In the 1950s, Mallorca built some of its most iconic hotels. Accommodations where celebrities and Hollywood stars stayed. Very close to the city of Palma, the BonSol, the Maricel and the Nixe Palace are still references of the city. glamor and the exclusivity that the Balearic island exuded in those years.
BonSol Resort & Spa Hotel, Errol Flynn’s favourite
A hidden gem, a paradise with tropical vegetation and direct access to a small cove with clear waters, a classic black and white film that suddenly turns to color. All this and much more is the Hotel BonSol Resort & Spaon the outskirts of Palma, in the municipality of Calvià, very close to the idyllic beaches of Illetas and Cala Comtesa. Its history dates back to 1953, when it became the first hotel to open in the area. At that time, there was not even a road, but a stone path that taxi drivers reluctantly accessed. Antonio Xamena bought the place, initially, as a private home, since he liked to swim for an hour a day and found that the waters of Palma were no longer so clean. Later he decided to open an accommodation to accommodate friends and clients.
The actor Errol Flynn, a fan of the island, came across the BonSol one day while walking around the island. He went in and immediately became friends with the owner and his wife, as can be seen in some photos still hanging on the walls. “From then on, whenever he came to Mallorca he stayed at our hotel and recommended it to his friends and acquaintances from the world of cinema. He promoted our establishment a lot,” says the current owner, Martín Xamena, son of Antonio. “I was a child then and Flynn taught me the arts of fencing with toy swords.”
The splendor of Mallorca in those years is present in this four-star superior hotel with 145 rooms, one hundred percent instagrammablewith several swimming pools, spaeclectic decor, lush vegetation and a cove included. Dinners require a certain dress code and there is always music to liven up the evening, just like in the good old days. “We try to provide the highest quality and service,” says Martín Xamena, “and I think our greatest asset is the kindness of our team, the affection we show our clients.”
Recently, the hotel has launched its store on-line Bonsoul.eswhich sells jewellery, towels, handbags, parasols, ceramics and fragrances. Objects that aim to capture the soul of the island and of this establishment, created by local artists and craftsmen, with that discreet luxury so characteristic of this corner of the Mediterranean.
Hospes Maricel & Spa, the best breakfast in the world
The Maricel opened its doors in the golden Mallorca of Hollywood stars who discovered a paradise of turquoise waters still unexploited. Spain is different And, specifically, this hotel, opened in 1950, was visited by Montgomery Clift, Rita Pavone, Errol Flynn and his wife, the actress Patrice Wymore, Lord Swanson (British nobleman, former President of the House of Lords) and Julia Gutiérrez Caba, among many other personalities.
The building, built especially to be a hotel, was designed by the prestigious Majorcan architect Francisco Casas Llompart, imitating the palatial buildings of the city of Palma and the stately rural houses of the 16th and 17th centuries. At that time, the Maricel was an isolated building facing the sea, where its terrace, located on the south façade, with semicircular arches supported by columns, stood out. An Italian-style feature, but present in many mansions on the island. On this beautiful terrace with views of a small cove with transparent waters, Cas Catalá, is where you can enjoy the best breakfast in the world. It is no exaggeration; the food critics at the II Madrid Fusion Gastronomy Summit unanimously agreed to award the first meal of the day at this hotel the distinction of “best breakfast in the world”. It is a complete gastronomic experience: a 10-course menu, lasting more than two hours.
Another of the jewels is the Summer Spalocated where the pier used to be. Here you can get a massage under a stone arch and almost touching the sea. Or the pool and the small terraces where the Balinese beds are, with steps that take you into the sea. The very image of happiness. The hotel is full of idyllic corners, not in vain has it appeared in many films and series such as Compulsive scammers (2019) either The infiltrator (2016).
In 2008, a new building was added to the Maricel, Natura, with 22 rooms, which combines two very Mallorcan elements: marés stone and the colour white. But enjoying this oasis is not something exclusive to its guests. There are many activities open to visitors such as breakfast, dinners with jazz music (on Wednesdays) or Spanish guitar (on Thursdays), the possibility of having a cocktail on the terrace when the day is over; its day pass or your spawaiting for anyone who wants to spend a day, or a few hours, in paradise.
Hotel Santos Nixe Palace, the rebirth of a classic in Cala Major
The third of the large hotels on the seafront, near the city of Palma and which were built in the fifties, is the Santos Nixe Palace; which stands with its nine floors and its terraces with whitewashed railings facing the waters of Cala Major, like a luxury cruise ship. In fact, Nixe (mermaid in German) was the name of the ship of Archduke Ludwig Salvator of Austria, an unconditional fan of Mallorca in the second half of the 19th century. The aristocrat anchored his ship in this cove when tourism did not even exist.
Its golden age began with its opening in 1957. Its founders were people of great importance: the mayor of Palma, Gabriel Alzamora; the architect Francisco Casas, who laid the groundwork, and Mr. and Mrs. Bensa, high-ranking military officers of the French Resistance during the Second World War. These were times when money flowed freely here, there was plenty of work, taxi drivers decided where tourists stayed overnight and the celebrities From then on, people came to see what was happening on this small Mediterranean island. Grace Kelly, Rita Hayworth and Sara Montiel were famous guests of the Nixe.
It is also said that when you entered you were enveloped by a smell of croissants freshly made. The pastries, made in-house, were very famous, and when King Juan Carlos I was at the Marivent Palace, the housekeeper would come to the hotel to fetch breakfast. Later, the Nixe experienced a period of poor management that led to its closure; but such was the team spirit among the staff that some of its employees voluntarily kept watch over the hotel when it was closed to prevent theft.
In 1997 the Santos family took over the establishment and renovated it. The beautiful green marble columns of the building were left exposed. hall and living room, previously covered with wood, its rooms were renovated, the spa and the two pools were turned into one, with underwater music. Non-guests can also enjoy this atmosphere in the restaurant, A Popa, in the spain the evenings with DJs or in the bar. The establishment maintains that glamor of yesteryear, when summer nights were long and dollars, pounds or marks went a long way when exchanged for pesetas.
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