Impressive Gourmet-Oriented Hotels in Mallorca
=================================================================================================
Published on August 13, 2025
Mallorca, the largest of the Balearic Islands, is undergoing a transformation, reminiscent of Ibiza's transformation decades ago. This change is particularly noticeable in the culinary scene, as acclaimed chefs are relocating to the island to open farm-to-table restaurants.
One such establishment is El Vicenç, a modern 35-room property in Cala Sant Vicenç. The rooftop restaurant at El Vicenç serves local meats in dishes like suckling porc negre and pastry stuffed with guinea fowl in almond sauce.
Zoëtry Mallorca, a self-contained world, offers exceptional dining with a Michelin-starred restaurant, Andreu Genestra. The restaurant delivers playful yet refined plates like Mallorcan-style eel Wellington or a green pea coulant. Despite lacking immediate beach access, Zoëtry Mallorca compensates with manicured grounds, a pool, and on-site gardens, vineyards, and a windmill.
El Llorenç, an urban hotel in Palma, offers an infinity pool, smartly decorated rooms with sea views, and a rooftop restaurant, Urbà. Dins Santi Taura, a restaurant in El Llorenç, offers a "Origins" tasting menu inspired by age-old Balearic recipes.
A wave of design-forward hotels is pushing the island's style to unprecedented heights. Hotel Corazón, a bohemian 15-room design hotel in Sóller, has an all-women culinary team and a farmer-in-residence. La Residencia, A Belmond Hotel, is another hotel in Mallorca, but no specific details about it are provided in this article.
However, the tourism sector in Mallorca is currently facing challenges. A significant decrease in visitor numbers, especially from key markets such as the UK, Germany, mainland Spain, and the US, has led to economic pressure on local businesses. Restaurants face up to a 40% reduction in customers, leading to potential closures and staff layoffs during the high season. Tourist transport bookings for July and August are down by about 20%, and excursion bookings to popular destinations like Valldemossa, Palma, and Port de Sóller have also decreased substantially. Retail sales have dropped by 10-20%, reflecting the lower tourist spending on the island.
The decline is attributed not only to fewer tourists visiting or spending less but also to external factors such as the perception of Mallorca having anti-tourism protests and overcrowding issues, which may be discouraging visitors. In recent years, protests against overtourism have occurred, impacting the island’s image as a welcoming tourist destination. This has led to concerns among local business owners and tourism stakeholders about the future viability of the hospitality and retail sectors.
Despite this downturn, there was a slight overall increase in tourists in June 2025 (about 1.9%) noted for the Balearic Islands as a whole, but specifically Germany and UK arrivals declined by 3.4% and 5.2% respectively in Mallorca. This illustrates that while some recovery or resilience may exist, the key traditional markets for Mallorca continue to shrink.
One bright spot in this challenging landscape is Can Ferrereta, a converted 17th-century mansion in Santanyí, which has 32 rooms and an on-site restaurant called Ocre. Once-quiet calas (cove beaches) are now brimming with sunseekers. El Olivo, a restaurant inside an old olive mill, offers a tasting-menu with bites like char-grilled mackerel and lemon crémant.
As Mallorca navigates these challenging times, its culinary scene continues to thrive, offering a tantalising reason for travellers to visit the island.
Read also:
- Essential insights into ambulatory pneumonia
- Key points for August 15: District of Columbia meetings, Alaska summit, redistricting debates, emergency room updates, and homelessness issues
- AI's Significance in the Medical Field: Discussion on AI's Functionality in Healthcare Settings
- Restrictions on Access to Almaty Center: Examining European and Asian Precedents
