Since I set foot in Hotel Corona for the first time 20 years ago, I fell in love. The facade of the house made me think of Hansel and Gretel’s gingerbread house in the fairy tale that Grimm wrote.

The building, which is now over 100 years old, is under protection due to its particular architecture and the lush garden makes the place quite unique. The house was converted into a hostel in 1952 by the Navarro family and has been in their hands and care for over three decades. I knew it had been on sale for a while and even took some of my Nordic clients to see it, but when I got their plans I crossed my fingers that they wouldn’t buy this magnificent house in El Terreno.

The building has been sold and Hostal Corona now has new owners, Ida W Radsten and Camilla Broman both from Sweden. They have already reopened to the public, with a full-scale restaurant inside the old hostel. Both Ida and Camilla are well known in the Swedish capital of the restaurant scene. “Please mention this is a family business,” Ida says when I meet her for coffee in the garden earlier this week. The sun shines through the vegetation and the retouching is very sharp under the relentless January sun. The renovations were carried out with great care. The red main color is kept as before and the details are plentiful, new bathrooms and the new bodega look super cool. The outdoor area with two chic separate terraces is also something to look forward to in the summer. For the two co-owners, it was natural to import their chefs from Sweden to give a special touch to their restaurant project in Mallorca.

Chefs Bettina Petersen and Samuel Lewén have worked in culinary hotspots such as East, Berns and Vedholms Fisk in Stockholm, specializing in Asian delights. They are young and have an incredible resume despite their age. Sushis, Japas, Asian cuisine and tables with charcuterie and cheeses to accompany the specially selected wines. It is also a paradise for vegans and vegetarians.

“We have customers sitting outside in the evening with a blanket and gas heaters, which makes the atmosphere very comfortable, but we also have space inside,” she says. A separate dining room for 8 people and the open kitchen makes the feeling exclusive and special.

“Both of our families are involved in this rather important project. We all have a great knowledge of restaurants and hotels, and with roots in Sweden, France and Asia, you’re sure to find the influence of these countries in our food and drink menu. I ask her about the Japas concept, yes, it was a word game, Ida laughs. “We serve small dishes from Asia and if it’s not tapas it must be Japas. We also have 14 rooms which we will open in the spring of 2022.”

Ida W Rådsten started at the age of 19 in the catering sector in Stockholm, the Swedish capital. “I was called by a friend who needed help running his restaurant in Stockholm,” she recalls. “It was a great opportunity and a great way to get started in business, one job leading to another and there was a very high demand.” Ida soon realized that she was very good at running businesses and that there was very little competition to offer service staff in the restaurant industry. In a very short time, she created her first business on her own, a temporary work agency specializing in catering staff. She moved to Mallorca 4 years ago and loves it here. We talk about being entrepreneurs in Spain, “it seems that everyone stops working after lunch on friday,” she says. “At first it was difficult, but I have now realized that it is better to take the custom where you are and take advantage of the situation. In a short time, we will therefore begin with an afterwork in the garden on Friday from 3 p.m.

We wish them good luck in their new venture.