Hotel Born is the best-value historic stay in central Palma. It occupies the former palace of the Marquises of Ferrandell, also known as Can Maroto, a sixteenth-century house on Carrer de Sant Jaume, a quiet street a minute from the Passeig des Born, the city’s grand tree-lined promenade. You enter through a stone arch into a classic Mallorcan patio, the courtyard where the buffet breakfast is served, and climb a grand staircase from a lobby of red marble. Rooms are traditional rather than designer, with tiled floors, Mallorcan furniture and private bathrooms, and some look over the courtyard. The hotel is small and family-run, which shows in the welcome, and the cathedral, the Almudaina palace and the shops of the old town are all about a ten-minute walk away.
Location and getting around: Carrer de Sant Jaume sits on the western edge of the old town, between the Passeig des Born and the shopping streets around Jaume III. Everything in the historic centre is walkable, including the cathedral, the Almudaina, the Arab baths and the tapas bars of La Llotja, and the Santa Catalina market district is a short walk west. For the Sóller train and the airport bus, the Plaça d’Espanya is about fifteen minutes on foot or a short taxi ride. Taxis can drop you at the door, but there is no hotel parking, so if you hire a car use a public car park nearby.
The rooms: they come as doubles, twins and triples, which makes the hotel useful for small families and friends sharing. Furnishings are traditional and bathrooms are modest, so book for the building and the location rather than for luxury. Courtyard-facing rooms are the most atmospheric, and rooms toward the back are usually the quietest.
Who it suits: travellers who want to sleep in a real Palma palace without paying palace prices, first-timers who want to walk everywhere, and couples on a city break. Those who need a pool, a spa or a gym should look elsewhere.
Good to know: the buffet breakfast in the patio is a highlight, and breakfast in the room is also offered. Booking directly on the hotel’s website brings a small web discount, and in the low season the hotel runs a winter offer with a larger discount for longer stays, which makes November and December particularly good value.
Why stay here
- ✓Sixteenth-century palace building
- ✓Courtyard breakfast patio
- ✓Buffet breakfast
- ✓Breakfast in the room on request
- ✓Triple rooms for small families
- ✓Family-run reception
- ✓Steps from the Passeig des Born
- ✓Winter offer for longer stays
Good questions
Where is Hotel Born?+
It is at Carrer de Sant Jaume 3, a minute from the Passeig des Born on the western edge of Palma’s old town. The cathedral is about a ten-minute walk away.
Does Hotel Born have parking?+
No, the hotel has no parking of its own. If you drive, use one of the public car parks nearby and walk in.
Is breakfast included at Hotel Born?+
Breakfast is a buffet served in the palace courtyard, and you can also ask for breakfast in your room. Check your rate when booking to see whether it is included.
