Four Seasons Resort Mallorca at Formentor

Beautiful beach, actually on the beach — unlike most hotels in Mallorca — with calm water that's perfect for small children.

The beach club on property and the calm, protected water make this genuinely family-friendly in a way that's rare on the island. Lovely towns are nearby and relatively easy to reach. No worries traveling with a toddler — the hotel clearly has this figured out.

Four Seasons Mallorca at Formentor gets a mention as an excellent family luxury base — easy to rent a car and explore beautiful coves and villages from there.

Among the strongest family-oriented resort options in Spain, alongside Borgo Egnazia and Marbella Club. The car rental flexibility opens up a lot of Mallorca's coastline. Recommended confidently as a family base.

I'm here right now with my wife and agree with everything — though I'll admit not having beach service directly to your seats was a genuine surprise at this level.

The overall experience is as good as advertised. The beach is beautiful and the public-access rules are what they are — but for a Four Seasons, not being able to have service brought to your chair is a notable gap. It's the law, apparently, not a choice, but it still registers as a negative when you're paying these rates.

Estreya is at the absolute peak of her profession — I've worked with her in a client capacity and stayed at multiple hotels she's run, and her imprint on this property is unmistakable.

The quality of the GM here isn't incidental to the experience — it's structural. When someone at that level is operating at their best, it flows through every department and every interaction. This property benefits from that leadership in ways guests may not consciously notice but absolutely feel.

The hotel itself is stunning — but the road to get there nearly broke us, and after a few nights we started feeling the limits of having only two dinner options.

Formentor is genuinely one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen, and the hotel is gorgeous. But I want to be honest with people planning this trip: on our drive we counted 183 cyclists and 16 tour buses on a five-mile stretch of road. It's dangerous, it's aggravating, and it meant 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 dinner venues, you'll exhaust the options faster than you'd like. I also wish the pool area had better sightlines to the water — the trees block most of it. None of this stops it from being a beautiful resort, but go in knowing what you're signing up for.

I've never cried leaving a hotel before — but when we checked out, I actually did. They had made my birthday and Mother's Day completely their own project.

Every restaurant I ate at had a handwritten note waiting at my table. On my birthday they delivered the cheesecake from Mel to my room. On Mother's Day they organized a 'Get To Know Mom' game for my daughters. The boat lunch they arranged for my birthday was genuinely beautiful. Shima is not just dinner — it's an experience, and the vegetarian tasting menu was phenomenal from start to finish. I'm already planning my return before I've even processed leaving.

Genuinely beautiful hotel — but at these prices, the small things have to be perfect, and occasionally they weren't.

Our suite was spacious and elegantly equipped with a sea-facing terrace and a bathroom that was a genuine highlight. The two pools are lovely, housekeeping was immaculate, and breakfast was outstanding. Shima was excellent in every way — generous portions, broad menu, attentive service. Mel was more uneven: food was fine but portions felt small for the price. The most frustrating moment was waiting over 30 minutes for our luggage after a personal GM welcome — a small thing, but not what you expect at this level.

We brought three very small children and were blown away by how naturally the hotel wove family care into what is genuinely a luxurious, adult atmosphere.

Thoughtful surprises and warm gestures for the kids were constant throughout our stay, but they never made the hotel feel like a children's resort — the serene, elevated atmosphere held throughout. Shima, the Japanese-Peruvian restaurant, is extraordinary: crazy good, an absolute must-visit for any guest. Rooms are stunning and the vibe is relaxed but unmistakably luxurious. This is the kind of place that quietly stays with you for a long time afterward.

We came with our first baby and I was nervous — by the end of day one, every single person on staff seemed genuinely invested in making our trip work.

From bellmen spotting us wrestling a pushchair to Federica at check-in following up mid-stay to see how we were doing, the care here felt authentic rather than scripted. Mel restaurant for both breakfast and dinner was excellent — Santi and Luca were among the best restaurant staff I've encountered anywhere in the world. The pool surrounded by greenery was exactly the tranquil setting new parents need. Checkout was as smooth as arrival. It's rare that a hotel makes you feel genuinely cared for rather than simply serviced.

It's still a new hotel and a few things show that — but none of it stopped this from being a genuinely special place.

The restaurants were great, the gym better than most luxury hotels, and the spa treatments were well worth doing. We had issues with the air conditioning and the Chromecast system — both were handled when raised, but they weren't ideal. The drive from Palma airport is about an hour and a bit, so factor that into your planning. A great spot for a few quiet days of real relaxation, teething issues notwithstanding.

The location feels like it's from a novel — wild pine forests, breathtaking cliffs — and the art program gives it a cinematic personality you don't find at most new luxury builds.

What surprised me most was how the hotel uses art to create a relaxed, cinematic identity that's genuinely its own — not just a branded box. The design team has been thoughtful about how the property sits within the natural landscape rather than imposing on it. Staff were friendly and unobtrusive. A refined but casual vibe that feels exactly right for this setting.