Hotel Born by Caroline Major

The 16th century, former palace of the Marquis of Ferrandell, was a fitting venue for the start for my summer Spanish adventure. Suitably distant from the stacked racks of tourists in the beachfront holiday apartments, in the historic centre of Palma, we clucked around each other in the big bathroom, and emerged for aperitivo in the old, cobbled streets leading off the Plaza .

In the morning, we struggled to make the 10am breakfast call, but were rewarded with a courtyard table, shaded from the sun by the very old, tall palmtrees . Inside, the buffet laid out its various cuts of ham and pork, and a couple of characters, looking as though they’d stepped from an Amaldovar scene, smoked. The waiter gave a disapproving, but good humored grimace when I declined coffee in favour of tea. Outside, an elderly couple in black seemed to be stars in the production. In matching black trousers and t-shirts, both with thick Bakelite framed glasses from the late sixties, they ate their cold meat breakfasts with startlingly surreal synchronization. That's the sort of place this is.

The hotel was restored in the 18th century and is now a splendid two star affair. The halls are dark and a little threadbare, but the character of the place more than makes up for it. The rooms are clean, and air-conditioned, and many have town views.