Palma Gets a New Luxury Harbor Club: A Preview Tour Ahead of the Opening

Just a Quick Look Inside: The New Club de Mar in Palma

You can feel it in the soles of your feet: a bit of construction sand, a touch of paint splatters, and the salty breeze from the harbor. After four and a half years of construction, Palma's new Club de Mar is practically on the home stretch. The administration is already installed in the offices, while outside workers still have their gloves on and polishing machines are erasing the last traces. I was there today around 1:00 PM—midday lull? Not at all.

Four Buildings, Many Small Details

The site consists of four components: Tramuntana as the main building, Llevant and Ponent, connected by bridges, as well as Migjorn with a parking garage and an area for nightlife. The bridge to Paseo Marítimo is gone — that opens up the view of the city. Inside, bright spaces dominate, lots of wood, lava stone and leather. Retro echoes of old luxury ships meet modern technology. You can feel: they aimed to create something that also works for pedestrians, not just yacht owners.

Who Eats, Who Dances? Gastronomy Still in Puzzle Mode

Not all questions have been answered yet. About 85% of the eight retail spaces are leased — an ice cream shop is already confirmed. Plans also include a supermarket for the yachts, a conference room, pool dining for members, and a restaurant with a rather upscale daytime menu. Who will run the kitchens is still partly open; the nightclub is planned for December. DJ sets and rooftop pool terraces are cited as highlights. Will neighbors like the nightlife? We'll see.

Luxurious Yachts and the Numbers You See

One of the most striking facts: yachts up to about 170 meters in length can moor in the future. This is no accident — Palma intends to be more visible in the international yachting scene. Originally about 60 million euros were planned; in the end costs rose to around 83 million (pandemic, raw materials, company changes). I spoke briefly with one of the project managers; he led visitors on two-kilometer-long tours, from the roof terraces to the lower levels, which lie well more than two and a half meters below sea level.

What Does This Mean for the City?

The location next to the cruise terminal near Porto Pi and directly on the Paseo Marítimo makes the new Club de Mar a focal point — for tourists as well as locals. The distance to the city should deliberately remain small: more permeability, less blocked-off port operations. Whether this will work remains to be seen in practice. Until the official opening in the coming season, final tests, furniture, and permits still need to be completed. But one thing is certain: Palma has a new chapter in the harbor. And the scent of sea and varnish will probably linger for a few more weeks.