Hotel operator: Mondrian Group – All Accor
Architecture and interior design: Beades Architects and Cuarto Interior
Furnishings: on design by the architects
Artworks: Gallery of Things, curated by Gone Rogue collective
Photos: Javier de Paz Garcia
In Cala Llonga, on the eastern coast of Ibiza, amidst hills covered with pine trees and away from the bustling nightlife of Ibiza Town and many beachfront locations, lies a perfect retreat for those seeking an escape without sacrificing the comforts of a contemporary hotel.
Housed in a 1970s building perched on a hill overlooking the beach and horizon, the Mondrian Ibiza was renovated by Spanish firms Beades Architects and Cuarto Interior with a vision that intertwines aesthetics and the genius loci. The design directives included enhancing the view, creating an in/out dialogue, and elevating the cocoon effect despite the building’s significant size, through bespoke mid-century furniture inspired by the soul of the place.
The sense of calm that pervades the hotel is evident from the lobby, where guests are greeted by a “Gallery of Things” (curated by the London-based collective Gone Rogue) filled with contemporary artworks and colorful ceramics, intentionally contrasting with the minimalist spaces punctuated by cream-colored walls and an indigo blue cavity for the check-in desk, a clear nod to the ocean’s depths.
Everywhere, the palette of natural materials such as wood, rattan, and stone accentuates the custom furnishings, seats upholstered in natural linen, and handmade carpets that draw the eye toward the bar counter, delineated by rounded columns and inspired by the patterns of silver bracelets sold on the island. Everything is enveloping, warm, relaxing.
Light flooding through the glass walls brightens the spaces and eliminates any barrier with the outside, providing a poetic postcard of a landscape dominated by vegetation and turquoise waters. The emphasis on views is echoed in the rooms, with 154 accommodations including rooms and suites with private balconies or terraces, where neutral palettes of walls and floors extend the sensation of well-being while amplifying the surprise of the horizon.
As in the common areas, the sense of connection with the territory dictates traditional forms and materials, reinterpreted by the architects with touches of pure contemporaneity: the wooden slats of the closets, for example, recall the huts where fishermen store their boats. The furnishings are made from raw local materials, with features such as wood, woven leather for the headboards, stone, concrete, and linen for the curtains.
For those familiar with the aesthetic features typical of Mondrian hotels, founded nearly three decades ago in West Hollywood with a strong sense of roots in art, design, culture, movement, and softness, the design of the Ibiza hotel is a surprise, as its organic and fluid essence is omnipresent, from the reception to the rooms and the seven restaurants shared with the nearby—and almost twin—Hyde Ibiza.
One, in particular, deserves the dining experience: Niko, the latest addition to the hotel’s gourmet spaces and Cala Llonga’s first Japanese restaurant. Also designed by Cuarto Interior, it blends Mediterranean culture with Japanese, featuring a sushi bar that is literally a work of art, crafted with natural stone fragments by Spanish artist Esther Rosa.
