Iberostar Grand Hotel Portals Nous, Mallorca: An eye for the individual

In a world where everything tends to follow trends, along comes Iberostar Grand Hotel Portals Nous, with a decidedly individual design.

It's a new coastal resort in the European playground of sunny Mallorca and in an enviable right-on-beach location about 10 kilometres from Palma. The hotel is a futuristic, sculptural wonderland, created by celebrated Dutch designer Marcel Wanders, founder of the homewares design house Moooi and the amazing mind behind furniture, object and industrial design for the likes of Alessi, Flos, Baccarat and Puma, as well as other hotels and private residences.

All-white moulded forms and installations that populate the spaces are reminiscent of his famed 1997 Egg Vase, creating forests, caves and arches throughout, offset by tiling matching the oh-so-blue backdrop of the Mediterranean and the verdant gardens surrounding land-side.

But amidst all the drama, comfy touches soften things, such as folksy tablecloths, big squishy sofas and traditional Spanish tiles.

There are 66 adults-only suites, most decorated in white with bright primary pops and the out-there centrepiece of the large bathrooms: a big round mirror backed by a big blue eyeball.

Several suites are themed, including the games suite which has a pinball machine, putting green and table soccer. A naughty suite has a pole-dancing facility. If that's all a bit, err, restless, there's a heritage suite, featuring local art and the top floor stargazer suite with telescope.

Elsewhere in the hotel, there's a gorgeous pool, huge spa with lavish otherworldly wet areas and indoor-outdoor Astir, the only restaurant on the island to serve El Capricho meat, the finest in the world.

Iberostar Grand Hotel Portals Nous is a member of the LVX Collection from Preferred Hotels & Resorts.

From €275 a night including breakfast.

See preferredhotels.com