The beautiful urban oasis of Can Bordoy is tucked away just minutes from Palma Cathedral, with established gardens that are part of the inside of the hotel as well as the outside. A warm welcome awaits, greeted by the friendly and knowledgeable concierge, nothing here is a problem. We arrived mid-morning and even before stepping into our room we were introduced to the breakfast.
Botanic Palma and Can Bordoy
To put this into perspective, Can Bordoy is also home to Botanic Palma, via an incredible plant-based menu, which meant we had the opportunity to sample the restaurant’s vegan food. Freshly squeezed Mallorcan orange juice was the perfect compliment to the most delicious vegan pancakes we have eaten (this I may add was a joint agreement) with a glass of cava as part of our introduction to the hotel.
Art Deco Aesthetics at Can Bordoy
As this wasn’t picture-perfect enough for an introduction to Can Bordoy, the room was equally gorgeous. Greenery forms a prominent part of the interior; combining this with decadent touches of Art Deco, through walls dressed in lush velvet, burnished mirrors and ultramarine shades throughout the building.
Our room overlooked the front of the hotel, the dark glossy door opened onto a small corridor past a glamorous marble bathroom with matte gold accents into a room with a teal velvet framed empress bed, the most beautiful furniture including an art deco-themed drinks cabinet. However, for me, the focus was the stand-alone bath that sat next to the full-length windows framed by cocoa-dark shutters that filtered the sunshine and of course, protected a guest’s modesty whilst bathing.
There is a choice of two pools and a spa, we chose to start our stay on the rooftop pool; this was another unique, beautiful corner of Can Bordoy. Walking up the stairwell, the dappled blue light of the glass bottomed pool bathes the floors below as far as the lobby on the ground floor. The rooftop pool gifted us with incredible views of the city; the iconic cathedral and the port, with sun-drenched 360-degree views whilst lying on your sunbed. We actually woke up early on the second day to watch the sunrise from there before we walked through Palma before the tourists were awake, a city that is rising from its slumber is really beautiful and definitely worth the wake up call.
With charming touches on the rooftop such as the luxe embroidered towels and the vintage phone that can be used to call the bar for the most delicious Aperols and fruit platter, we spent what was left of the morning relaxing on the roof, just taking in the incredible views and basking in the glorious sunshine before taking the ten-minute cab ride to Illettes for lunch.
The unseasonal sunny weather meant we had an almost empty beach to ourselves, where we spent the early part of the afternoon swimming in the beautiful turquoise waters before a late lunch, with just two yachts moored in the bay. This is one of my favourite beaches that is nearest to Palma, but I’d recommend outside the summer season. I’m a fan of travelling to the Med outside July and August, the streets are full and it seems the whole of Europe is on the move during this time and the temperatures soar, I love the freedom of walking into a restaurant without pre booking weeks in advance.
We lunched in Balneario and it was perfect, originally built in the 1950s, with an original project by the architect Francisco Casas Llompart, Balneario Illetas has managed to reinvent itself year after year, adapting to changing times and maintaining its essence. The space had all the ingredients you need to enjoy a unique day by the sea. From a breakfast or brunch on the shores of the beach all surrounded by pine trees and sand. We had salads (we ordered starter sizes) be warned the portions are huge and you need to keep room for the beautiful almond ice cream they serve!
Back to the hotel and back to the garden of Can Bordoy. Through Botanic restaurant’s garden there’s a hidden tree lined pool. The dappled waters were a refreshing end to the day as we sipped on our drinks under a canopy of citrus trees and watched the birds dart through the trees and take the occasional dip on the steps of the pool.
Our stay was incredible, it was like stepping into another world, a blend of art deco, incredible plants and of course wonderful food. Most definitely the cherry on the organic vegan cake…
Can Bordoy Grand House & Garden
Carrer del Forn de la Glòria, 14
07012 Palma
Illes Balears,
Spain
