The most polished urban-luxury address in the Balearics: a five-star Leading Hotels member terraced into Palma's old fortified walls, with a Michelin-starred kitchen and a rooftop pool framing the cathedral.
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Es Príncep is the best choice in Mallorca for travellers who want a city stay, not a country estate. This five-star Leading Hotels member is built into Palma's old fortified walls, pairs a Michelin-starred Zaranda kitchen with a cathedral-view rooftop pool, and puts the cathedral, Es Baluard museum and the old town's restaurants on its doorstep.
The most polished urban-luxury address in the Balearics: a five-star Leading Hotels member terraced into Palma's old fortified walls, with a Michelin-starred kitchen and a rooftop pool framing the cathedral.
Es Príncep occupies a terraced site against the Dalt Murada, the fortified medieval walls that ring the seaward edge of Palma's old town, a few minutes' walk below the cathedral and beside the Es Baluard contemporary-art museum. It is a member of The Leading Hotels of the World and reads as a contemporary urban hotel layered onto a historic structure rather than a converted palace: clean stone, warm wood, and a series of terraces that step down toward the bay.
The defining asset is position. From the rooftop, the Palma cathedral and the harbour fill the view; from the lower terraces, the old town climbs behind you. Unlike Mallorca's country estates, everything urban is walkable, the cathedral, the Arab baths, the Santa Catalina restaurant district, the Passeig del Born boutiques, which makes Es Príncep the rare island luxury hotel that does not require a rental car.
It is calm rather than scene-y. Service is attentive and unhurried, the public spaces are quiet, and the clientele skews couples and design-literate solo travellers over families. If your idea of Mallorca is mountain villages and pine coves, this is the wrong hotel; if it is dinner in the old town and a nightcap over the cathedral, it is the right one.
Accommodation runs from Standard and Superior rooms through Premium and Vista Mar Premium categories to Junior Suites, Vista Mar Junior Suites, Suites and the Signature Suite Vista Mar. The design language is consistent, warm woods, soft neutrals, fresh flora, soaking tubs and dual vanities in the larger categories.
What to book: any Vista Mar (sea-view) category is worth the premium here, because the sea-and-cathedral outlook is the whole point of the address. The Vista Mar Junior Suite is the value sweet spot, more space and a proper outlook without the Signature Suite's price. What to skip: the entry Standard and Superior rooms face inward and lose the view that justifies the hotel; if budget forces an interior room, you are better off at a less expensive Palma boutique.
The headline kitchen is Zaranda, chef Fernando P. Arellano's Michelin-starred restaurant, which relocated into Es Príncep and is one of the most serious tables in Palma. The rooftop pool restaurant turns out lighter Mediterranean and seafood plates with the cathedral in view, and Gremium is the ground-floor cocktail bar and lounge. For a hotel of this size the food programme punches well above expectation, and you can eat extremely well without leaving the building, though the old town's restaurants are a five-minute walk away.
The Cocô Spa retreat is compact rather than resort-scale, a hammam, hot tub and a short treatment menu, designed as a city-hotel amenity rather than a wellness destination. Travellers whose trip centres on spa days should look to the country estates or Fontsanta's thermal waters; at Es Príncep the spa is a pleasant supporting act to the rooftop, the dining and the location.
Es Príncep sits in the historic centre of Palma, against the old fortified walls and a short walk from the cathedral, Es Baluard and the Born. Palma de Mallorca airport (PMI) is roughly 15 to 20 minutes by taxi. Because everything is walkable, this is the one luxury hotel on the island where skipping the rental car genuinely works, an advantage if your stay is city-focused.
Our score is a weighted blend of six criteria we assess on every hotel, with weightings shown below. It is HotelsForKings' own editorial rating, not an aggregate of third-party guest scores. Es Príncep earns an overall 9.2/10.
| Criterion | Weight | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Romance | 20% | 8.8 |
| Service | 20% | 9.2 |
| Design | 15% | 9.3 |
| Food | 20% | 9.5 |
| Location | 15% | 9.4 |
| Value | 10% | 8.6 |
| Overall (weighted) | 9.2 |
Across recent verified guest reviews, the recurring praise is for the rooftop and the location, guests repeatedly single out the cathedral-and-harbour view from the pool deck and the walkability of the old town. Service draws consistent compliments for attentiveness. The most common criticisms cluster around two things: the lower room categories feeling tight and viewless for a five-star price, and street-facing rooms picking up some old-town noise on weekend nights. Several reviewers note the spa is smaller than they expected. None of these are dealbreakers, but they reinforce the same advice, book a sea-view category and you will be happy; book the cheapest room and you may not feel the five stars.
The lower room categories are genuinely modest for the price and lose the view; the spa is small; and an urban setting means street noise and no beach. Skip Es Príncep if you came to Mallorca for the sea and the mountains, book Belmond La Residencia in Deià or Cap Rocat on the Bay of Palma instead. Choose Es Príncep when Palma itself, the dining, the museums, the old town, is the trip.
A city anniversary built around the rooftop at sunset and a Zaranda tasting menu. Book a Vista Mar Suite, time dinner for golden hour over the cathedral, and you have a milestone evening without leaving the building.
The most solo-friendly luxury hotel on the island: walkable, safe, dinner-at-the-bar easy, and surrounded by museums and cafés. The rooftop and Gremium make a solo traveller feel at home rather than conspicuous.
The rooftop pool deck at dusk, with the cathedral lit behind, is the obvious set piece. The hotel's small scale makes a discreet, well-timed proposal straightforward to arrange.
Carrer de Bala Roja 1, Es Baluard, 07001 Palma de Mallorca, Balearic Islands · In the old town against the Dalt Murada walls; 15 to 20 min from PMI
Rooms and suites across Standard to Signature Vista Mar categories · entry rooms from the high €300s low season · Vista Mar suites considerably higher in peak
Check-in 3:00 PM · Check-out 12:00 PM · Family-friendly but skews adult/couples
Leading Hotels of the World member · Michelin-starred Zaranda · cathedral-view rooftop pool · Cocô spa with hammam · walkable old-town location
Open year-round (a city hotel) · Best value November-March and shoulder months · Peak June-September
15 to 20 min taxi from Palma airport · no rental car needed for a city stay
From €€€€ (high €300s-€500s low season; €600s+ peak). Compare current rates and availability through our booking partner.
Check Rates & Availability →Yes, it is the best luxury base in Palma for a car-free stay. The hotel sits inside the old town against the fortified walls, a few minutes' walk from the cathedral, Es Baluard, the Born boutiques and the Santa Catalina restaurant district. The airport is a 15 to 20 minute taxi. You only need a rental car if you plan day trips into the Tramuntana or to the beaches.
Yes. Zaranda, chef Fernando P. Arellano's Michelin-starred restaurant, relocated into Es Príncep and is one of the most serious kitchens in Palma. The hotel also has a rooftop pool restaurant for lighter Mediterranean and seafood plates and the Gremium cocktail bar.
Book a Vista Mar (sea-view) category. The sea-and-cathedral outlook is the reason to stay here, and the Vista Mar Junior Suite is the value sweet spot. Avoid the entry Standard and Superior rooms, which face inward and lose the view that justifies the price.
No, it is not strictly adults-only, but it skews heavily toward couples and design-minded solo travellers rather than families. Families wanting pools, kids' clubs and space are better served by the St. Regis Mardavall or Park Hyatt Mallorca.
They solve different trips. Es Príncep is urban Palma, walkable, restaurant-focused, with a rooftop over the cathedral. Cap Rocat is a dramatic fortress on cliffs above the Bay of Palma, isolated and adults-only. Choose Es Príncep for a city stay, Cap Rocat for architectural drama and seclusion.
As a city hotel it is open year-round. Spring and autumn are ideal for walking the old town in comfortable temperatures, and rates are lower outside July and August. Summer is hot and busy but the rooftop pool earns its keep.
Yes, the Cocô Spa retreat, with a hammam and hot tub. It is a compact city-hotel spa rather than a wellness destination; if spa days are central to your trip, consider Fontsanta's thermal waters or a country estate like Castell Son Claret.
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