If you haven’t entered any dates, the rate shown is provided directly by the hotel and represents the cheapest double room (including tax) available in the next 60 days.
Prices have been converted from the hotel’s local currency (EUR363.00), via openexchangerates.org, using today’s exchange rate.
Bringing a little taste of Morocco to Mallorca (via a brief stopover in Asia), Palma Riad has all of the palm-lined courtyards, mosaics and superior, straight-from-the-souks lighting most riads could only dream of. The bath tubs are basically swimming pools, some suites have huge terraces and lampshades are often shaped like parrots (we did say superior). Decadence is actively encouraged – there are velvet curtains concealing any mischief, dimly lit corners for cocktails and a romantic restaurant for intimate dinners à deux.
Double rooms from £342.63 (€399), including tax at 10 per cent. Please note the hotel charges an additional local city tax of €4.40 per person per night on check-out.
More details
Rates usually include breakfast.
Also
One room has been adapted for wheelchair users and all of the communal areas are accessible, too.
At the hotel
Free WiFi throughout, courtyard. In rooms: GHD hairdryer and straighteners, Nespresso coffee machine, USB charging points, free bottled water, air-conditioning and mirror TV with Netflix and Amazon Prime.
Our favourite rooms
Adding to the authentic Marrakchi flavour, the rooms all have huge hammam-ready bath tubs – for the ultimate ablution-based experience, book the Suite Hammam, which has a sunken mosaic-lined tub, as well as a fireplace and a four-poster bed. Or for 10 square metres of outdoor space all to yourself, book the Suite with Terrace.
Packing tips
North African nods in sartorial form, from babouche slippers to dyed leather goods (no Fez hats, please).
Also
The hotel is so pally with its next-door neighbour that there’s a secret passage connecting the riad with Hotel Born (which means even easier access to its Middle Eastern restaurant).
One of the crushed-velvet red sofas in the bar, or out by the illuminated pool in the courtyard.
Dress Code
Colourful leather slippers and kaftans sourced on your last trip to Marrakech – but draw the line at djellabas.
Hotel restaurant
Like everywhere else in the hotel, the restaurant pays homage to its Moroccan motherland (it’s even called Morokko). It’s brought to you by the Mallorcan group also behind Tast Club, a tapas bar on the same street, and Za’atar in the hotel next-door. As well as fusion food and creative cocktails, you’ll be able to order breakfasts of seasonal, local produce.
Hotel bar
Drinks are served on an elevated deck next to the bar and in the courtyard.
Last orders
Breakfast hours are 8am to 11.30am. Snacks are served all day until 7pm, with dinner available every day except Monday until 11pm. The bar is open from 7pm until 1am.
Room service
Morokko’s menu can be ordered in around the clock.
The riad is a long way from Marrakech – instead, you’ll find it in the Mallorcan capital of Palma, right by the cathedral in the city’s historic heart.
Planes
The island’s Son Sant Joan airport is a 20-minute drive away from the hotel. Transfers can be arranged on request, or you can hop in a taxi outside the terminal.
Trains
Other Palma’s port is a 15-minute drive away – from here, you’ll be able to set sail for other parts of Spain, including Ibiza, Formentera and Valencia.
Automobiles
Depending on how much baggage you’re bringing with you (in terms of actual luggage), it might be wise to swing by the hotel first, before stowing your wheels away at Plaça Major car park, five minutes away on foot from the riad. You won’t need a car to get around the city, but if you want to see more of the island, a rental may be wise.
Other
Palma’s port is a 15-minute drive away – from here, you’ll be able to set sail for other parts of Spain, including Ibiza, Formentera and Valencia.
Worth getting out of bed for
Visitors with a sweet tooth will enjoy adding chocolate ice-cream to their coca de cuarto cake at the classic Can Joan de s’Aigo. Other food-based favourites for tourists include drinking a pomada (gin with lemon juice) at Sa Foradada in Déia and eating the paella at Ponderosa beach club in Alcudia. The concierge can help you hire your own boat, or you can go on a tour with a local charter company. Head to the north coast to paddle-board at Cala Sant Vicenç, set up for a day on the sand at Es Carbó beach, or hire some vintage wheels or a motorbike to see the mountain village of Banyalbufar and its elevated views of the Med.
Local restaurants
Set in an old 19th-century bakery, Forn de Sant Joan has a lengthy tapas menu, along with some excellent baked goods, naturally. At Fera, fine-dining favourites such as lobster, foie gras and oysters are given an Asian twist (courtesy of the chef’s love of Japan). And new takes on tapas await at Ombu in the old town.
Local bars
For beach-club vibes and beats, book a stylish sunlounger at the Mallorcan editions of Purobeach and Nikki Beach. Cocktail masterclasses occur every evening at Brassclub, Bar San Nicolás and Lab – and at the latter, you’ll be able to enrol in actual libation lessons.
On a sunny autumn afternoon, I stepped in from one of Palma’s honey-hued streets into Palma Riad’s elegant reception. It was like entering a different world, with a hushed and theatrical atmosphere created by plush velvet curtains, dark walls and the soft glow from the candelabras. It’s an intimate hotel with only 11 rooms centred round a stunning courtyard that is made grander with a huge mirror reflecting a bubbling fountain and a dramatic stone fireplace lined with Moroccan artefacts. My mum waved down from our courtyard-facing balcony, and I made my way up to the room, where the sumptuous decor continues. Everything is grand in size, from the king-size bed to the gilt mirror that turns into a TV (ideal for watching the England rugby match that coincided with our visit) to the humongous hammam-style baths in the art deco tiled bathroom, complete with bronze his-and-hers sinks and a rainfall shower. The bath is so big, it takes an age to fill, but it's worth it to soak away in your own tiled cavern and use the bath salts and toiletries. In keeping with the riad’s theme, these have been decanted into glass bottles handmade and sourced from the souks in Morocco.
We visited in September when the British weather had turned, so we spent every moment possible lounging in the sun on our huge futon on the balcony, reading and playing cards with the fountain bubbling away below. There's also a small terrace on the fourth floor with rooftop views if you're staying in a room without a balcony. A little tube of suncream, placed on our pillow at turndown, was a nice touch for basking in the Mallorcan sun.
A real pull for this hotel is its location, bang in the centre of Palma; just a few steps from the main promenade and cathedral, but tucked down a quiet side street so there's no external noise. It’s a prime spot for eating and drinking in the city’s best restaurants. On Sunday lunchtime, we climbed up through the streets to La Cuadra del Maño, a no-frills steak restaurant with friendly service where staff laugh and joke with punters. The plancha grill in the corner is where the magic happens, and the menu chalked up on the board highlights the cuts of the day. We ordered a picaña complete with corn-on-the-cob and buttery jacket potatoes, and there was so much meat we had to double check we'd only ordered one portion. But my mum and I can always find room for more, and later that evening we popped into one of our Palma favourites, La Rosa Vermutería, where we sat at the bar sipping on homemade vermouth and grazing on anchovies, croquetas and garlic prawns.
Back at the hotel, I’d recommend a night cap in the striking bar, lined with backlit bottles that the mixologists shake and stir into premium cocktails. Flickering candles and velvet curtains provide a romantic backdrop for a special evening.
Breakfast the next day was served in the central courtyard. We settled into rattan chairs and my mum ordered espresso, while I opted for a glass of local cava, all included in the room rate. We rotated trips to the Continental buffet of smoked salmon, cured meats, cheese, fruit, pastries and build-your-own granola pots. I made up my favourite pan con tomate breakfast from the jar of smashed tomato and fresh-from-the-toaster sourdough. This was followed by a choice of prepared-to-order dishes, including avocado on toast and eggs all ways you could imagine.
After lingering over another coffee, we said goodbye to the friendly, professional staff and made our way to the train station, only a 10-minute walk away, ready for our next adventure in the mountains, but still dreaming of our perfect little Marrakech-meets-Mallorca hideaway.
