Known for their crystal blue waters and charming historic cityscapes, the Spanish Balearic Islands are havens for summer tourism. While Majorca and Ibiza tend to attract a livelier crowd, neighboring Menorca sports a more relaxing reputation. Its capital, the port city of Mahón, has a rich history dating back to Ancient Rome. For visitors looking to explore this history, a quaint lodging destination has recently come online. Renovated by local firm Emma Martí Arquitectura, The Hevresac Hotel can be found on a narrow lot along one of the city’s central, winding corridors. Occupying an 18th-century former single-family residence, the modest trapezoidal structure was converted into an eight-room hotel with a cozy vaulted breakfast room. Drawing inspiration from the building’s previous tenant, storied local Enlightenment author Joan Roca Vivent, the renovation imbues a sense of tranquility through curated minimalism and a balance between old and new.

The 5,554-square-foot adaptive reuse project included the careful restoration of a number of timeless original features and the incorporation of new sustainable materials to increase energy efficiency. To better showcase the 18th-century wooden beams, mosaic floor tiles, staircase, and parquet flooring, EMA carved away at the existing floorplates and expanded the original central stairway to disperse natural light throughout each of the hotel’s four floors, basement included. To penetrate this sub-ground level, the team removed a portion of the pre-existing marès stone ceiling vaults commonly found in homes of this era. “The building was in a state that called for action—it was very dark,” the client noted. “It was also not very functional, but the real magic and personality of the place were very much alive.”

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