It is strange how, as you pass through this portal, the big city suddenly seems to fall off you. The noise is far away, the rush forgotten. And where just a few minutes ago, buses and taxis were shunting in the rush hour traffic and people were strolling in front of the shop windows, there is but wonderful calmness now: in an old city palace at the heart of Palma de Mallorca, in the just one year old luxury hotel Can Bordoy, in a building of the 16th century that was long used as a school.

It has the largest private garden in the old town – secluded, highly walled, with an elongated private pool and an exquisite restaurant. The house in the La Lonja district has style, as does the hotel – and yet nothing here is stiff or wooden. It is like visiting friends who have just bought a city palace in Palma, renovated it and lovingly decorated it with great attention to detail. What a bliss!

Can Bordoy has only 24 rooms and suites ranging from 45 to 80 square meters, some with free-standing bathtubs and room-high stage curtains. Originally, the new Swedish owner wanted to turn it into condos, but he reconsidered and turned it into a hotel.

A brilliant decision! And since everything feels like a visit to friends, breakfast is available around the clock – and wherever you want. Whether in your room, in the garden, the lobby or by the pool. Why? Because you not only reside in your suite, but also in all the public spaces around it. Consequently, the hotel manager does not see himself as a director, but as a ‘first host’. No wonder Can Bordoy is already on the prestigious list of the 50 best new hotels in the world, compiled by the prestigious travel magazine Condé Nast Traveler.

Photo: © Can Bordoy