L'Hostal Pollensa

A funky, well-priced inn, bang in the centre of northern Mallorca’s loveliest and artiest inland town

To find a decent room anywhere in Mallorca for less than €200 is hard enough. To find a bright and cheery one, with original artwork, a family welcome and views over the medieval rooftops of a vibrant little town, and still to have change for a round of tapas, is … well, it’s a find. We found it by chance, having asked at their sister hotel Juma on the plaça major.

They led us down a cobbled lane, through an unobtrusive door, and into a generous beamed hall with funky artwork (vast abstract canvases in red, yellow and gold), playful furniture (two scarlet armchairs on a Rubiks-Cube rug) and stylish fittings (tall white Chinese lanterns, black leather sofas). The bedrooms – just six of them spread over two upstairs floors – do not disappoint. Good-sized, brightly-coloured, spotlessly clean, they are all you need for a cosy night’s sleep. By day, explore Pollensa’s modern art museum, baroque churches, Calvary Hill; hike to Lluc monastery or up the rocky summit of Puig de Maria; swim off busy Cala San Vicenç or remote Cala Castell.

Highs

• Located in a delightful historic town with an atmospheric main square full of cafés and restaurants
• Excellent outdoor classical concerts during the Pollensa festival (July-Aug)
• Lots of art, sculpture and textiles to admire, both inside the hotel and out many by the manager's sister, Ania Cifre
• Friendly relaxed atmosphere
• A good base for combining hiking, swimming and relaxing
• Remote, cliff-ringed coves nearby

Lows

• This is not haute luxe but decent rooms at decent prices
• Off-season, it can feel a little neglected (or undiscovered, depending how you see it)
• No central reception but there is an intercom system to get hold of staff members
• There can be some street noise during the festival – but that’s the price you pay for being so central