NAKAR Hotel was designed with the modern traveller in mind. We don’t want to just dump our bags in a room and go off to explore the city in a day, we want to take in a place over a memorable long weekend and enjoy a luxurious suite.
Located in the heart of Palma de Mallorca on Jaime III Avenue, one of the busiest and central streets of the city, this modern hotel has everything you need for a comfortable stay and more. A rooftop pool, relaxing spa, and open-air restaurant with sea views and all within walking distance of the beautiful city of Palma. I spent a couple of nights enjoying all the hotel, and the city, had to offer.
A memorable stay
The hotel is right on the main street and is almost disguised amongst the shops and boutiques. The reception is clean, cool and welcoming and we were checked into the hotel very quickly and given all the information we needed, there’s nothing worse than getting to your room and having basic questions such as: ‘Where is breakfast? Can I drink the water? Do I have to book the spa?’, staff were very helpful in giving us the lowdown on the hotel so we could get straight down to relaxing.
Our junior suite had plenty of space for my companion and me to relax as well as enjoy views over the city. The super king bed had a choice of firm and soft pillows and lovely high thread count cotton sheets.
The hotel has 57 modern rooms with the latest technology. All smart TVs are 40″ and 55″ and allow for screen sharing and Bluetooth connection. There are plenty of outlets and USB ports and the safe deposit box in the room can store a laptop of up to 15″ and has LED light that illuminates the interior as well as an internal electric outlet to charge the battery while it is stored inside. Very modern.
As we arrived just after lunch we decided to spend a few hours enjoying the sun on the rooftop by the pool. You will be very hard-pressed to find a hotel in the centre of Palma that has an outdoor pool never mind one with such a view as this, so it really is special.
Saying that it is only a small space and you may have to get there early to secure your favourite sunbed. But when you do, the beds are wide and well padded with big soft towels provided. For drinks, you can nip to the bar down the stairs or lift. It is surprisingly quiet for an inner city location, however it would benefit from some music playing during the day to drown out the sound of the various air vents.
In the evening the sunbeds are replaced with stools and tables and a resident DJ, so you can enjoy cocktails and music with the most stunning views over Palma. After a lovely afternoon in the sun, we booked in at the spa, a serene hideaway with 2 treatment rooms, a heated relaxation pool, a relaxation area, a steam bath, a Finnish sauna, a selection of treatments and changing rooms. It was a nice addition to a city hotel and thoroughly modern with its dark tiles and modern blue lighting.
At the hotel’s restaurant CUIT, you can see the historic centre, the Cathedral, Bellver Castle and the beautiful bay of Palma all whilst enjoying locally sourced produce and even a tasting menu. It was lovely to enjoy the breakfast buffet here which consisted of a basic continental breakfast of hot and cold items (which is included in the price of every room). After a wonderful night’s sleep, we sipped our morning espressos and prepared for a half-day walking tour with Tours by Locals who were able to meet us at our hotel.
Tours by Locals offer private tours to give you a unique and personalised experience in any destination. I contacted them before my visit about a tour that would incorporate history as well as gastronomy into the tour and they were not only able to recommend the perfect itinerary but also a very knowledgeable guide with expertise in both areas.
Pedro Oliver was an excellent tour guide and took care of us, he moved at our pace, made sure we were seeing the sights we found interesting and always had the answer to our many questions. We had combined the Palma walking tour with the Tapas tour and Pedro was more than happy to change up or do more of one than the other.
To be honest I think we surprised him with our thirst for history and cultural knowledge as we found the tour so interesting. We walked along the picturesque alleys of the old quarters of Palma to enjoy the view of the ornate gothic Cathedral, the beautiful Almudaina Palace, the City Hall, the many Mallorcan historical courtyards, the Jewish Quarter and the modernist influences of Gaudí before venturing into Es Born where shops and boutiques line the streets.
One of the more interesting experiences was visiting the elusive nuns at Monestir de Santa Clara. It was founded by nuns of the Franciscan order of Santa Clara in 1256 and the convent is still home to a small closed community of nuns who continue the centuries-old tradition of baking biscuits. Pedro took us to the side of the church where there is a small room with a wooden turnstile set in a window called a ‘torno’.
He rang a bell to ring for a nun who asked for our order, once the money is put on the turnstile you receive your biscuits, all the while never seeing the nun’s face. Pedro told us the local people would bring them ingredients such as butter, sugar and flour in exchange for the nuns praying for them. The novelty was much more satisfying than the biscuits themselves!
In search of something a bit more substantial to eat, Pedro took us to one of his favourite eateries in the Mercat de l’Olivar market, Los Maños, where we were treated to prosciutto, calamari, Padron peppers, cheeses and a large glass of sangria. I could have sat here all day just sampling the entire menu, each small plate being better than the last, even when I had had enough I couldn’t help reaching for more.
Trusting his good taste we asked him for a restaurant recommendation for the evening which he took us to to see inside and the menu. We did end up dining there and thoroughly enjoyed it but he swore us to secrecy as it is his favourite restaurant and he doesn’t want it to get too popular in case he can’t get a table!
After a long morning of walking it was absolute bliss to go back to our lovely air-conditioned suite. We’d had enough sun for one day and didn’t feel the need to visit the pool or spa, instead opting to enjoy a glass of cava in our room and get ready for a wonderful evening out. But this is what we loved about the NAKAR hotel, it was a calm oasis in the heart of the city.
You could be walking the streets amongst the crowds for hours and as soon as you step in the NAKAR it’s like a sea of calm. Knowing you can have a hot rainfall shower with premium Molton Brown toiletries or just head to the roof and take a dip in the pool after a long day of sightseeing. It’s got all the comforts you’d expect from a luxury hotel and is great for families, couples and business travellers alike.
NAKAR Hotel
Avenida Jaime III, 21
07012 Palma de Mallorca
Spain
