From fashion to food and music, Los Felices in San José bay is an Ibizan paradise with creatives at the beating heart of it. It’s the ninth opening for Ibiza’s Concept Hotel Group but much different than anything that you will find on the island. Designed by ilmiodesign studio, Los Felices is an eccentric sea of technicolour and feels like a nostalgic mood board come to life. On arrival, a chocolate vintage car greets you in the driveway and the mediterranean sun beats down on striped umbrellas that line the candy-coloured Palm Pool Club. With its mid-century Americana architecture and hues of pastel pink, sherbet yellow and pistachio green, this is the closest you can get to Barbie’s dream house in the Balearic Islands.
Coined as The Fashion Hotel, Concept Hotel Group CEO and co-founder Diego Calvo described fusing their signature avant-garde style with the world of fashion as both exciting and novel. “Conceptually, I think it’s the most powerful and elaborate thing we’ve done to date,” said Calvo in a press release. “Dedicating the hotel’s concept to the fascinating creative universe of fashion — one of our main pillars — is unique in the hotel world and an exciting task.” Stepping into Los Felices truly feels like a curated capsule of Calvo’s interests which include rock and roll music, the bygone era of old Hollywood, and glamorous destinations like Palm Springs in California.
It wouldn’t be a Concept Hotel Group project without a unique element to get people talking. At Los Felices it is undoubtedly the Futuro House Stage, a retro saucer spacecraft fitted with a disco ball, a tequila bar and a mechanical door. Visually, the space is a playful nod to the space craze of the 60s and the UFO designs of Finnish architect Matti Suuronen. Functionally, Futuro House Stage symbolises the hotel’s ongoing commitment to collaboration, serving as both a performance space for fashion shows and music events, including the hotel’s opening party with Levi’s.
The hotel’s collaborative spirit is what makes it more than just a hotel, but also a creative platform. Los Felices worked with several Spanish and international designers like Greek label DI PETSA and Caribbean London-based brand Sacaboi. Maria Bernad from Spanish Paris-based brand Les Fleurs acted as a fashion consultant on the project and has a boutique in the lobby. Together with Barcelona’s Lexa Agency, they brought a sartorial touch to the project, with a kiosk displaying international fashion magazines welcoming you at check-in and each of the 113 rooms being named after a designer who collaborated with the hotel. Each designer is also featured on a photo wall called the Hall of Fame.
The world of fashion, art and music is present in every element of the hotel from the throwback music that plays when you switch on the television to the huge editorial photography displayed in the bedrooms and hallways. The rooms feature bright balconies and dark wooden furniture accents, as well as small villas with geometric patios. As its early days for Los Felices, there were a few typical hotel essentials that were overlooked and some small room details that seemed rushed, but overtime we can expect for opening day jitters to be worked on.
Uniquely, the hotel’s restaurant Bambola is run by Spanish pizza chain Grosso Napoletano who were crowned the best artisan pizza chain in the world by 50 Top Pizza in 2023. Bambola di Grosso Napoletano makes exclusively gluten-free pizzas (and yes, they do deliver their wood fire pizzas across the island.) Without being told, you would not necessarily know that the pizzas were gluten-free. The Italian menu on offer always tasted fresh and delicious, with the weakest elements being the eggplant parmigiana which lacked seasoning, and the dessert pizza smothered in a creamy hazelnut chocolate spread whose base was a little crispier than preferred.
When it comes to activities, Ibiza is always the life of the party and its love for la fiesta is what keeps people coming back. Travelers can expect Los Felices to bring its own unique spin to the party scene with a club anticipated to open in 2025. Until then, Los Felices is the ideal spot for a touch of retro glamour on your next holiday escape.
photography. Courtesy of Los Felices + Gerard Estrella
words. Shama Nasinde
