Mallorca is a bijou Balearic island that takes an hour to drive across, but it contains multitudes, from cosmopolitan capital Palma and rugged serras, to windmill-dotted countryside and soft-sand beaches. It’s hard to narrow down where or how many head-turning destinations to hit, so we’ve chosen 10 of the best hotels in Mallorca for trips of all kinds.
Here are heavenly by-the-sea boltholes, serene spa retreats, city crashpads and more for plotting out as a road trip or simply staying put — the best hotels in Mallorca are as varied as its terrain.
For a beach in reach
Can Simoneta
We wish doctors still prescribed a holiday as a cure for what ails us — that’s how Can Simoneta came to be, built by a monk requiring seawater treatments. We don’t have an MD, but we can say that after time spent on the pine-dotted, 600-acre estate you’ll undoubtedly feel improved by the views of cliffs plummeting into clear waters, spells in the monk’s original hot tub (accessed by a staircase carved into rock) and private dinners in dramatic locales.
When you’re not self-administering spells in the sea, infinity pool or clifftop Jacuzzi, you can bask on the golden sands of public, Blue Flag-awarded Canyamel Beach, set just at the east edge of the estate.
Best room for sun-seekers Go indoors-outdoors with a Double Room or Suite with a terrace; the latter is larger with a ‘chill-out’ area, but you won’t need the encouragement — the predominantly white palette and rustic touches feel as soothing as can be.
Design details Rooms are spread across two properties: the monk’s home and an antique farmhouse. The style is typically traditional Mallorcan with flashes of beam and brick; it feels deliberately quiet so that the beautiful natural surroundings really get to sing.
Something to eat Mexican and Mallorcan cuisines meet in Restaurant Can Simoneta; chef David Moreno hails from the former country. Expect Bajan-style tacos, quesadillas stuffed with Mahón cheese and pumpkin flowers, turbot in green mole and more ‘Mexi-terranean’ treats.
See the sights The simple life doesn’t need to be so simple — it may not be monkish, but a jaunt on the hotel’s yacht will put colour back in your cheeks. See the scenery at speed by hopping on a bike, or take on a challenging hike up the Puig de Sant Jordi. There’s golfing, a tennis court, and tours of the hotel’s farm, safaris and prehistoric villages to seek out too — yes, the medicine goes down easy here.
For all-out luxury
Cap Rocat
What does luxury look like to you? A castle? Sure. Stately home? Yep. A fortress? Eh, maybe… Let heritage asset Cap Rocat exceed your expectations. Set in a privileged position by the Bay of Palma, it was never used for defensive purposes, which is likely why the crenellated compound and Protected Natural Area it sits in are in an unblemished state.
Its placing means flashes of dazzling blue sea from all angles. The hotel’s planted with headily scented botanicals, and finely finished suites might have a cushioned couple’s cabana at an advantageous aspect or full-size pool. With no invasions cresting the sparkling horizon, it’s immensely relaxing too, with hammam rituals, treatments on floating beds and Ayurvedic healing in the spa.
Most extravagant room Privacy — and the best sea views — await at the Sentinels suites; each has a Bay-facing bed and terrace hewn into the rock with an infinity pool.These are where the guard towers once stood so you’re guaranteed the soundest of sleeps.
Design details The hotel’s restoration was such sensitive work that architect Antonio Orbador’s studio won the Europa Nostra, España Nostra and Fortress Study Group awards for their efforts. Walls and towers look fresh, the swimming pool is sheltered within battlements, and decor borrows from both Moorish and Mallorcan styles.
Something to eat Follow Spanish guitar strumming to La Forteleza. Once a mess hall, romance is rekindled here by adding candelabra and tables set either on the panoramic terrace or beside the fireplace. Recipes such as stuffed squid are a product of generational pride, updated with some neat visual trickery.
See the sights Those waters will entice you down the ladder hanging off a crag for a dip. Water is the main conduit of entertainment here: there’s snorkelling kit, deep-sea fishing fun and e-boat trips along the coast or to tucked-away calas. But there’s adventure by land and air too, with horse rides and helicopter trips.
For couples
El Llorenç Parc de la Mar
You don’t need a rugged beam or barnwood door to make a stay romantic — El Llorenç Parc de la Mar shows that Moresque and Mallorcan design can be desirably modern, from its intricate embossed patterns and Arabic-star-motif flooring, to its collection of abstract art and black-and-white photographs, to its roof terrace with nest-like cabanas and cacti-shaped sculptures.
It’s adults-only — a key factor in making swims in the city-gazing infinity pool, mimosas and margs served to sunloungers, and soaks in the spa’s Turkish bath all the more relaxing. It’s a place that tends to eat up the hours once you’re comfortable, but also sets you in the historic La Calatrava quarter, with the Cathedral (La Seu for short) and marina a short stroll away.
Most romantic room The Suite has two balconies with Old Town views.
Design details Swedish talent Magnus Ehrland has tapped into the city’s visual language, bringing in palm print and shaggy tree-like parasols; ornate parquet, even in the gym, and turquoise glazed tiles. It comes together slickly, enhanced by artist Toni Font’s curated picks.
Something to eat Dins Santi Taura is named for its Mallorcan, Michelin-star-garnering chef, who presents the past in contemporary fashion.The tasting menu may sound typical, with stuffed snails, lobster and sobrassada on toast, but expect a few surprises on the plate. The wine cellar is well-stocked with homegrown vintages, too.
See the sights Palma Cathedral’s Gothic-buttressed bulk takes up much of the view; there’s more to it than stained glass and Catholic icons — say, Miquel Barceló’s modern, art installation, plans by Gaudí that never came to be, and, if you visit on 2 February or 11 November, a light show when the sun shines through both rose windows, forming a ghostly copy. See the Arab Baths, walk along the old walls and buy handmade baskets or ensaïmadas. To see more of the island, the hotel can arrange caving, diving and hot-air-ballooning.
For spa spoiling
Es Racó d’Artà
Remote, rustic stay Es Racó d’Artà has an otherworldly feel — partly because it’s set deep in the Levant Natural Park, which you must drive through for about 20 minutes to reach the main finca; and partly because it’s surrounded by giant, grandfatherly peaks. Psychologically it’s ideal, because this is a place where you tell the world ‘not now’ as you work on yourself.
How that looks is up to you, but free yoga and meditation each morning is a good start, followed by crafting workshops, push-yourself hikes and the odd sound bath. The spa has an infinity pool that makes you feel like you’re flying into the landscape, plus hydrotherapy jets, a sauna and steam room, and intensive treatments for that full reboot: craniosacral therapy, quartz acupuncture, watsu water treatments… It’s a place where wellness is infused throughout like the rosemary in the water you’re offered on arrival.
Best room for spa seekers We like the Casitas, tucked intimately away in the forest. Some have private pools, some alfresco showers and deep-soaking bath tubs with garden views; while all have a striking, all-natural look.
Design details Architect and designer Toni Esteva has used wood, rope and stone in interesting ways here. The palette may be neutral, but sculptural forms catch the eye.
Something to eat Dining on the terrace under trees strung with lights feels immensely restorative. Waiters reel off the sources of the ingredients as they ferry over fat olives, homemade bread and very good oil; delicate flower-speckled soups; meats from cossetted animals; and desserts drizzled in honey from the on-site apiary.
See the sights You can clamber up to a hilly viewpoint in time for sunrise or sunset, gently jaunt to Cala Torta’s sands for sunbathing, or engage in art-therapy workshops or self-care rituals. It’s unlikely you’ll venture far from the hotel’s warm embrace, but the historic town of Artà nearby(ish) makes a pretty pit stop.
For the great outdoors
Grand Hotel Son Net
Grand Hotel Son Net is rural, with the Serra de Tramuntana peaks rising majestically behind it — but don’t call it ‘rustic’. Oh no, that ‘Grand’ is some nominative determinism — this 17th-century manor has important works of art, aristocratic interiors by Lorenzo Castillo and its own Malvasia vineyard. But it’s not all canopied beds and marble bathrooms: there’s a large swimming pool set amid verdure, gardens that burst forth with palm fronds and slender cypresses, and antique-finca-studded scenery.
Enter the spa’s scarlet chambers for rituals both relaxing and invigorating, like a spin around the thermal circuit; dine on eats plucked from the kitchen gardens; and enjoy the fact that all this lavishness is sustainably done too.
Best room for greenery gazers In the main house, the Puigpunyent Junior Suite has the most chlorophyll-ed views from its balcony, while the Pool Cottages feel more immersive.
Design details Lorenzo Castillo is a designer, antiquarian and art historian, whose vision for the hotel was the home of an eccentric Englishman who’d completed the Grand Tour. Thus, the hotel has a coral-hued façade, plentiful passementerie and objets that look like spoils from a lengthy trip.
Something to eat Mar & Duix’s terrace is edged with plant pots, flowers trail up to its awnings and leafiness seamlessly spills over into the landscape. The garden generously provides the base of dishes such as egg and spinach soufflé and pumpkin gnocchi.
See the sights Make the most of the on-site Malvasia vineyard with a tour and tasting, tackle hikes in the serra to Deià, Valldemossa or Sóller; or go by bike. Go gentler with a walk through the Bamboo Forest nearby or a stop in the Reserva Park, where injured animals are rehomed, ziplines whoosh you through the trees and you can wallow in natural pools.
For exploring Palma
Portella
Portella has held many refined guises: a palace then art gallery, and now, in its luxury hotel form, you can enjoy an accumulation of original features (elegant staircases, patios and repurposed pottery ovens) and spaces where the light lands just so. Design and architecture studios Festen and Gras Reynés have gone for an understated look in their update, which gels well with the at-home feel of the place.
You can catch the scent of the jasmine trees in the Arab Baths’ gardens from Portella’s La Calatrava seat, and the Cathedral looms nearby — both are part of the roof terrace’s city panorama (you can call down for drinks, FYI). This is a stay for those who want a kitchen for cooking up hauls from the Mercat de l’Olivar, a just-for-two hammam, and family-style dining.
The best room for city explorers The Cozy Doubles are ideal for couples with a lot to tick off their to-do list; the Suites are more long-term friendly, with views of the historic centre, a kitchen and lounge; and the Arab Baths apartment overlooks its namesake landmark.
Design details The design is understated but impactful: striking cobalt-blue sofas, panels of hand-cut Santanyí stone and accessories as colourful as La Seu’s stained glasses from heritage glazers Gordiola.
Something to eat Dining has a familial ease to it here — the chefs are happy to take cues from guests if there’s something you’re craving.
See the sights If you like the hotel’s glassware, visit Gordiola’s shop on Carrer de la Victòria; you might see a glass-blowing demonstration, too. Hit Estilo Sant Feliu for ceramics, Quesada Decoración for shelf-enhancing finds and La Pecera for beachy furnishings. All the city’s tick-off sights are within walking distance, but add a few extra steps to reach Santa Catalina, the locus of the city’s culinary scene.
For an intimate boutique hideaway
Puro Grand Hotel
An alleyway isn’t where you’d expect to find a palace, making city stay Puro Grand feel like a secret you’ve stumbled upon. Open its door and you enter a Moorish courtyard that telescopes up to blue sky, and a warren of wood-beamed, plant-dotted, modern-art-clad spaces, leading up to a rooftop dotted with Bali beds for sundowners.
Rooms reflect the hotel’s history, with ogee-arch-shaped headboards on beds and bijou balconies. There’s a space for spa healing too, with a sauna, steam room and array of fragrant rituals. The hotel is very well connected in Palma with its sociable Purobeach clubs set along the coast to the east and west of the city.
Best room for city explorers The Flow Superior Double will suffice if the hotel’s just your head-resting base. For more space, the Junior Suite Oasis is set over two floors and has an interior terrace; while the Essence Suite Deluxe is more aristocratic, with an original coffered ceiling bearing the former owners’ coat of arms.
Design details The hotel dates back to the 15th century, but had a nip-tuck in 2022. Its new look enhances the regal shell with calligraphic stair bannisters, intricately tooled wooden shutters and a Mediterranean-inspired colour scheme of terracotta and sea blue. Designers have sensitively worked in modern flourishes and contemporary artwork.
Something to eat Beatnik restaurant is as free-spirited as its name suggests, serving up beach-y, Asiatic-leaning eats. And nearby Merchants is a European take on a steakhouse, which means jamón croquettes and Iberian pork with Padrón peppers, alongside surf ’n’ turf and s’mores.
See the sights The hotel acts as a stable for Palma’s creatives, showcasing abstract paintings, self portraits and sculptures. Dive further into the scene, with visits to Kewenig or Baró galleries and the Es Baluard Museum, stopping for drinks at Café Poupette in the park next door. And be sure to pay a pilgrimage to the Joan Miró Foundation, outside the city centre; it’s near Cala Major, so bring your swimwear.
For a design den
Nobis Hotel Palma
Spanish might be a romance language, while Swedish is more Teutonic, but when it comes to design the conversation between the two flows easily. Take Nobis Hotel Palma, where Scandinavian precision is a neat counterpoint to Baroque and Moorish flourishes: a custom Carl Hansen bedframe against a rugged stone wall, Flos’s geometric lamps illuminating wood beams, Ogeborg carpets covering centuries-old tiles.
This 1,000-year-old Arabic palace’s fountain has been repurposed into a small courtyard pool; an escape tunnel is now a spa; and some rooms have antique graffiti. But in feel, it fast forwards to the modern day, where the city’s style troupe gathers on the roof terrace to enjoy landmark views with caviar and wagyu hotdogs; or for lazy courtyard lunching.
Most stylish room Most rooms at the hotel have a unique layout but are equally elegant in a neutral palette, with organic materials and a mix of original features and contemporary furnishings. Many Rooftop Suites have a vaulted, beamed ceiling, while the Nobis Suite has a private garden and terrace. Perks improve with category too: the latter comes with a free airport pick-up, 30-minute massage and fruit platter.
Design details Swedish starchitect Gert Wingårdh’s firm and homegrown architect talents Jordi Herrero and Eduardo Garcia Acuna have bestowed their impeccable taste on this renovation, dressing it in covetable furnishings from Stockholm’s Dusty Deco, Mallorcan ceramics by Paco Romero and Miquel Segura, paintings by Miami artist Philip Smith, tapestries by Leela Romeo and more.
Something to eat Noi restaurant’s stone arches, striped banquettes and avant-garde chandeliers set the scene for era-spanning cuisine. Dishes are hyper-seasonal and local: you might have dynamic flavour pairings such as smoked beetroot in a strawberry dressing with parmesan ice-cream; or artichoke risotto with lime and liquorice.
See the sights Many stylish bars and eateries are within your orbit. Stop for the dish of the day and drinks at La Rosa Vermutería; sit up at El Camino’s counter to watch chefs slice ham and prep tortillas to-order; let the barkeeps guide your drink choice at laidback Clandestino Cocktail Bar; and sip truffled Negronis and spicy margs at speakeasy Door 13.
For Palma’s best shopping
Palma Riad
Passeig del Born and Avenida Jaume III are Palma’s two main shopping drags, whose polished pavements are lined with high-street and high-end boutiques. Placed dangerously close (if you’re a little liberal with the plastic) to their intersection is adults-only stay Palma Riad, whose Moorish opulence (gilt-edged mirrors, reams of velvet, lanterns and lavish tiling) feels fitting for the acquisitive.
Not only is major department store El Corte Inglés (with its on-site Sephora) mere steps away, but you’re in pole position for trickling down to the Old Town, browsing mercats and hopping through tapas joints and bars. After a day of frenzied spending, the hotel’s solarium, with peacock chairs and day-beds beside a fountain, is an idyllic place to relax in.
Best room for storing souvenirs The 11 suites are all decked out to feel extravagant, many with a four-poster, fireplace or bath tub that feels more like a plunge pool. The Suite Hammam has a more classic look, while the Penthouse Suite with Terrace has a more modern look; both feel very luxurious.
Design details Spanish designer Pablo Peyra chose drama for the hotel’s decoration. Orange and red velvet drapes swish against smokily hued walls; plants and patterns abound; and light fixtures will make you look up.
Something to eat There’s no restaurant, but a classic cocktail list is served; breakfast has tempting Mallorcan options, including toast with tomato houmous, peach, pistachio and honey. For a more substantial meal, the hotel group also owns tapas joint Tast Club close by — try the sobrassada and artichoke omelette or Iberian pork with apple chutney.
See the sights Alongside browsing better-known brands (Louis Vuitton, Bulgari, Pepe Jeans, Mango, Guess…), pick up one-of-a-kind pieces at Pop, vintage at Único, books from the CaixaForum cultural centre, perfumes at Arquinesia and — for an extra-special souvenir — custom handmade Oxfords from Carmina. La Rambla’s mosaicked pavements are usually lined with flower stalls too.
For families
Son Bunyola
Hot-air-ballooning entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson knows how to have fun — add to this a keen eye for dreamy hotel settings, and you have somewhere guests of all ages will love. A finca dating back to the 16th-century, Son Bunyola sits on the mountainous northeast coast — an area renowned for its scenery as romantic as it is thrilling for hikes and bike rides.
Energetic little ones can go non-stop in this giant playground, swimming in the view-blessed pool, playing in the games room or on the tennis court, taking art classes, or learning how to weave straw, throw pottery or make perfumes en famille. If you do run out of activities (which seems unlikely), staff are ready with suggestions, and can help with babysitters as needed, which parents on wine-tasting tours will appreciate.
Best room for families There’s more than enough room to — gently — swing a child in the four- or five-bedroom villas, which come with their own pool, outdoor chill-out zones and a dining room for family meals (a chef can be hired on request).
Design details If you’re passing through Palma on your way home, make a beeline for the Rialto Living store, who dressed the hotel in its country-chic look of warm colours, patterned accents and wood furnishings.
Something to eat Sa Terrassa is Michelin-star-toting chef Samuel Galdón’s baby, where he serves estate-garden-fresh salads, seafood ceviches, lobster pasta and the naughtiest of desserts. Sa Tafona, a more laidback seafood-tapas spot is a bit more family-friendly; adaptations can be accommodated for fusspots.
See the sights When you’re not clambering over the landscape, head out on a family sailing trip, visit the coast’s luminously hued, swimmable bays (you’ll need to reach some by steep staircases); and explore the stone-lined alleys of historic Valdemossa and Deià.
Now see the best of the rest in our full collection of hotels in Mallorca
