The building now over 100 years old, is under protection because of the special architecture it has, and the lush garden makes the place quite unique. The house was converted to a hostel in year 1952 by the Navarro family and has been in their hands and care for more than three decades. I knew it had been up for sale for some time and even took some Nordic clients of mine to see it, but when I realised their plans for it, I crossed my fingers that they would not buy this magnificent house in El Terreno.
The building did get sold and Hostal Corona now has new owners, Ida W Rådsten and Camilla Broman both from Sweden. They have already reopened to the public, with a full-scale restaurant inside the old hostel. Ida and Camilla are both well known in the Swedish Capital from the restauration scene. “Please mention that this is a family business,” says Ida when I meet her for a coffee in the garden earlier this week. The sun is shining through the vegetation and the touch ups are very clear in the unforgiving January sun. The renovation work has been carried out very carefully. The main colour red is kept as before and the details are many, new bathrooms and the new bodega looks super cool. The outdoor space with two chic separate terraces is something to look forward too in the summer. For the two co-owners it was natural to import their chefs from Sweden to give their restaurant project in Mallorca a special touch.
Chefs Bettina Petersen and Samuel Lewén used to work at culinary hot spots such as East, Berns and Vedholms Fisk in Stockholm, specialising in Asian delicacies. They are young and have an incredible resume despite their age. Sushi, Japas, Asian kitchen and tables with cold cuts and cheese to go with the specially selected wines. It’s a haven for vegans and vegetarians as well.
“We have clients sitting outside in the evenings with a blanket and the gas heaters which makes the ambience very cosy, but we do have space inside as well,” she says. A separate dining room for 8 people and the open kitchen makes the feeling exclusive and special.
“Both our families are involved in this rather large project. We all have great knowledge from restaurants and hotels, and with roots in Sweden, France, and Asia you will for sure find influence from these countries in our food and drink menu.” I ask her about the Japas concept, yes, it was a letter game, Ida laughs. “We serve small dishes from Asia and if it’s not tapas it has to be Japas. We have also 14 rooms that we will open during spring 2022.”
Ida W Rådsten started out as a 19-year-old in the restaurant business in the Swedish capital Stockholm. “I was called up by a friend who needed help to run his restaurant in Stockholm,” she remembers. “It was an excellent opportunity and a great way to start in the businesses one job led to another and there was a very high demand.” Ida realised quickly that she was very good at running businesses and that there was very little competition to offer service staff in the restaurant industry. In very little time she started her first own business, a temporary work agency specialising in staff for the restaurant industry. She moved to Majorca 4 years ago and loves it here. We talk about being entrepreneurs in Spain, “it seems like everyone stops working after lunch on Fridays,” she says. “In the beginning it was challenging but I have now realised it is better to take the custom where you are and instead take advantage of the situation so in a short while we will start with afterwork in the garden on Fridays from 15.00.”
We wish them good luck with their new business.
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