Could you share with us the history of the Hotel BonSol?

My grandfather, Don Antonio loved the sea. He would bathe in the sea every day, 365 days a year, before starting his day's work, in the Bay of Palma. When the port began to expand, the water became less transparent, so my grandfather, in search of a nearby beach where the water was still clear enough for him to continue enjoying his morning swim, came across Cala Brugit, the cove where the BonSol is now located. He fell in love with it so much that he decided to move to enjoy his daily morning ritual in the clear waters of the Mediterranean.

He ventured to buy a building that then belonged to the Bendinat Castle, located very close to the cove. The building had 14 rooms and at that time it was the only building in Illetas. Antonio’s wife, my grandmother, wasn’t excited about leaving her comfortable home in Palma, and starting a new life in a big house without neighbors and far away from everything.

As my grandfather spent most of his days in Palma, my grandmother found it challenging to keep busy all day, resulting in quite an unexciting daily life. Following the philosophy of turning a problem into an opportunity, Don Antonio advised my grandmother to receive ‘guests’ at home to keep her active, and without hesitation, she applied the marketing of that time, and decided to invite all known and unknown taxi drivers to eat at the - then Hostal BonSol, to tell and show them about its wonders. Charismatic as she was, it didn't take her long to make it popular, as at that time the taxi driver was practically the one who decided where the tourist that arrived on the island, was going to spend the night.

Little by little, Don Antonio was enchanted by the atmosphere of the hotel, so he decided to change his profession and dedicate himself fully to the hotel business. It was then that the ‘success story’ of the now iconic Hotel BonSol Resort & SPA began with the help of this ‘power couple’.

What’s the most unusual request you’ve received from a guest, and how did you accommodate it?

This story, in my opinion, is not short of genius, in regard to the way my dad handled the situation… 

At the BonSol, we try to communicate with every guest daily to find out if they are enjoying the BonSol, and to get any kind of valuable and constructive feedback, as our main goal is to make our guests happy. This guest in particular did not look very happy, and as my father approached him, he would not say the reason for his dissatisfaction. My father insisted, arguing that if he would share the reason he could probably fulfill his wish, he answered, "Can you make your beach 1 mile long, as I like to run on the sand every morning."

My father cleverly answered, “I cannot change our beach but I will find a hotel with a  beach that is long for you.” So, my father organized a taxi for the gentleman and gave the taxi driver instructions to take him to four different hotels. He chose one of them and came back the next day to say thank you, as he could run on the long beach. Then he asked for another favor: if he could come for dinner every night at the BonSol? 

His wish was obviously granted. After a week, he came back to the BonSol and asked to speak to my father. He thanked him for helping him to enjoy a very pleasant holiday but said: "Next time, I prefer to stay at the BonSol, and instead of coming here for dinner, I will take the taxi to the long beach in the morning."

He has since become a regular guest of the BonSol.