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#1 · Best in the City
Palma Old Town · Five-Star · Leading Hotels of the World · €€€
"The most polished urban-luxury address in the Balearics, terraced into Palma's old fortified walls, with the Michelin-starred Zaranda and a cathedral-view rooftop pool."
HFK Score 9.2 / 10
Es Príncep is built into the Dalt Murada walls in Palma's old town, a Leading Hotels member that pairs a rooftop pool framing the cathedral with Zaranda, Fernando Pérez Arellano's one-Michelin-star kitchen. It is the one Palma luxury hotel where you genuinely do not need a car: the cathedral, Es Baluard museum, the Born boutiques and the Santa Catalina restaurants are all a short walk away.
What to book: any Vista Mar (sea-view) category; the Vista Mar Junior Suite is the value sweet spot. Dining: Zaranda for the tasting menu, the rooftop for lighter plates.
The honest con: the entry rooms face inward and feel modest for the price, and an urban setting means some street noise on weekend nights and no beach. The spa is small.
Who it's for: couples and solo travellers who want a walkable, restaurant-led Palma stay. Skip it if you came for sea and mountains.
#2 · Best Old Town Palace
Plaça Sant Francesc, Palma Old Town · Five-Star · 42 rooms · €€€€
"Forty-two rooms in a deeply restored 1880s neoclassical palace facing the Sant Francesc basilica, Palma's largest Old Town five-star, with the only rooftop pool inside the historic core."
HFK Score 9.2 / 10
Sant Francesc Hotel Singular opened in 2015 in a restored 1880s neoclassical palace built by the Conrado family, facing the gothic Sant Francesc basilica at the heart of Palma's Old Town. Its 42 rooms make it the largest five-star inside the historic centre, and it holds the only rooftop pool within the medieval walls. It is the grandest pure-Palma palace stay, all marble staircases, high ceilings and old-city atmosphere.
What to book: a Deluxe or Suite in the original palace for the proportions and the period detail. Dining: the Quadrat restaurant and garden courtyard.
The honest con: a historic building means some variation in room size and shape, and the central location, wonderful by day, can carry weekend-night noise. Rates start higher than Es Príncep (from around €480), and there is no sea view.
Who it's for: travellers who want a grand, historic palace in the middle of the Old Town. Skip it if you want a sea view or a modern resort.
#3 · Best Adults-Only Bay Escape
Cala Blava, Bay of Palma · Five-Star · 30 suites · €€€€
"A 19th-century military fortress carved into the cliffs above the Bay of Palma, thirty suites, total seclusion, and an arrival over the original drawbridge that beats almost anything in the Mediterranean."
HFK Score 9.3 / 10
Cap Rocat occupies a restored coastal fortress on the Cala Blava headland at the southern entrance to the Bay of Palma, its 30 suites cut into the rock and ramparts, the top categories with private pools. It is adults-only, intensely private and around twenty minutes from both Palma and the airport, close to the city yet utterly removed from it. The sea-water pool set into the old defensive moat and the cliff-edge restaurant are the signatures.
What to book: a Sea View or Pool Suite for the bay outlook and a private terrace; the entry Sentinel Suites are dramatic but compact. Dining: La Fortaleza in the casemate, the Sea Club terrace for the view.
The honest con: the swimming is off rocks and the sea-water moat pool rather than a sandy beach, and the fortress means steps and uneven stone throughout. It is a fifteen-to-twenty-minute drive to the Old Town, so it is a getaway rather than a city base.
Who it's for: couples chasing architecture, privacy and seclusion near the city. Skip it if you need a beach, a walkable city stay, or are travelling with children (it's adults-only).
#4 · Best for Families
Costa d'en Blanes, Bay of Palma · Five-Star · 133 rooms · €€€€
"The area's most polished full-service resort: 133 sea-view rooms, signature St. Regis butler service, a serious spa and the Michelin-starred Es Fum, fifteen minutes west of Palma."
HFK Score 9.2 / 10
The St. Regis Mardavall sits on the western Bay of Palma at Costa d'en Blanes, with 133 rooms and suites, all with Mediterranean views, set in subtropical gardens running down to the sea. The 1,500-square-metre Arabella Spa, multiple pools and the one-Michelin-star Es Fum restaurant make it the most complete resort near the city, and the butler service is the genuine St. Regis article.
What to book: a Junior Suite or higher for the butler service and space; the sea views are universal. Dining: Es Fum for the tasting menu, Aqua for relaxed all-day dining.
The honest con: the setting is a manicured resort enclave rather than the Old Town, so you trade city character for polish and amenities, and the beach is small and partly man-made. You will want a taxi or car to reach central Palma.
Who it's for: families and travellers who want full-service resort comfort, a spa and butler service near Palma. Skip it if you want walkable city character or seclusion.
#5 · Best Seafront Near the City
Cas Català, Bay of Palma · Five-Star · Member of Design Hotels · €€€
"A Design Hotels member ten minutes from Palma, where a 16th–17th-century seafront mansion meets a glass infinity pool over the Mediterranean and massage caves cut into the cliff."
HFK Score 9.0 / 10
Hospes Maricel is the Bay of Palma's most romantic seafront option: a Member of Design Hotels at Cas Català, ten minutes west of the capital, built around a restored 16th-to-17th-century mansion with a glass infinity pool over the sea and a spa whose treatment caves are carved into the cliff. It pairs beach-edge calm with quick access to the city, and is effectively adults-focused in high season.
What to book: a sea-view room or suite for the bay outlook; the pool and cliff setting are the draw. Dining: the seafront restaurant and the cliff-side terrace.
The honest con: the swimming is off the rocks and the pool rather than a sandy beach, the property is compact, and the coastal road location means it is a short drive, not a walk, to the Old Town. Peak-season rates climb steeply.
Who it's for: couples who want a design-led seafront stay minutes from Palma. Skip it if you want a sandy beach or a walkable city base.
#6 · Best Small Boutique
Plaça de Cort, Palma Old Town · Boutique · 16 rooms · €€
"Sixteen rooms above the Cuyàs family's Cort restaurant on Plaça de Cort, Palma's most-photographed civic square, beneath the 600-year-old olive tree, the most-considered small city stay in the Old Town."
HFK Score 8.9 / 10
Hotel Cort opened in 2014 in a restored 17th-century townhouse on Plaça de Cort, the small square in front of Palma's town hall, beneath the famous 600-year-old olive tree. With just 16 rooms above its busy ground-floor restaurant, it is the smallest five-star-calibre address in the Old Town and the most personable, a boutique stay for travellers who want Palma without the volume of a larger property.
What to book: a quieter upper-floor room away from the square; the suites for space. Dining: the lively Cort restaurant and terrace on the plaza.
The honest con: the square-side rooms can be noisy given the popular terrace below, and the small scale means limited facilities, no spa, no pool. It is more chic guesthouse than full hotel.
Who it's for: couples and solo travellers who want a small, atmospheric, well-located Old Town base. Skip it if you want a pool, a spa or quiet at street level.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best hotel in Palma de Mallorca?
Es Príncep is our top pick in Palma itself, a Leading Hotels member built into the old Dalt Murada walls with a cathedral-view rooftop pool and the Michelin-starred Zaranda restaurant. Sant Francesc Hotel Singular, a restored 1880s palace on Plaça Sant Francesc, is the strongest pure Old Town stay, while Cap Rocat and the St. Regis Mardavall are the best choices a short drive out on the Bay of Palma.
Should I stay in Palma's old town or on the Bay of Palma?
Stay in the Old Town, Es Príncep, Sant Francesc or Hotel Cort, if you want a walkable, car-free city break with the cathedral, museums, boutiques and restaurants on your doorstep. Choose the Bay of Palma, Cap Rocat, the St. Regis Mardavall or Hospes Maricel, if you want a sea-view or resort stay within fifteen to twenty minutes of the city but away from the streets.
Which Palma hotel is best for couples?
Cap Rocat, the adults-only fortress on the Bay of Palma, is the most romantic for a couples' escape, while Hospes Maricel pairs a seafront mansion and a glass infinity pool ten minutes from the city. In the Old Town, Es Príncep and Hotel Cort both suit couples who want a walkable, restaurant-led city stay.
Which Palma hotel has the best restaurant?
Es Príncep is home to Zaranda, Fernando Pérez Arellano's Michelin-starred restaurant, the standout hotel kitchen inside Palma. Just out of the city on the Bay of Palma, the St. Regis Mardavall holds a Michelin star at Es Fum. Both are among the best fine-dining tables attached to a hotel in the Palma area.
Do you need a car to stay in Palma?
Not for the Old Town hotels. Es Príncep, Sant Francesc and Hotel Cort are all walkable, with a fifteen-to-twenty-minute taxi from the airport and everything else on foot. For the Bay of Palma hotels, a car is useful but not essential, since Cap Rocat, the St. Regis Mardavall and Hospes Maricel are all a short taxi from the city centre.
Are there adults-only luxury hotels in Palma?
Cap Rocat on the Bay of Palma is adults-only, and Hospes Maricel is effectively adults-focused in high season. In the Old Town, Es Príncep, Sant Francesc and Hotel Cort are not adults-only but skew strongly toward couples and city-break travellers. For full-service family luxury, the St. Regis Mardavall is the better fit.
When is the best time to visit Palma?
Palma is a rare Mallorca base that works year-round, since the city hotels stay open through winter. May, June, September and October give the best mix of warm weather, open terraces and manageable crowds; July and August are hottest and busiest. Spring and autumn city breaks are especially good value compared with the coastal resorts.