spanning Scottish, Russian, Ukrainian, contemporary French and English work, and sits in a landscape that famously drew Miró, Duchamp, Picasso and Dalí. Benejam’s residency extends that artistic lineage into something vibrant and truly specific to the farm.
Rewilding and Conservation
Donald Reid has also launched a volunteer programme focused on rewilding and land management across the estate’s 100 hectares. Two postgraduate students in environmental science have already worked with him at Mas dels Arbres, and the programme is set to expand throughout the year.
Later in the spring, Mas dels Arbres will host a retreat bringing together the chair of SongBird Survival, the UK-wide charity funding research into songbird decline, the chair of the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust, and the director of the Cap de Creus Natural Park. The purpose is a census of birds in the park at peak breeding season, a significant piece of fieldwork in one of the most ecologically important protected areas on the Catalan coast.
A Sense of Place
What connects all of this, from the land art in the olive groves to the bird census, is Reid’s commitment to making Mas dels Arbres something more than a beautiful place to stay. The property sits at the epicentre of the Costa Brava’s cultural and gastronomic scene, within reach of Dalí’s home in Cadaqués, the elBulli1846 museum and standout dining at Esperit Roca. But it also offers the privacy of a home, the quality of luxury boutique hotel and personal hosting.
For further inspiration for your next visit to the Costa Brava, you can read The Luxury Editor Eat Do Sleep Guide to Costa Brava here.
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