Mar 28, 2024
Checking in: Portella
- By
Blaire Dessent
Checking in: Portella
Mar 28, 2024
by
Blaire Dessent
Checking in: Portella
Mar 28, 2024
by
Blaire Dessent
Checking in: Portella
Mar 28, 2024
- By
Blaire Dessent
Checking in: Portella
Mar 28, 2024
- By
Blaire Dessent
Checking in: Portella
Mar 28, 2024
- By
Blaire Dessent
T

here is something quietly magnetic about Portella, a new 14-room, 5-star boutique hotel located next to the Arab Baths, just steps from the sea. Housed in a beautifully renovated 17th century traditional Mallorcan villa, Portella doesn’t seek to be edgy or overly stylish. In many ways, Portella defines the concept of understated luxury. It is austere and sophisticated yet also manages to be welcoming and laid-back.

Portella is the second property by the owners of Casa Bonay, one of Barcelona’s leading boutique hotels, and their experience and expertise is seen in every detail. Every room has lots of natural light, a feat in these historic properties, and the layout of the hotel creates a sense of privacy and discretion. The shared lounge/restaurant area is designed like a private house, with a large open kitchen and communal table. The adjacent lounge area is decorated with a long built-in sofa and club chairs for a relaxed setting. The team emphasizes an ‘our house is your house’ approach, wanting guests to be comfortable and at home, yet any request or need is instantly attended to by the attentive staff.

Views from a suite looking onto the courtyard
A beautiful pop of blue on the lounge sofa brightens the space

Mallorca-based Gras-Reynés architecture studio oversaw the renovation of the property, ensuring that it retained its original beauty and bones. For the interior design, the team brought in Festen, a Paris-based design studio, who synthesized a mix of traditional Mallorcan and Moorish heritage with contemporary Mediterranean aesthetics. Dark wood, white walls and soft, earthy tones are offset by small pops of color such as the brilliant royal blue lounge sofa, also seen in several of the rooms. They also added a mix of antiques and a well-curated art collection that features small Picasso or Miro prints, vintage photographs, moody, or abstract paintings, among other pieces. Other design features include terracotta tile floors with a pattern inspired by the Arab Baths, carved wood accents on chairs and tables, hand-wrought ironwork and beautiful bouquets of flowers in hidden niches. A highlight of the design is the series of bespoke glass light fixtures, including scones and pendants, which were individually hand blown by Gordiola, the 17th century glassblowing factory in Mallorca.

While the hotel is geared towards short-term vacation stays, it also welcomes longer-terms stays as well, with several rooms designed like a small apartment with a dining table and a small but well-equipped kitchen to encourage in-room meals. Each room has spacious marble showers, excellent amenities, including Diptych shower items and Marvis toothpaste, soft, blue slippers by La Bottega and well stocked mini-bar. Portella is a hotel for guests-only – don’t expect any bar or restaurant scene here – and is for adults or families with children over 12 -years old. In this way, Portella does feel like a peaceful oasis, a sumptuous getaway to settle into, a kind of dream-home away from home experience.

www.portellapalma.com

@portellapalma

Photography by Barbara Vidal.

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