Palomas faith
Vicky Lissaman flies to the Canaries for sun, sand and Seventies chic at a top hotel
Seventies-style chic, the serenest of swimming pools and sand dunes sculpted by the breeze… I think I have found my winter sun paradise. Maspalomas, Gran Canaria’s south coast resort town, has the looks, the flair, and there’s one beachfront hotel which really stands out from the crowd. We arrived at the Seaside Palm Beach hotel just as the sun was setting, the sky a warm coral pink, framing the island’s jagged peaks. Flags of the world standing to attention, fairy lights twirled around towering palms and sparkling granite steps gave a grand sense of occasion from the outside. Stepping through the revolving glass doors, however, was like being whisked into a 1970s time machine.
A riot of retro cool with mindbending monochrome flooring, curved red leather seating and glowing lamps, I half expected to see Charlie’s Angels slink out of the lift in their platforms and flares.
There was a friendly efficiency in reception as we checked in, then someone appeared with flutes of chilled sparkling wine. If it had come with a stuffed olive garnish I would’ve been in full-on Abigail’s Party mode.
Up on the fifth floor we met our bags, which had been brought up by the concierge on one of those fab birdcage luggage trolleys.
We are a family of four, so the adjoining rooms were ideal. And the 70s theme continued with Ercol-style chairs, abstract prints and a soft chocolate and cream carpet.
Our rooms sat on the outside curve of the C-shaped, 328-room hotel, where sun-trap balconies offered the perfect sanctuary to soak up views of the sea, lagoon and famous dunes landscape.
We headed for a pre-dinner drink at the hotel’s basement Bar Salon. James Bond meets Boogie Wonderland here, with a mix of mirrors, booths, fuchsia carpet and wood panelling. We perched on spinny egg-shaped bar stools, sipping vodka martinis.
Like the rest of the hotel decor, it is the creation of celebrated designer Alberto Pinto. The building itself dates back to the 1970s and it was re-designed in the 2000s