On Monday evening Spotlight went down to the opening party for the newly re-furbished Marigna Hotel in Figueretas, and left mightily impressed. The new Marigna owners Francesco Ceravolo and Andrés Cannavosio were proud to show the results of a winter of very hard work - hard work which has transformed the old hotel into bright, comfortable and contemporary lodgings with plenty of personality and artistic touches.
The party took place down in the reception area, where there is a bar inside and a lovely outdoor terrace area with ocean views and afternoon sun. Like all rooms in the hotel, the bar is fitted with LED lights which change colour depending on the whims of the guests, or in this case the bartender! Rope lights fitted into the walls zig zagged their way down the bar interior and prompted many “oohs” and “aahs” that night as the colours changed over.
Even more so than the playful interactive lighting, what makes this hotel distinctive is its artwork. Horacio French, a celebrated artist who works under the moniker French Napp, flew in from Argentina especially to bring the walls of Marigna to life. He stayed for a month and worked continuously on paintings in every room, floor and corridor, each unique and telling its own quirky story.
First established in 1968, the Marigna hotel was until now open only to the gay community. Whilst still a popular choice for gay holidaymakers, it is now open to all orientations, but remains adults only – so expect the odd party. We finished our evening with a tour of the building which took us up to Marigna's best kept secret - a sunny roof terrace complete with Jacuzzi, sauna and sweeping views of the ocean, Ibiza town and the hills beyond.
Marigna in its new incarnation is quite the experience. It's the details like lighting, artwork and individual quotations on the walls which inspire the imagination and give the hotel more character than just another whitewashed box to rest your head in. Its ideal location is also a plus; a two minute walk from the beach, five minute walk from the centre of Ibiza Town and five minute taxi to the nearest super clubs is hard to beat.
Photography | James Chapman
