What’s the buzz? El Terreno has always had bohemian cachet. This western district of Palma de Mallorca was first known as an enclave for creatives in the 18th century when the Romantics fell for its charms, but everyone from Gertrude Stein to Jimi Hendrix has spent time here. From the mid-20th century it became the chic place to party, before hitting a period of serious decline in the 1980s and 1990s. Now it’s back and better than ever thanks to thoughtful regeneration, in the same way that Le Marais has been reinvented in Paris.
The Terreno Barrio is the latest addition to the scene, a 41-bedroom hotel made up of two buildings. On one side is a renovated 1935 apartment block designed by Mallorcan Francesc Casas, a pioneer of rationalist architecture. On the other is a new seven-storey, cork-clad extension by Ohlab, an award-winning local design studio. Built of cross-laminated timber according to Passivhaus principles, it’s sophisticated and sustainable.
Calling your place the Terreno “neighbourhood” hotel might seem presumptuous: surely that’s up to the locals to decide? But Ohlab has truly considered the residents. Its design creates a new communal area between the two buildings which is open to the public and provides a much-needed direct route down to the sea.
Location, location, location El Terreno’s ornate colonial-style villas sit next to traditional sandstone buildings and modernist blocks. Even when drug culture and crime hollowed out the area, these good bones made it a perfect candidate for regeneration and in 2018, the Fluxà family (owners of Camper shoes and the Iberostar hotel group) funded a major gentrification project, renovating property and adding new buildings which are now full of chic bakeries, fashionable bars, art galleries and designers’ studios.
The marina has also been redeveloped with a new coastal cycle and walking path which links El Terreno directly to the city centre. Add in the glorious bay of Palma on one side and the 14th-century Bellver Castle in its pine forest atop the Puig de Sa Mesquida on the other, and El Terreno is a pretty perfect base for a stay.
Checking in A long scarlet ramp connects the old building’s entrance to the open-plan ground floor. Once you’re in, you’re in: the reception desk doubles as the counter for the well-stocked bar and this morphs into Destape, the hotel’s restaurant. There’s a 34-metre-long curtain made of wool, silk and cotton ropes, handcrafted by local artist Sylvia Sánchez Montoya, while old-school red velvet drapes partition areas of the multipurpose space, adding warmth and structure.
Downstairs, behind an unmarked door in the hotel basement, there’s an intimate bar and nightclub called Dos Rombos — a nod to the Spanish symbol for an X-rated film.
The bedrooms are playfully decorated in bright colours but they’re also seriously comfortable. Jaime Oliver and Paloma Hernaiz of Ohlab worked hard to source locally made furniture and it’s paid off: the look is modern and quirky, and these are clearly not the sort of standard sofas and units you’d get from international suppliers.
My room came with a spacious balcony, including an outdoor bath — de rigueur in new hotels at the moment but which, in this case, I don’t think will get much use as it’s so overlooked by surrounding buildings.
The spa and gym are compact, but there’s a great sauna and cold plunge pool, an outside workout area and a studio full of Technogym equipment. A co-work space and basement screening room complete the impressive facilities.
What to do? Head up to Bellver Castle — the hill’s not that steep, the forest is peaceful and the view from the top is well worth it. Alternatively, the hotel offers electric bikes if you want to take the new cycle path into Palma’s historic centre to check out the shops and galleries or visit the Cathedral of Santa Maria. La Seu, as it’s more usually known, is a gothic masterpiece with a crown of flying buttresses; construction began in 1229 but wasn’t completed until the early 17th century.
Or, if money’s no object, head down to the marina and charter a 50-ft, solar-powered version of a llaüt, a traditional Balearic boat, from Samar Yachts (a half day costs from €2,200, for up to 12 passengers).
What about the food? Gabriel Conti, the chef at Destape, is renowned locally for Mombo, a tapas restaurant on Paseo Mallorca which you should also visit while you’re in Palma. At Destape the menu focuses on open-grill cooking, local produce and Mediterranean dishes. I liked the crispy suckling pig small plate at Destape so much I ordered it again at Mombo the following night. For mains, the grilled turbot with escalivada vegetables (a slow-roasted Catalan dish) is literally fit for a king: Felipe VI of Spain chose it when he visited in the summer.
Dessert arrives with a sense of theatre. For the chocolate textures dish, a server flicks melted chocolate on to a sheet of greaseproof paper set on the dining table then drizzles it with edible petals and citrus before chocolate mousse in a chocolate shell is dropped on top with a splat. If Jackson Pollock made pudding it would be this. There was excellent cake at breakfast too, along with wonderful crispy fried eggs with iberico ham.
Other guests? Cool couples and dressed-down professionals here on business. When I stayed, most of the new timber extension was occupied by a team of European photographers, stylists and models in town to shoot a fashion campaign.
The damage From €280 for a standard double.
Elevator pitch Trendy and friendly: welcome to the neighbourhood.
Alice Fisher was a guest of Terreno Barrio Hotel (terrenohotel.com)
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