“We are very early risers, we drink coffee… I spend at least two hours reading the news. Then we do sports. Some days friends come over for lunch, we take a nap,” said actor and film producer Michael Douglas in a 2021 interview with Spanish press, describing his daily routine in Mallorca.
He and his wife, actress Catherine Zeta-Jones, are long-term owners of a luxurious cliffside estate, S’Estaca.
“We love going on hikes, going out on the Zodiac [boat] along the coast, going to Cala Deià. Time flies. Catherine and I look at each other and ask ourselves where our time goes when we’re here.”
For those looking to emulate Douglas and Zeta-Jones’ sun-baked Spanish lifestyle, you’re in luck. The villa next door, Can Calo, is on the market with Charles Marlow for £11.75 million (€13.75m).
Both villas were originally part of the same estate, built in the 1880s by Luis Salvador, an Austrian archduke of the House of Habsburg. He purchased a 16km swathe of land on the northwest coast, between Valldemossa and Deià, building an enormous estate which also included Miramar, a historic Franciscan monastery, and Son Marroig, now a public museum. Can Calo was built as guest accommodation for the archduke’s friends.
Michael Douglas and his ex-wife Diandra Luker bought the 250-acre S’Estaca estate in 1990, using it as a seaside retreat. Under Douglas’ ownership, it has hosted a raft of A-list guests, including Jack Nicholson, Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman and Michelle Pfeiffer. After their divorce in 2000, the couple initially shared ownership of the property, before Douglas bought Luker out.
“Catherine, my wife, is very happy here; even more so that we no longer share the house with my first wife, Diandra. Now, she feels much more comfortable,” said Douglas in the 2021 interview. “She is decorating the house in her own way. It makes me happy to see her truly happy, and here, in the house with our friends.”
Douglas and Zeta-Jones have tried to sell S’Estaca over the last decade, first listing it for £47.1 million in 2014, then for £25.5 million in 2019 and 2020.
“When I first saw S’Estaca in 1990, I fell under its spell and bought the property,” said Douglas in a promotional video for the house in 2020, which he narrated. “My life is taking a new course, and now it’s time for me to let someone else enjoy the privilege and the adventure of S’Estaca.”
Yet in 2020 the couple took the property off the market, choosing to retain it for family holidays, according to agents Engel & Völkers.
Despite being listed for less than half the price of S’Estaca, Can Calo shares many of the same conveniences. Built on the clifftops overlooking the sea, the Moorish-style property covers 12,917 sq ft and is set on 5.7 acres of land.
There are eight bedrooms —six in the main house, two in a self-contained guesthouse— and 10 bathrooms, with a swimming pool, tennis court, outdoor hot tub, sauna, gym and cinema room.
The house covers three storeys, with the leisure facilities on the lower ground floor, and the main kitchen, reception rooms above, along with an open courtyard, part of the original estate, with space for outdoor dining. The bedrooms, six of which are ensuite, are on the first floor, plus one in the loft.
To capitalise on all that Spanish sun, the house has an outdoor patio and several terraces, with a lounge area, barbecue and a Mallorquín bread oven outside the guest house for alfresco dining. Naturally, all have a sea view.
“The home is perfect for couples or a family that enjoy entertaining, relaxing over tranquil sunsets and having the luxury of space and choice,” says Charlie Hill, co-founder of Charles Marlow.
“Today, this beautiful home stands ready to welcome an owner who will fall in love with its sublime location, rich past and future potential.”
