Some places are built with intention, others are found by accident. Osa Major began as both. What is now a retreat surrounded by the hills of Mallorca once stood in ruins. When Brenda and Roland first stumbled upon the finca, it was hardly the dream they had imagined. Yet even in its decay they felt the potential — the silence, the view of the mountains, the night sky alive with stars. That was enough for them to stay.
Years of patience followed. Three years were spent waiting for permits after archeological remains were discovered on the land. During that time, they often returned to the site, sitting on the land, watching the light shift and the wind move through, slowly learning its rhythm. The persistence of those years became part of the house itself.
When the restoration finally began, their choices were guided not by grand plans but by respect: repairing old stone, opening rooms to the valley’s light, blending traditional Mallorcan architecture with influences from travels in Africa and Asia. Brenda recalls: “We didn’t want to erase what was there — we wanted it to breathe again.” The result is a space that feels both ancient and alive, rooted in the island yet open to the world.
It was here, at Osa Major, that we recorded the sixth season of Passie als Kompas. Inside its wide terraces and sunlit rooms, we spoke with entrepreneurs, makers, and dreamers whose paths all led — in one way or another — to Mallorca.
For many of our guests, the path to Mallorca was a story in itself — and the island continues to shape their journey as entrepreneurs. That was clear in conversations with guests like Patrick van Riemsdijk, an artist who turned his own name into a brand, now finding focus in Mallorca’s solitude. Or Janneke Koelemaij, who followed her love for wine to create Grape Jane, building not just a business but a new life on the island. We also spoke with Michael Pilarczyk, once a radio DJ, whose years at sea reshaped his path and now guide the way he helps others live with purpose. And with Simone Sassmannshausen, who showed her talent for connection became the foundation of her PR agency Ganbaroo. Together with others, their stories revealed how passion and place intertwine on Mallorca.
Every guest followed a different path, yet all shared the same sense of passion — and the way Mallorca continues to shape their work and life.
“This house has shaped us as much as we shaped it.”
Alongside founders Brenda and Roland, daughter Nina shared what it means to carry Osa Major forward. For her, the finca is both memory and possibility. “For me, Osa Major is part of my childhood, but also part of my future. I see it as a place that keeps evolving with us.”
Their dialogue reminded us that creation is rarely a single act. It is continuity — a story passed on, expanded, reimagined. Just as Osa Major is no longer simply a house but a place of gathering, reflection, and renewal, so too is this season of Passie als Kompas more than a series of interviews. It became a map of how passion takes root in different soils.
For Brenda and Nina, that compass is tied to Osa Major itself. Beyond being a retreat, it is their vision of how to live: connected to nature, guided by simplicity, generous in spirit. Their hope is that anyone who spends time here leaves not only rested, but re-centered — with energy and clarity to carry back into their daily life.
Osa Major itself is never finished. The finca will keep evolving — not as a fixed design, but as a living place that grows with the people who inhabit it. What began as the restoration of a ruin has become a home for ideas, and today it belongs as much to those who come here as to those who built it.
Looking back on this season, we see how deeply the setting shaped the stories. The architecture, the land, the island — each created conditions for honesty and reflection. Osa Major reminded us that places are not passive. When they are built with care, they become part of the story themselves.
When we left, Nina handed us her cookbook with a handwritten note inside — a simple gift that reminded us Osa Major is not only a house, but a way of caring.