HotelsMag July-August 2016 | Page 43

A sense of place

From piazza to sea and valley views , the park hyatt mallorca takes its cue From tradition .
By BarBara Bohn , managing editor the hotel , which sits alongside a slope overlooking the Canyamel
Valley , mimics a terraced mallorcan village .
At first glance , the Park Hyatt Mallorca could be mistaken for a village , clinging alongside a rocky slope overlooking the Spanish island ’ s Canyamel Valley .
“ The original idea of the stepping comes from the typical terracing around the hillsides in Mallorca , where they grow olive trees ,” says DSA Architects International ' s Mike Scott . “ We decided to put the houses on the terraces .” In all , there are 126 guestrooms and 16 suites with interiors by G . A Design , London , and Michele Evans out of Dubai , built on two levels and grouped by twos or threes around their own courtyards . Some have views up the hill toward the sunset , others wrap around the mountain and have a view of sea and sunrise .
The traditional approach extends to the material , says Scott , DSA ' s managing director , Europe . “ We ’ ve used natural stonework on the base of the public buildings . It ’ s Mallorcan santanyí , quarried from the island itself .” Above that base façade are often plaster walls painted in natural colors — ochres , pinks , creams — that complement the pale stone but make each building distinct . Same theme , different details .
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