The resort report: what's new in the hotel world
ANN RUPPENSTEIN
Checking out the latest hotel and resort news from fresh renovations to brand new and upcoming properties ready to welcome your clients.
Following a historical restoration of a 16th century Mallorcan Finca, Son Bunyola Hotel and Villas has opened the largest island of the Balearic Islands. The new luxury hotel by Richard Branson is set in the Tramuntana Mountains of Mallorca, joining its three showcase villas on the estate. Featuring 26 rooms and suites, the original finca dates back to the 1500s. One of the highlights of Son Bunyola Hotel is a 28-metre swimming pool with views across the emblematic Foradada rock formation and surrounding countryside.
Breathing new life into a 13th-century cliffside Capuchin convent, Anantara Convento di Amalfi Grand Hotel is now open following extensive renovations to an 800-year-old historic building. The property features 52 guest rooms and suites – many of which were first built as monks’ quarters – with panoramic views of the Mediterranean. The restoration preserved features like ornate cloisters and an on-site Baroque church complete with a marble altar and Majolica floor. Located on the Amalfi Coast, the hotel is home to an award-winning Anantara Spa, an alfresco fitness centre with TechnoGym equipment, and a newly refurbished cliffside swimming pool.
For clients looking for a different way to stay in Europe, Iberostar Hotels & Resorts has brought its Caribbean all-inclusive resort concept to Europe for the first time with Iberostar Selection Albufera. Located on the beachfront of the award-winning Playa de Muro in Mallorca, two of the company’s hotels in the Bay of Alcudia — Iberostar Selection Albufera Park and Iberostar Selection Albufera Playa — were completely transformed. The refurbishment, which began in 2022, revamped all of the resort’s facilities, including its 600 rooms.
Another all-inclusive option in Europe is the Tivoli Alvor Algarve Resort, located next to the picturesque village of Alvor in Portugal. The spacious resort with 491 contemporary guest rooms is spread over 27.5 acres, including 56 two-bedroom Premium Family Rooms and four Premium Suites. The resort offers two different all-inclusive options, one standard and a more exclusive option with extra premium services, including access to local restaurants and theme parks. Originally built in 2019, the resort reopened as Tivoli Alvor with newly decorated rooms. There are five outdoor pools (one adults only, three for families and one for children) and one indoor pool, four restaurants, two bars and a wellness centre with a Turkish bath, saunas and spa treatments.
