New Look at the Harbor: Club de Mar Gives Palma a Fresh Face

New Look at the Harbor: Club de Mar Gives Palma a Fresh Face

If you stroll along the Paseo Marítimo toward Porto Pi, you first hear the sea, then the footsteps of walkers and, in the distance, the occasional horn on Avenida Gabriel Roca. Right there, not far from the German consulate, a new ensemble now catches the eye: after five years of construction the Club de Mar complex is finished – the result of a redesign costing roughly €84 million.

Glass, Metal and Green Walls

The design comes from the Madrid-based architecture firm Entresitio. Striking features are the large glass surfaces and metal accents that give the building an airy, modern appearance. In contrast, dense hanging gardens are woven in at several points: small green curtains on the façades that soften the austere mix of materials and create a connection to the freshly planted Paseo Marítimo.

On my walk I noticed that not all interior spaces are furnished yet. A wide walkway through the complex is still partly cordoned off with plastic barriers, and some terraces still look like construction sites, even though the external shell is already very present. Three of the main buildings are connected by walkways; you can see how the new development will later integrate into the flow of the harbor promenade.

What Goes In — and What Remains Exclusive

The new Club de Mar will bring together a bundle of offerings: several shops, cafés, ice cream parlors, a gym, a spa, swimming pools, a kids' club, boat rental services, real estate agents, boutiques for women's and swimwear, and conference rooms. A total of four restaurants are planned. The upper floor of the main building will — as was customary before — be reserved for certain club members.

One of the restaurants, the Bar de la Marina, already has an operator: the business group around the shoe brand Camper, which is no stranger on Plaça Gomila. This location promises a large terrace with a view of the harbor and a cafeteria and breakfast service. The main restaurant sits in a fully glazed section of the complex. Operators for the third venue are still to be determined, but an upscale dining concept is being talked about. And surprisingly, the well-known Marsalada nightclub will initially open as a brasserie before later returning to operation as a night venue.

Parking, Promenade, Perspective

Also new is a two-story parking facility integrated into one of the buildings with 97 paid parking spaces. A pedestrian bridge connects the complex directly to the Palma's new waterfront boulevard — welcome news for everyone on foot or by bike.

What is being created here is more than a single construction project: together with the upgraded Paseo Marítimo, the Club de Mar changes the visual quality of this corner. Where an unsightly concrete bridge and somewhat chaotic traffic once dominated, there is now a noticeably more pedestrian-friendly approach. That means: more calm, better paths and more space for people who want to linger by the water.

Briefly Observed — and a Look Ahead

In the early afternoon an older lady sits on a bench with her dog in the shade, and a couple discusses the new cafés. Gulls circle, workers put away tools. The official inauguration is planned for June or July. Until then there is time to complete the final details and to fill the new space with life.

For Palma this means another stretch of the waterfront that is being modernized and made more accessible; similar projects have been reported in Porto Cristo and Portocolom. Those who jog here in the morning may soon have a cappuccino in hand; in the evenings terrace lights and water views could attract more passersby. It's not a radical upheaval, but a noticeable upgrade: cleaner lines, more greenery and a piece of harbor that again invites you in.

Our tip: Take a walk in the late afternoon when the sun is lower and the glass façades glow warmly. After the official opening, it's worth trying the new balcony terrace of the Bar de la Marina — a seat, a harbor view, fresh breezes. This is Mallorca's waterfront in a new form.