Convent de La Missió, Grand Luxury Boutique Hotel

Tucked down a quiet lane in Palma de Mallorca’s historic quarter is Convent de la Missio, a hotel as modern and stylish as its seventeenth-century exterior is traditional and historic. As the name would suggest, this building was once a convent, and the hotel retains some of the ascetic and sequestered atmosphere appropriate to a convent, providing an oasis of calm amid the bustle of the Old Town (and, in typical Spanish style, some shade from the blinding Mediterranean sun).

Not too much shade, though — interiors are white, and seem to glow as lit from a window that must be just around the corner. Hardwood floors and exposed beams pay homage to the traditional Palma country houses, and the fourteen guest rooms are ultra-stylish, white but not overly bare, and above all, open and airy, not at all as the nuns must have left them. Bathrooms are highly designed, with egg-shaped sinks you’ll find either inspirational, if you like that sort of thing, or a bit over-done, if you’re a traditionalist.

With just fourteen rooms there must be some space unaccounted for — the public spaces, as it turns out, are rather extensive, and one is truly remarkable: the spa and Turkish bath beneath the convent, in a former crypt. The restaurant, Marc Fosh, has been recognized with a Michelin star.