There is a Mallorca that lives beyond postcards and beach crowds. A version of the island that reveals itself in quiet elegance, in carefully restored architecture, in the rhythm of places that value light, scent, and space. This side of the island unfolds gently — through two distinctive properties: Hotel El Llorenç, in the historic heart of Palma, and Hotel Es Figueral Nou, a serene country retreat set deep in the island’s interior. Together, they trace a curated journey — from city rooftops to open horizons, from Moorish tiles to olive groves, from morning café cortado to long lunches under a fig tree.
Tucked into the winding alleys of La Calatrava, one of Palma’s oldest quarters, Hotel El Llorenç is quietly confident. Designed by Swedish architect Magnus Ehrland, the interiors merge heritage and modernity: graphic Moorish motifs, sculptural furniture, marble surfaces softened by natural textiles. It feels international, but never anonymous — a layered elegance that mirrors the city itself.
The rooftop terrace is a highlight in every sense. From here, Palma appears like a film set: cathedral spires, tiled roofs, and the gentle shimmer of the sea in the background. Sunlight bounces across the infinity pool, while guests drift between daybeds, morning swims and rooftop cocktails as the light shifts. The location offers the rare pleasure of stepping straight from this tranquil perch into the pulse of the city below — the markets, galleries, and palm-lined promenades all within walking distance.
An hour inland, a different pace awaits. The land flattens and opens. Stone walls run alongside quiet country roads, and the island breathes a little deeper. In this landscape of lemon trees, sheep-dotted fields and blue hills in the distance, Hotel Es Figueral Nou appears like something remembered. A 19th-century finca, now part of the NYBAU Hotel Group, restored with a light hand and a deep respect for its surroundings.
The rooms are spacious and calm, dressed in chalky tones and natural materials — oak, linen, ceramics in muted glaze. Large windows frame the land beyond: almond trees in blossom, wild herbs, wind-blown grasses. There is a sense of ease here, where silence feels intentional and shade is a form of luxury. The estate’s spa offers further quiet, with glass walls looking out onto the gardens and a treatment menu that follows the seasons.
At the centre of the experience is the restaurant, Es Pati de Montuïri, where cuisine becomes an understated celebration of place. The kitchen team creates a tasting menu rooted in Mallorcan tradition, but reimagined with contemporary precision. Each dish tells a story — eel fritters with black garlic allioli, saffron-infused ravioli, cannelloni with sobrasada and slow-cooked ragú — culminating in a beautifully prepared porcella farcida, the island’s traditional stuffed piglet, served with a whisper of smoke and a glass of local wine. Service is personal, warm, and unhurried. The following afternoon, lunch is enjoyed outdoors, in the sun, with views over the valley and a crisp white from the nearby Pla i Llevant vineyards.
These two hotels do not compete, but complete one another. Where El Llorenç, offers the intimacy of the city — art, architecture, and aperitifs above the rooftops — Es Figueral Nou provides the restorative slowness of the countryside. Together, they capture the island’s essence: its duality, its lightness, its cultivated calm.
Mallorca, experienced this way, becomes more than a destination. It becomes a feeling — one that lingers, long after the return flight has faded into the clouds.
