Salma Restaurant, Colònia de Sant Jordi

If wining and dining well alongside a swimming pool in a verdant garden appeals to you, Salma Restaurant in Colònia de Sant Jordi is a place to try before the season ends.

Salma is one of the two restaurants of the five-star El Coto Boutique Hotel & Spa, located opposite the Sales de S’Avall (also known as Salines d’es Trenc). The hotel is owned and run by the experienced and hands-on Navarrete family. Salma is open not only to guests staying in the hotel but also to the public with a table reservation.

Wine enthusiasts are in for a treat at Salma because El Coto is known by many as the ‘wine hotel’ for its impressive choice of almost 400 Spanish and Mallorcan wines, kept in prime condition in the hotel’s smart, climate-controlled cellar.

We took advantage of El Coto’s residents’ offer (yes, even in August) of dinner, bed, and breakfast, to celebrate my husband’s birthday at this hotel … for the eleventh time!

El Coto has an attractive bar facing the swimming pool and the main hotel building, ideal for drinks or the cocktail of the day before or after dinner.

The dinner menu changes daily and comprises five plates for 55€ (if not part of the accommodation package). We had a choice of two salads, two soups, four starters (one a vegetarian), four mains (one vegetarian), and the dessert. For fewer courses, you can eat à la carte from this menu, with prices shown for each dish. À la carte dishes are served in larger portions than the tasting menu.

I started with a balsamic vinaigrette-dressed mixed salad; my husband enjoyed his stacked tomato and mozzarella salad. My gazpacho of cucumber, apple, and ham strips was refreshing on a hot evening, while my husband loved his creamy velvet swimming crab soup; I had a spoonful of it and it was very good. We both chose gratinated queen scallops for our ‘starter’ and could happily have eaten a second portion of this excellent dish.

My husband stayed with seafood for his main course: braised strips of turbot with noodles and green asparagus. I had a tasty and tender beef fillet with potatoes au gratin and vegetables – a delicious dish.

Another reason to enjoy dinner here is the live music from different artists on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. When we were there, American singer Sharon Mckie performed from 21:30h. Her soulful voice, personality, and choice of songs soon had diners, including us, dancing around the pool in the tastefully illuminated garden.

Service is efficient and friendly, making an end-of-season dinner at Salma Restaurant an all-round pleasurable experience. A lot of the hotel’s staff members have worked here for many seasons.

If you like a moonlit stroll after dinner, the coastal boardwalk is only a few minutes away.

Salma Restaurant and El Coto Boutique Hotel & Spa will close for this season at the end of October.

Photos: Jan Edwards

Prices correct at time of writing.