Hopped over to Mallorca at the end of my London trip and got to check out these two properties. They both re-opened for the season in mid-March, and though April was still early / shoulder season, tourism on the island was already starting to pick up. Especially for the cycling community, there are soo many cyclists around the island.

These two hotels are very different in terms of location and style. This actually makes them a great pairing if you want a combination of mountain / town exploration and more remote beach time. 

As a reminder, working with Belmond’s Bellini Club and Four Seasons’ Preferred Partner TAs can help add some perks to your stays :)

**La Residencia, A Belmond Hotel**

La Residencia is a Belmond hotel in the heart of Deia. Deia is a very popular day trip destination and historically a haven for artists - the hotel leans into this with nods to Mallorcan culture throughout, an in-house gallery, and a collection of Joan Miro paintings in one of the restaurants. The hotel is very much part of the picturesque village situated on the main road. It still feels very private though, since it's a large property (in terms of the space it occupies in Deia) with rooms set back from the entrance, and they have olive groves, donkeys, and sheep on the expansive grounds.

Rooms are spread across a number of different buildings and they go up the hillside facing the village and surrounding mountains. Most rooms will have village, mountain or courtyard views rather than sea views - you can see a little bit of the sea from some categories but that’s not really the focus here. As with all Belmond properties, the LVMH renovations are coming (next year), but for now the rooms can feel a bit dated.

The service here was good and pretty standard for a 5\* hotel in Europe. Great arrival process, check-in offered either at reception or out on the terrace bar. They brought welcome drinks and snacks. We were in an Exclusive Suite that was a mockup of the upcoming renovation direction, so we got an early preview and this is also why the pictures of our room may look different from the others. Pool service was excellent as well. They asked for our room number or name at every outlet. Turndown was tea, cookies, and chocolates.

The team told us they’ve been very thoughtful about building out the activities offering. There's a solid daily program - morning hikes through the village and surrounding hills, cooking demonstrations, tennis courts, and they run a shuttle down to the cala if you want to spend some time by the water. It's the kind of spot where you could easily hang without leaving the property, or use it as a base for exploring the other villages in the area. There are three pools as well - a main family-friendly pool, an indoor spa pool with cold plunge and jacuzzi, and a smaller but good sized adults-only infinity pool. Finding a lounger was easy throughout our stay. The pools are heated as well but honestly still a bit cold for April.

The food & bev was fine - breakfast was pretty standard with hot items a la carte, and a cold buffet. El Olivo, the main dinner restaurant, is quite popular for its beautiful setting. It’s in a former olive mill and has a terrace overlooking the town. 

**Four Seasons Mallorca at Formentor**

The Four Seasons is about a 1.5-2 hour drive from La Residencia. It is quite remote. Not in the sense that there were no tourists there, but more so that it’s very isolated from the rest of the island. Four Seasons took over and rebuilt it in the image of the former Hotel Formentor. So the grounds and location are beautiful, and the hotel hard product still feels brand new. The hotel only opened 2 years ago.

All the rooms here are technically facing the sea, but some are sold as pine view just due to the location of the room where the trees may be more dense, and also the rooms with private plunge pools are on the lowest floor where they grow out the vegetation for privacy purposes so no views there at all. I was in a top floor sea view room that had awesome views. The rooms themselves are very comfortable and up to Four Seasons standard, though there isn't much sense of Mallorca in the design of the rooms themselves.

Service here was very good, and I thought more buttoned up than La Residencia. We gave our name at the entrance gate and every single person who greeted us at the lobby (doorman, front desk) already addressed us by name. But in typical Four Seasons fashion, check-in is usually done standing up. Staff all around the property, from the pool, spa and beach club to the restaurants were warm, proactive and prompt. 

The beach club is a 5 minute walk from the main building (or a short buggy ride if you prefer). It's a public beach but FS has their own loungers. There were a good amount of people on the beach but at this time of year it was very relaxing and quiet. The water in April is definitely freezing lol, but not terrible in the middle of the day under the sun and it is very clear. It’s also shallow and sandy, pretty good for kids. The pools here are great and heated though!

The F&B here was a bit of a pleasant surprise. Breakfast here was very good - their a la carte selection was quite creative. There is also a big buffet with both hot and cold items, and a strong pastry selection. Everything was tasty and high quality. Dinner at Shima was not bad but skewed a bit more salty and I thought it was probably a level below something like Nobu, not that I like Nobu that much either. The lunch restaurant by the main pool had live music and some great Mediterranean dishes as well.

Spa facilities are very good. Steam room, sauna, cold plunge, ice shower, heated loungers, a vitality pool, and a relaxing outdoor terrace for lounging after. If you care about spa facilities this has been one of my favorite ones.

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Two very different hotels and I think both are worth doing if you have the nights. La Residencia is for people who want a sense of place and the old-world charm of Deia. Four Seasons is for people who want a quieter seaside escape. I’m also excited to see La Residencia once the renovations are complete. FYI - they are planning for a shorter season next year.

Happy to answer any questions on either property!

La Residencia Belmond + Four Seasons Mallorca | Review