Hotel Riviera Menorca – Ciutadella, Spain
A splash of 1970s Italian seaside glamour brings colour, curves and a little mischief to Menorca.
Why DNA Hotels Loves It
● Ilmiodesign deliberately rejects the ubiquitous white-on-white Balearic aesthetic, looking instead to the colourful beach culture of the 1970s Italian Riviera Romagnola.
● The former Hotel Madrid has become an intimate 14-room urban resort, centred around a saltwater pool with striped parasols, motel-style balconies and plenty of orange.
● It’s playful without becoming pastiche: terrazzo, terracotta, mustard yellow and bespoke retro furniture give the hotel personality while keeping one foot firmly in the Mediterranean.
Menorca, But Not in White
Menorca has become extraordinarily good at a certain kind of hotel. Whitewashed walls. Pale linen. Rough stone. Olive wood. A beautifully restrained palette designed to disappear into the landscape. Hotel Riviera does almost the exact opposite. On the edge of Ciutadella’s historic centre, the former Hotel Madrid has been transformed into a riot of orange, stripes and voluptuous curves inspired not by traditional Menorca, but by the Italian Riviera of the 1970s. It shouldn’t necessarily work. It absolutely does.
From Hotel Madrid to Riviera
Madrid-based Ilmiodesign, founded by Italians Andrea Spada and Michele Corbani, approached the existing building with a refreshingly uncomplicated idea: make staying here feel like being on holiday. Their reference was the Riviera Romagnola during its exuberant 1970s heyday — colourful beach umbrellas, seaside bars, optimistic graphics and the slightly glamorous informality of an Italian summer. Rather than importing that world literally, they translated its mood. The building is wrapped in horizontal orange bands that unify the existing architecture and become particularly striking after dark. At street level, the façade was opened up so the reception and bar look directly towards the swimming pool beyond. Arrival becomes a transition from street to oasis.
A Little Urban Lido
The courtyard is Riviera’s centre of gravity. A saltwater swimming pool is surrounded by orange-and-white tiles, sunbeds and striped parasols, while exterior corridors and balconies overlook the scene from above. There’s something distinctly motel-like about it. But replace American roadside asphalt with Mediterranean sunshine, add a cocktail and turn everything several shades more stylish, and you have Riviera. It’s compact, sociable and deliberately theatrical — the kind of pool where doing absolutely nothing feels like an activity. Day passes bring non-guests into the courtyard too, giving it something many small boutique hotels lack: life.
Ilmiodesign Turns Up the Colour
Inside, the rebellion against Balearic beige continues. Warm terracotta meets mustard yellow. Rounded ceiling coves soften the rooms. Striped upholstery adds graphic rhythm, while playful flower-shaped lamps bring a hint of Mary Quant-era pop design. And then there’s terrazzo. Used throughout the hotel, it becomes the material connecting Riviera’s Italian fantasy back to the wider Mediterranean. It feels nostalgic without belonging exclusively to either Italy or Spain. Most of the furniture and lighting was designed specifically for the property and adapted to the individual rooms, which helps prevent the retro references from slipping into theme-hotel territory. This isn’t a recreation of 1973. It’s 1973 after a very good edit.
Just 14 Rooms
Riviera’s small scale is part of its charm. There are only 14 rooms, divided between Double Piccola, Double Deluxe, Junior Suite and Suite Riviera categories, and every one has some form of private outdoor space. Some look towards the sea, others directly into the pool courtyard. Larger rooms gain substantial terraces, while the layouts were individually adjusted to make the most of each room’s relationship with the building. The palette continues inside: curves, warm colours, stripes and custom pieces, balanced by decidedly contemporary comforts including Marshall speakers, Dyson hairdryers and Malin+Goetz bath products.
Breakfast Becomes Pool Lunch
The poolside restaurant understands the assignment. Breakfast combines Mediterranean staples with à la carte dishes before the menu slides effortlessly into holiday mode: ricotta toast, shakshuka, fruit, pancakes and Riviera fries with parmesan fondue. The signature Benedict Riviera piles poached eggs, smashed avocado and parmesan fondue onto brioche. Nothing particularly solemn is happening here. Nor should it. The pool bar keeps cocktails coming into the afternoon, making the courtyard somewhere you’re quite likely to spend considerably longer than intended.
Pilates Above the Sea
Wellness is kept equally informal. The rooftop starts the morning with Pilates, while massages take place beneath draped fabric with Mediterranean air drifting through the space. Treatments range from Swedish massage and reflexology to the hotel’s own essential-oil Riviera massage. But Riviera’s most convincing therapy remains downstairs. Pool. Sunbed. Striped umbrella. Repeat.
The Other Side of Menorca
Hotel Riviera arrives at an interesting moment for Menorca. The island’s increasingly sophisticated hotel scene has demonstrated how beautifully historic fincas, stone houses and rural estates can be reinvented through restrained contemporary design. Riviera shows that Menorca doesn’t always have to whisper. Hotel Riviera is small, colourful, sociable and gloriously unserious. Ilmiodesign takes the optimism of a 1970s Italian beach holiday and drops it into Ciutadella without losing sight of where it actually is. The terrazzo keeps things Mediterranean, the pool gives the hotel its heartbeat and those orange stripes make sure you’ll never confuse it with another tasteful Balearic retreat. Menorca has plenty of beautiful hotels. Riviera might just be one of its most fun.
