The Place
The Hotel Portixol, right on Palma’s promenade, was saved from ruin in 1988 by Swedes Mikael & Johanna Landstr0m. The restoration of the building and its purist furnishings can claim to be a benchmark for contemporary interior design: several innovative Mallorcan hotels have followed Lundstrom’s ideas.
The rooms and stairwell are carpeted. Designer lamps cast exactly the right light over beds and tables. The TV is concealed in its own cupboard. Bathrooms are on the small side, but very practically fitted out. More than half the rooms have a balcony with an incomparable view over Palma, the harbour and promenade, and the Paseo Maritimo. The Portixol’s bar is a popular meeting place for local residents, although it should be noted that previous visitors have found the meals to be overpriced.
Above the hotel stands the imposing, circular fortress of Castillo de Bellver, a splendid backdrop; and to provide smaller-scale, more human interest, the harbour of Portixol is close by. It is full of unpretentious little boats owned by Mallorcans: seeing them set off at weekends for fishing or sunbathing trips is a pleasant diversion.