HotelsFour SeasonsMallorca, Spain
A former 1929 hotel rebuilt inside its original footprint, with every single room turned to face the water instead of the hill behind it, and it shows: even the entry-level Pine View rooms get a partial sea view, busiest in July and August. The staff here are genuinely different from most Four Seasons: department managers introducing themselves in your first two days, a GM who greets families personally, staff who remember a toddler’s name by dinner two. The pool, spa and gym (proper Technogym kit, rare for a European hotel gym) all land well, and Shima’s Japanese-Peruvian tasting menu is the one thing almost nobody leaves off their highlight list.
The trade-off is the peninsula itself. The only road in is a narrow, cyclist-choked mountain route that can take well over an hour from Palma, and more than one couple has cancelled every dinner reservation off property rather than drive it after dark. On site, you’re down to two real dinner restaurants (Mel draws complaints about portions not matching its prices), so a week here without a car or the hotel boat to Port de Pollença can start to feel repetitive by night four or five. The beach is public and, by Spanish law, has no chair-side food or drink service, which catches first-time Four Seasons guests off guard.
Book this for families and couples who want to disappear onto a private-feeling estate rather than tour the island: the kids’ program, the separated adult and family pools, and the sheer scale of the grounds all support a slow, do-nothing week. If your idea of a Mallorca trip is town-hopping to Deià or Sóller every other night, pair it with a few nights somewhere more central rather than trying to base here for six or seven straight, and go for the boat transfer over the road if the schedule lets you.
Service 18/20
Guests describe department heads introducing themselves on day one, a GM personally greeting arrivals, and staff remembering names and wine preferences within a day.
Rooms & Design 17.5/20
The rebuild kept the original 1929 footprint but turned every room toward the sea, with floor-to-ceiling windows and interiors people call the best-designed rooms of any Four Seasons they’ve tried.
Location 16/20
The Formentor peninsula setting is dramatic and secluded, but the only road in is narrow, shared with tour buses and huge cyclist packs, and runs 60-90 minutes from Palma.
Dining 15/20
Shima’s Japanese-Peruvian tasting menu gets singled out as the best meal of the stay repeatedly while Mel draws complaints about small portions for the price.
Wellness 16.5/20
The gym is praised as unusually well-equipped for Europe with Technogym kit, and the spa gets solid marks, though the beach itself has no on-sand food or drink service by law.
Lifts the score
It’s smaller than a typical Four Seasons and reminds me a bit of Cap Ferrat in feel.
Jun 2026
There will definitely be other guests around, and the beach itself is public, so this isn’t an ultra-private tiny hotel. That said, it feels relatively intimate for a Four Seasons. One tip: skip the plunge pool rooms, since anyone above can see straight down into them.
Lifts the score
I’d pair this with La Residencia for a mix of mountain exploring and remote beach time.
May 2026
I’d suggest 3 nights at La Residencia with a day trip to Sóller, then 4 nights here with a boat day around Cap de Formentor or a day trip to Port de Pollença that the hotel can arrange. Both are surrounded by beautiful nature and private beaches with amazing restaurants. This combination gave us the best of both worlds on the island.
Lifts the score
This is genuinely family-friendly in a way that’s rare on the island.
May 2026
The beach club on property and the calm, protected water made this an easy choice for us with a toddler. Nearby towns are lovely and relatively easy to reach. I had zero worries traveling with a small child here; the hotel clearly has this figured out.
Lifts the score
The experience is as good as advertised, but not being able to get beach service to your chair is a notable gap for a Four Seasons.
Aug 2025
The beach is beautiful and the public-access rules are what they are, since Spanish law prohibits chair-side food and drink service. I understand it’s a legal requirement rather than a choice by the hotel, but at these rates it still registers as a real negative.
Strong endorsement
This exceeded every expectation and is one of the most memorable hotel stays I’ve had.
TomoK656 Jul 2026
From arrival the service was impeccable, warm and effortlessly professional. The property combines elegant design with breathtaking coastal views. Dining was exceptional throughout, with fresh local ingredients and impeccable presentation at every meal, and the pool, spa and private beach access made it easy to completely unwind.
Drags the score
Beautiful but a bit isolated, and the food let it down.
Craig Jun 2026
We had a ground floor room with a private pool and it was beautiful. Staff were excellent throughout. The food, though, was pretty bad for what we were paying.
Lifts the score
This feels more like a private estate than a traditional resort, but know what you’re signing up for with the drive.
May 2026
We arrived late after flight delays and Four Seasons had someone waiting at baggage claim in Palma, but the drive itself is about 60-70 minutes with very winding mountain roads shared with cyclists. I’d recommend arriving by boat if timing allows, since it completely changes the experience. Once there, service was one of the biggest strengths: staff consistently remembered our names and preferences, and leaned into helping us experience the estate itself, hiking, boating, and wine, rather than just pushing dining reservations. The grounds are huge with pine forests, vineyards and multiple levels connected by stairs, so guests with mobility issues will lean on the golf carts.
Mixed read
Formentor is one of the most beautiful places I’ve seen, but go in knowing what the road access really means.
May 2025
On our drive we counted 183 cyclists and 16 tour buses on a five-mile stretch of road; it’s dangerous and aggravating enough that my husband refused to drive at night, so we cancelled every off-property dinner we’d planned. The on-site restaurants are excellent, but with only two real dinner venues you’ll run through the options faster than you’d like on a longer stay. I also wish the pool area had clearer sightlines to the water since the trees block most of the view.
“It’s dangerous, it’s aggravating” in their words
Strong endorsement
There aren’t enough positive words for how this stay felt, right down to the massages.
May 2025
The hotel is remote in the best way, tucked on the northern tip of the island with a public beach nearby so it never feels cut off from people entirely. We were greeted with a welcome fruit basket and staff addressed us by name and switched to Spanish once they realized we spoke it, even staff we’d never met before. Breakfast rivaled Parisian patisseries, and the spa massages were the best either of us has ever had. The two pools never felt crowded and the beach access, while public, stayed quiet too.
“there aren’t enough positive words to describe our experience” in their words
Strong endorsement
We spent a week here and I genuinely cannot recommend it more highly, especially traveling with our 16-month-old.
59tristanm Jul 2026
Our room had a stunning sea view and was kept spotless the entire week. The spa and gym were both excellent, the gym fully kitted out with proper equipment I used daily. What sold us was the staff: every single one was warm with our son, and the department managers came to introduce themselves in our first two days. We’re already booking again for next year.
“I couldn’t speak more highly of this hotel” in their words
Red flag
We came back to see the hotel after its renovation and rebrand and left disappointed.
Adventure780986 Jul 2026
Reception was unfriendly and it took 20 minutes just to get someone to let us in. We waited three hours after arrival before anyone could show us our room. The old Spanish charm is completely gone, replaced by something oversized that could be anywhere. The one bright spot was the beach restaurant, where the meal and staff were genuinely lovely, but overall I’m not sure I’d book a holiday here again.
“You could be anywhere in the world” in their words
Strong endorsement
I cried when it was time to leave; the staff felt like family by the end.
carolsQ4416WN May 2026
They thought of every detail for my birthday before I even asked, including handwritten notes at every restaurant and a cheesecake delivered to my room. On Mother’s Day they organized a ‘Get To Know Mom’ game for my daughters to play with me. Shima is not just dinner, it’s an experience, and my vegetarian tasting menu there was phenomenal. I’m already planning my return before I’ve even processed leaving.
Lifts the score
Beautiful and expensive, so expectations were high, and they weren’t always fully met.
zelal25 Apr 2026
Our suite was spacious and well equipped with a sea-facing terrace and a genuinely excellent bathroom, and housekeeping kept it immaculate all week. Shima was excellent with generous portions and attentive service, but Mel felt uneven, with small portions for the price. The most frustrating moment was waiting over 30 minutes for our luggage after the GM personally welcomed us, a small thing but not what you expect at this level.
Strong endorsement
As new parents on our first trip with a baby, everyone went above and beyond to make it seamless.
Larisa Macovei Oct 2025
The bellmen immediately helped with our luggage, which was a relief with a pushchair and a baby in arms. Federica at check-in was warm and even checked in mid-stay to make sure everything was perfect. We ate at Mel for both breakfast and dinner, and Santi and Luca were fantastic, attentive and full of great recommendations. The pool area surrounded by greenery made our walks with the baby feel really special.
Strong endorsement
Of the three hotels we stayed at in Mallorca, this was our favorite by far.
Tracy Warsaw Sep 2025
The property and grounds were spectacular and service was outstanding from start to finish. Dinner at Mel was a highlight and the adult pool was peaceful with stunning mountain and water views. We took the hotel boat into Pollença one night for dinner, which was one of our favorite parts of the trip, though there’s no private beach here, just a public one with plenty of loungers. The only real drawback was bees being a nuisance at the restaurants.
Four Seasons Resort Mallorca at Formentor is located on the Formentor peninsula in Mallorca, Spain, with direct access to a beach on protected, calm water. The resort’s design and art incorporate the surrounding coastal landscape, and rooms include sea-facing terraces. The drive from Palma airport takes about an hour.
On property, guests have access to two restaurants, including Shima, a Japanese-Peruvian venue, and Mel, which serves breakfast and dinner. There is a beach club, two pools set among greenery, a spa, and a gym. The property is positioned as a base for exploring Mallorca’s coastline and nearby towns, with car rental available for day trips off site.
Guests who’ve done both this and Belmond’s La Residencia in Deià generally find the Four Seasons rooms and service sharper and more contemporary, while La Residencia sits inside a walkable town with easier access to restaurants and day trips.
Families and couples happy to base themselves on property for most of a trip suit it best, given the kids’ program, separated pools, and the driving hassle of getting off the peninsula for dinner.
Not strictly, since the resort’s own restaurants and beach cover daily needs, but a car or the hotel’s boat to Port de Pollença opens up day trips; without either, some guests find the isolation limiting after several nights.
Four Seasons Resort Mallorca at Formentor holds Two Michelin Keys in the Michelin Guide’s 2026 hotel selection, announced in September 2026. Two Keys is the second of the guide’s three hotel distinctions, given for what it calls an exceptional stay. The Keys come from the guide’s own anonymous inspections and are separate from the Fat Score: Fat Voyage rates it Fat Favorite, 17 out of 20.
Four Seasons Resort Mallorca at Formentor is rated Fat Favorite at 17/20 on Fat Voyage; La Residencia, A Belmond Hotel is rated Fat Favorite at 16.5/20. The side-by-side comparison shows where each one leads.
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