Review of Hotel Portixol, by Jeroen Bergmans

When the Hotel Portixol was built by Juan Bujosa, General Franco's personal chef, in 1954 it towered over the tiny fishing village of El Molinar adjacent to Mallorca's capital Palma. But when El Caudillo died, this boxy beacon was left abandoned for over forty years.

Then savvy couple Mikael and Johanna Landstrom snapped it up, upped sticks from their native Sweden and rallied a fleet of architects and artisans to transform it into one of the most enduringly successful of Mallorca's boutique hotels.

The original façade, fifties mahogany interior and groovy pool give boutique Hotel Portixol a retro-fabulous ambiance and the nautically-inspired lobby a hint of cruise-liner luxury. When it first opened in 1999 at the start of the boutique hotel boom, textiles were flown in from Holland, tiles were shipped from Morocco, glassware was handpicked from Sweden and the hand-made beds were made to order in Barcelona.

Almost a decade on, the boutique hotel is as fresh and bright as the day it opened. In fact, The Portixol became so beloved by local Mallorcans who flocked to the boutique hotel for the fabulous cocktails and the excellent restaurant that the tatty port of El Molinar was re-developed and became one of the most hip neighbourhoods in Palma.

The facilities

A spa and a small gym on the ground floor of the boutique hotel are also new additions which compliment the cosy living room with its fantastic vinyl collection. If you can bear to drag yourself from one of the sleek loungers by the pool, The Portixol also has free bikes to explore the cycle paths of El Molinar and a personal shopper on call if you fancy bashing your credit cards in the boutiques of Palma.

The rooms

All the 24 rooms at The Portixol are simple and stylish with a white and blue colour scheme, bathrooms with power-showers and local, eco-friendly bathroom products. Prices depend on the view from your room (Port View, Sea View or No View) and whether or not it has a terrace. Two new duplex suites with a bathroom on each floor, a private roof terrace and a Jacuzzi were added in 2008 when the boutique hotel bought the Port House next door.