Casa Ládico Hotel, Mahon
A few weeks ago we were lucky enough to be some of the first guests at Mahon's newest, and arguably most stylish, boutique hotel, Casa Ládico. Built as a stunning family home in the mid-nineteenth century by the Greek family Ládico, the building is located in the centre of the city.
Made from mares stone and listed for its architectural features, it's exactly the kind of property I always fall for. With oodles of history, and character and beautifully restored by its current owners, the hotel is a stunning example of an elegant Spanish family home. The refurbishment was carried out last Winter in a speedy six months and is a real success.
The large courtyard garden includes a generous size swimming pool, with plenty of room to bathe in the sun (or hide in the shade like me with a gin and tonic!). The design throughout is simple and stylish - I just adore roof terraces and town gardens - I love the feeling of other buildings around me, and the gentle bustle of Mediterranean city life and I also have a bit of an obsession with rooftop views!
Inside the hotel, the simple elegance continues - soft, calm colours combine with a mixture of classic and modern pieces to create a contemporary, but comfortable space. I love the little windows - they add the perfect modern accent to traditional architecture. There is a small indoor bar area and restaurant and lots of seating outside on the terrace. The food is wonderful - a fusion of international and Spanish and the barman on the first evening served us the best Gin & Tonic we have ever tasted...we would expect nothing less with Mahon's history with the drink!
Upstairs the decor continues in the same vein - a cool, calm colour palette wraps the stairwell and the stairs are a stunning feature in themselves - the original stone and balustrade (we have learnt that the gently waved metal is a classic Menorcan style) lead the way to the top of the tall building, where our gorgeous bedroom was to be found.
We had an attic room with a terrace - it was so pretty and waking up each morning to the rooftop view was heaven for me. And the blue skies of course helped make it the perfect start to the day!
Finally, I want to mention the location - right in the centre of the historic part of the city, it's a gentle potter to the market and main shopping streets and a 15-minute walk down to the famous harbour. Mahon is such a special city and what is truly unique is the distance from the city centre to some of the island’s most beautiful beaches - 15 minutes to many!
But I will save that for my next post...
Laura x
