Review of Convent de la Missio, by Jeroen Bergmans

When entrepreneurial architect Toni Esteva opened sleek boutique hotel Convent de la Missio in the heart of Palma de Mallorca's old town, it proved a perfect foil to Son Gener, his elegant take on agroturismo on the east coast of the island. With modern art pieces and a mixture of Mallorcan antiques and cutting-edge interiors he converted the cloistered spaces of a Gothic, 17th-century monastery into a shrine to design.

The facilities

In the basement of the boutique hotel there is a spa that has a sauna, steam room, massage rooms and a whirlpool housed in the monastery's original crypt and the Zen-inspired roof terrace is the perfect spot for enjoying the scorching Mallorcan sun. The boutique hotel's second floor is home to a living room making it the chill-out space of choice, with triple-height, vaulted ceilings, a fireplace-cum-art installation taking up one wall, floor lights that could pass as sculptures and a scattering of glossy design books. Award-winning restaurant Refectori and its tiny black bar are a magnet for Mallorca's top politicians, CEOs and celebrities and next door an art gallery showcases the work of local artists, architects and photographers.

The rooms

In the style of a bona fide boutique hotel all 14 rooms have been individually-designed. Room 7 is the most charming thanks to its original Gothic ceilings, but architecture fans should plump for number 4 with its innovative duplex layout. The boutique hotel provides bags of goodies from local chocolatiers, the Chocolate Factory, make a welcome change from the usual lacklustre 'goodnight kiss' at turndown and Bulgari toiletries in the bathrooms are another indulgence in this hymn to restrained luxury.