Puro Hotel

Class: First

Style: Hip

Rooms: 26

Though there's certainly something to be said for the grand old mansion hotels, high on the Mallorcan hilltops, the once-overlooked capital city of Palma is making a resurgence, drawing a younger and more energetic breed of traveller. Maybe you're here for the nightlife, and want the easy downtown access that estate living just can't provide; or perhaps you're a Nordic design junkie, and can't sleep without a bit of sleek international minimalism in your interiors; either way, this is the hotel for you.

Some combination of the two must have served as inspiration for owner Mats Wahlström, who, as his name indicates, has roots north of the Balearics; how else to explain the delightful blend of modern international Zen and wide-ranging ethnic influences within this 14th-century Gothic palace?

Of course there are traditional Mallorcan touches, but the massive wooden doors were hand-carved in Bali, and modern elements are just as prominent, from the dark hardwood floors to the black slate bathrooms (behind those sliding Balinese doors) and the all-white setting of the Opio bar & restaurant. This would be one of the hippest hotels in Miami or Barcelona; in Palma de Mallorca, it has no competition.

Services and amenities are equally up-to-date, with entertainment centers in the rooms offering access to the hotel's library, with thousands of songs and hundreds of DVDs. Some of Puro's finest pleasures, though, are the low-tech ones — fresh air in the courtyards, sunlight falling on the rooftop plunge pool, Opio's seafood-centric Mediterrasian cuisine, and Palma's rollicking nightlife, which starts early inside the hotel, in the Puro Lounge.