The newly acquired rooftop terrace and mid-level restaurant is just that, a family affair. Bought and opened just two weeks before lockdown happened, the beautiful new bar/ restaurant is not showing any signs of having been affected by the dreaded Coronavirus. In fact, the place is positively pumping, whilst maintaining social distancing between groups, as I sit down to chat with the two generations of Swedes who have stepped up to the mark to put Cala Nova on the map.
So what’s your vision for Nova del Mar I ask Max and Gustav, the younger of the two generations involved. They want it to be a destination, so when someone comes to the island one of the things they know they have to check off their list is a visit to Nova Del Mar. And it’s not hard to see how easy that will be to accomplish. If Location, Location, Location is what it’s all about then this place has it in abundance. On one side you can gaze out over the yachts in the marina as sail and motorboats go about the business of fun, whilst the view from the other side is the beautiful vista across Palma bay. The whole complex, only redesigned in 2018 reeks of style and design. Even the pool on the ground floor glistens playfully as the sun goes down.
This is a place to see and be seen. It has the kind of upmarket beach club vibe more akin to Ibiza than Palma, that we have been missing in the city for some time. They want people to come here to chill out and relax, whether it’s for breakfast, lunch or dinner. This is where the party starts. Not that they don’t have their fair share of parties themselves. Take Friday nights for example where international DJs set the mood for those wanting to kickoff the weekend with sundowners. It’s every week from 6 until 11pm and is full of the bold and the beautiful enjoying a vast array of classic and modern twist cocktails served up by the impressive mixologists.
This isn’t the only event that they are planning on hosting. They are currently planning high-end Summer dinner and dancing nights in the beautiful air-conditioned space below us. The plan is that you will need to book in groups of 8 with the hope that many tables of different nationalities will get to mix and mingle as they dance the night away. On Thursdays local musician Javier wows the crowds with his musical prowess as he moves through his repertoire of different musical instruments. On Wednesdays they play host to the island’s petrol heads, as the Classic Car Club takes up residence in its current new home. Prepare to be impressed as some of the most beautiful cars on the island gather together.
It’s clear that the boys and their fathers have thought long and hard about what it is they want to achieve with the business and one of the key things is service. Having been in hospitality in one form or another for most of their lives they know that excellent service is paramount and this is something they are working very hard on. They want it to be up to the standard of the finest bars, restaurants and hotels found in London and Stockholm. Of course this isn’t always the easiest thing to achieve and with lockdown and ERTE causing even more problems, I think it’s fair to say they are well on their way to reaching their goal. They are working hard on instilling the values they hold so dear in their team of staff, who have been taken into the family.
And it is not just about the food and drinks, though they are very excited about the new breakfast menu they are launching next week, they are also passionately supporting local businesses and artists. It literally takes everything in my willpower not to head over to the pop-up clothing store Karma, owned by a local family friend, to browse through the beautiful dresses and bags that are gently wafting in the wind.
When, what they affectionately refer to as the Oldies, Johan and Per, arrive, the two serious young men in front of me politely thank me for my time and head off to coordinate the evening’s festivities, and I am left at the mercy of the Dads. There is an air of mischief about them both, in fact Gustav refers to his father Johan as the mood manager and it’s not difficult to see why. Always the consummate host, Johan is giving me his full attention whilst ensuring that everyone else around me is acknowledged and looked after. It’s not an easy skill to master, but he has it in bucketloads.
I ask them both why they had decided to invest and they explain that whilst they are both hands-on at the moment, though mostly in an advisory sense, they wanted something to leave for their sons so that they can eventually head off and spend days on the golf course, where, incidentally, they had just returned from. You can see that they both swell with pride when they talk about Gustav and Max and I instinctively know that this team, which also includes mums Susanne and Nina, who look after the breakfasts as well as the sales and marketing, is going to go far. They have already managed to snag chef Ivan, who worked at El Bulli and then studied in Japan for three years and they are excited about the new menus that will be launching soon, which they are creating with him.
Nova del Mar is a sublime bar where you can easily lose hours dreamily staring out over the azure waters of the Mediterranean, whilst sipping a chilled cocktail and enjoying one of the delicious dishes from the modern twist menu. As I leave these two generations to get the party started I know that this is definitely not going to be the last time I’m here. I wish you all well!
By Victoria Pearce
Avinguda de Joan Miró, 327, 07015 Palma
+34 650 012 291
info@novadelmar.es
Upper Deck & Rooftop
Opening Hours
Monday – Thursday 8:00 – 22:00
Friday-Saturday 8:00 – 24.00
Sunday 8:00AM – 22.00
