Four Seasons Resort Mallorca at Formentor
Four Seasons Resort Mallorca at Formentor is a luxury resort on its own private estate at the northern tip of Mallorca, on the Formentor Peninsula. Its buildings step down a pine-covered hillside to the beach and a cove of its own, with limestone cliffs and the Serra de Tramuntana mountains behind. Families come for the setting, the calm shallow beach for toddlers and the space of the estate, on a stay run as a luxury retreat rather than an all-inclusive.
On this page
Is it worth it?
Who this resort suits, how the cost works and the facts to skim before the detail.
Four Seasons Resort Mallorca at Formentor is one of the most expensive family resorts on Mallorca, and it isn’t an all-inclusive. You book a room or suite and pay as you go for meals, water sports, the spa and your transfer, so a week here can cost well beyond the room rate, and value for money is the one thing guests score lower than everything else. What you’re paying for is the setting, a luxury hotel on its own private estate at the tip of a pine-covered peninsula, with the beach below it, a private cove and a mountain backdrop that reviewers rate above anywhere else on the island. It’s a terraced site rather than a flat one, so you move between the levels by stairs or the golf buggies the resort runs, its electric carts. You’ll get the most from it if you want a luxury retreat and don’t mind paying for meals and extras on top, and older children get more from the activities than the very youngest, though babies and toddlers are made welcome.
Best for
You want a luxury retreat with your children, a long sandy beach and the space of a private estate, and you’re happy to pay for meals, water sports and childcare on top of the room.
Maybe not for
You want an all-inclusive price, a crèche for a baby or toddler, a flat site for a pushchair or a holiday on a budget.
Best ages
Babies upwards, though it leans older. The kids’ club starts at 4, and children of about 6 and up get the most from the activities. Under-4s rely on the family pool and babysitting.
What stands out
A private 40-hectare estate with a Blue Flag beach and its own cove, and the option to arrive by boat across the bay.
What to check
Whether you’re happy relying on golf buggies over a stair-heavy site, and that the kids’ club age floor of 4 works for your family.
Where is it?
At the tip of the Formentor Peninsula in the far north of Mallorca, about 42 miles (67 km) from Palma airport.
Quick facts for families
What the resort is like
Where it sits, its history, how the terraced site is laid out and how you get around it.
The resort sits at the far northern tip of Mallorca, on the Formentor Peninsula, about 9 miles (15 km) by road from Port de Pollença. Its 40-hectare estate forms part of a much larger 486-hectare (1,200-acre) protected nature reserve of pine forest, limestone cliffs, coves and a working vineyard, all within the UNESCO-listed Serra de Tramuntana mountains. The peninsula is remote, and the resort works as a near-self-contained place, with the nearest towns about 15 minutes’ drive away. For the wider island, its beaches and when to go, see our Mallorca guide.
There’s been a hotel here since 1929, when the Hotel Formentor opened, founded by the Argentinian promoter and poet Adan Diehl, and became a gathering place for writers, artists and royalty through the last century. After years under other owners, latterly as a Barceló property, it closed for a renovation of around €25 million led by the architect Elena Dueñas with engineering by ARUP, which lifted the building by a floor while keeping its white facade. Four Seasons soft-opened the hotel on 16 August 2024 with a partial offering, then opened the full resort, including the spa, every restaurant and the Teen Centre, from 14 March 2025; the 2026 season opened on 18 March, and the resort closes each winter. It’s the first hotel in the Balearic Islands to hold LEED Gold certification, an environmental standard, with solar power, rainwater harvesting and grey-water irrigation across the estate.
The estate is a terraced hillside, and that affects a stay here more than anything else. The buildings, the pools and the beach sit on different levels connected by a lot of stairs, so the resort runs golf buggies to carry guests around, and you call for one whenever you need it. This matters with a pushchair, since pushing one across the estate on foot isn’t practical, so you’ll rely on the buggies to move between your room, the pools and the sand. A ground-floor garden room gives you step-free access straight onto its terrace, the easier choice with a baby. The resort is listed as wheelchair accessible and the beach has a wheelchair-friendly wooden walkway, but if anyone in your party has mobility needs it’s worth speaking to the resort before you book, given the terrain.
Every restaurant and bar
Each place to eat and drink, which suit young children and how the booking works.
None of this is included. The resort runs on a room-only basis, so every meal is paid as you go, and it’s easy to spend well above the room rate once you add three meals a day. There are three restaurants, a poolside kitchen, a couple of bars and an ice-cream parlour, with room service around the clock.
Mel, named after the Catalan word for honey, is the all-day Mediterranean restaurant and the most family-friendly place to eat. It’s farm-to-table, built around the daily catch from local fishermen and island produce, with a Josper charcoal grill at dinner. There’s a children’s menu, and the breakfast is the single thing guests praise most, from poached eggs and pancakes to a changing spread of pastries. Staff are noted for making up special dishes for toddlers on request.
Shima, which opened in spring 2025, is the Nikkei restaurant, a Japanese-Peruvian style of ceviches, tiraditos and nigiri with an omakase menu alongside the à la carte, sea views and a strong cocktail list. It’s more of an adults’ setting in the evening, and while there’s no age restriction, it suits a dinner without young children better than a family meal.
Llum i Sal is the beachfront seafood restaurant, right on Formentor Beach, serving local fish and seafood from the Bay of Pollença. It opens for lunch from 12:30 to 17:30, with dinner added from mid-May, and it’s casual enough for a family meal by the sand, with service out to the sunbeds. Non-guests can book it too, subject to space.
Quiosc is the casual poolside kitchen, shaded by pines, doing paella, salads, pastas and snacks with a children’s menu. It’s the most relaxed spot for a midday family meal, and children have joined in poolside paella-making sessions here.
Cercle is the circular, sea-facing lobby bar, with cocktails, wines and gourmet snacks in the evening, live music and no-alcohol drinks for children. It’s the social hub after dark. Xiringuito is the seasonal beach bar, a pop-up for drinks and light bites when the beach is in full swing. Crocant is the ice-cream parlour near the pool, with handmade flavours and a reliable draw for children.
Room service runs 24 hours, with separate breakfast, all-day, children’s, overnight and drinks menus, which helps with a baby’s timings. One thing guests flag is that room-service portions can be small for the price. There’s also an outdoor cinema, Cinema under the Formentor Sky, shown on the hotel’s historic stairways with classic films and cinema snacks; you book at least 72 hours ahead, under-18s must be accompanied by an adult with up to five children per adult, and it moves indoors in poor weather. For a special evening the concierge can set up private dinners, a table among the vines at the estate vineyard, a seaside cabana or a garden picnic, all at extra cost.
How restaurant booking works
For dinner at Mel and Shima, advance reservation is recommended, and the concierge team can book on your behalf. Llum i Sal is open to non-guests too, subject to reservation and availability. Opening hours beyond Llum i Sal’s shift with the season, so check the day’s timings with the concierge when you arrive.
Rooms and suites
Every room and suite with its size, then the pools and the beach below.
There are 110 rooms and suites in all, 79 rooms and 31 suites, a small number for an estate this size and part of why it stays quiet. Every one has a private terrace facing the sea, and many have their own heated plunge pool. The table lists each category; the resort publishes only some of the sizes, so where a figure isn’t confirmed the table says so, and the guidance after it is which suit a family.
| Room or suite | Size | Beds | Sleeps | View and notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Garden-View Room | 40 m² | King or 2 doubles | 2 adults, or 2 adults and an infant with the king | Ground floor, furnished terrace, no plunge pool |
| Garden-View Room with Plunge Pool | ~40 m² plus terrace | King | Up to 3 adults | Terrace with a heated plunge pool, a daybed and loungers |
| Pine-View Room | Similar to the Garden-View Room | King or 2 doubles | 2 adults, or 2 adults and an infant with the king | Forest views with some sea glimpses |
| Grand Pine-View Room | Larger than the Pine-View Room | King and sofa bed | 3 adults, or 2 adults and a child | Larger terrace, cot on request |
| Sea-View Room | Similar to the garden rooms | King or 2 doubles | 2 adults, or 2 adults and an infant with the king | Glass walls fold onto the terrace, tub and separate shower |
| Sea-View Suite | 51 to 59 m² | King and sofa bed | 3 adults, or 2 adults and a child | Cot on request |
| Pine-View Suite | Not published | King and sofa bed | 3 adults | Separate living and dining, a double-length terrace, two-bedroom version available |
| Pine-View Suite with Plunge Pool | Not published | King | 3 adults | Oversized terrace with a heated plunge pool |
| Garden-View Suite with Plunge Pool | Not published | King and sofa bed | Up to 3 adults | Terrace with a plunge pool |
| Grand Pine-View Suite with Plunge Pool | Not published | King | Up to 3 adults | The larger plunge-pool suite |
| Grand Sea View Suite | Not published | King and sofa bed | Up to 3 adults | Top-tier sea views |
| Formentor Suite | 102 m² | King, sofa bed and rollaway or cot | 3 adults and a child, or 2 adults and 2 children | Top floor, oversized terrace, two bathrooms |
| Royal Suite | 126 m² | King, sofa bed and rollaway or cot | 3 adults and a child, or 2 adults and 2 children | Highest floor, dining for six, a jetted tub on the terrace, two to three bedrooms |
The four sizes shown are the ones the resort publishes; for the other categories it lists the layout but not the floor area. A couple of rows carry a bedding note worth reading before you book: in the Garden-View Room with Plunge Pool the third adult sleeps on the terrace daybed, and in the Grand Pine-View Room on a sofa bed, so confirm the bedding directly with the resort if you need either to sleep three. The Pine-View Room is shown sleeping two, so check its exact bedding with the resort too if you need an extra bed.
For a family, the question is whether you need a separate room for a sleeping baby. The rooms are all one space, so with a cot and an active toddler they’re tight; the Sea-View Room, a similar size to the garden rooms, takes a cot but leaves you in close quarters. The best entry point for separate sleeping space is the Formentor Suite at 102 m², a top-floor suite with an oversized terrace and two bathrooms that sleeps two adults and two children, with a sofa bed in the living area for naps away from the main bedroom. The Royal Suite at 126 m² goes further, with dining for six and two to three bedroom layouts for a larger family or grandparents. Connecting rooms are available and worth requesting well ahead if you want true bedroom separation. A ground-floor garden room gives step-free access onto its terrace, the easier option with a pushchair, and cots and travel cots come on request.
Every room has climate control, a Bose sound system, a Lavazza coffee machine and a stocked minibar, with a marble bathroom with a separate tub and rainfall shower, robes and slippers, twice-daily housekeeping and 24-hour room service.
Pools and water features
There are three pools, all heated. The family pool is the larger of the two main pools, with a tiered depth: an ankle-deep splash section at one end for toddlers and a deeper area for swimming, a shaded stretch of loungers, plus full lounger service, iced water and food and drink brought to your sunbed. The adults-only infinity pool is smaller, sea-facing and quieter, with its own bar and no children. The third is the spa’s vitality pool, a hydrotherapy pool with massage jets that’s part of the thermal circuit and open to ages 12 and up, so it isn’t a pool for young children. You can hire a poolside cabana for an extra charge with a food-and-drink minimum, and it comes without charge for guests in the Royal and Formentor Suites. There are no waterslides or a splash pad, so the toddler end of the family pool is the water-play for little ones.
The beach
Playa de Formentor is a crescent bay of golden sand about 1 km long, with a Blue Flag and calm, clear water that shelves in gently over a sandy bottom, with no significant current. It’s about as good as a bay gets for toddlers paddling. The resort keeps a stretch of it with cushioned loungers, straw parasols, towel service and food and drink to your sunbed. The beach itself is public, though, reached by others as well as guests, so on summer weekends it can get busy with day visitors, something the peninsula road restrictions limit but don’t remove. There’s also a smaller private cove within the estate, Cala Pi de la Posada, reached down stone steps, with calmer, glass-like water where you can see fish, used by at least one family as their main swimming spot.
Non-motorised water sports, snorkelling, kayaking and paddleboarding, run from the beach; motorised sports like waterskiing and wakeboarding cost extra. The public beach has seasonal lifeguards, showers, toilets and a wheelchair-accessible walkway. From the rooms it’s a few minutes down by walking path or golf buggy.
Babies and toddlers
The clubs and childcare, what a family day holds and the towns and days out beyond the estate.
Kids For All Seasons is the resort’s children’s club, free and supervised, for ages 4 to 12, running daily from 10 in the morning to 5. It fills the day with games, treasure hunts, crafts, beach activities, marine exploration, boat trips and movie nights, and it has its own sea-view space; parents single out the staff, one of whom was described bringing toys down to the beach when a toddler was having a hard time. There’s a Teen Centre for older children and teens too, a social space with lawn games, which opened in 2025.
The thing to plan around is the age floor. There’s no crèche or drop-off below 4, so with a baby or toddler you’re with them through the day, using the ankle-deep end of the family pool and the calm beach, and booking a babysitter if you want an adult evening. Babysitting is available at extra cost, arranged with the resort in advance. Cots and travel cots come on request, room service runs 24 hours with a children’s menu, and staff are widely praised for their warmth with babies. The main restaurants run children’s menus. It’s worth checking on high chairs, baby-changing in the public areas and whether the resort can supply a bottle steriliser or warmer when you book. If a supervised crèche for a 0 to 3 year old is what you need, a resort with that provision will suit you better. There’s no supermarket on the estate, so for nappies, formula and baby food the nearest shop is in Port de Pollença, about 15 minutes away, which we cover further down.
Things to do
There’s a lot to fill a stay, most of it paid on top. On the estate there’s a tennis court in the woods with private coaching available, horse riding through the pine forest and along coastal trails, cycling on estate routes and out onto the Serra de Tramuntana climbs that make Mallorca a road-cycling favourite, with bike rentals available, and hiking that ranges from the estate’s own trails to guided hikes of four hours or more into the Serra de Tramuntana, alongside shorter forest-bathing walks led by the hotel’s biologists. On and off the water there’s snorkelling, kayaking, paddleboarding and wind foiling, some included and some at extra cost so it’s worth confirming with the resort, plus motorised watersports like waterskiing and e-foiling with instruction, guided snorkelling with a marine biologist, and private sailing from the resort’s own dock out to sea caves and hidden coves, or a day trip across to Menorca.
The spa opened in 2025, designed by Gilles & Boissier, at 600 m² with seven treatment rooms, two of them couples’ suites with private terraces and soaking tubs; treatments run from 09:00 to 20:00, with the spa facilities themselves open 10:00 to 20:00. Its thermal circuit has the vitality pool, which is open to ages 12 and up, plus a sauna, a steam room and hammam, a cold plunge, an ice fountain, sensory showers and a relaxation room; confirm the age policy for the rest of the spa with the resort when you book. Treatments draw on a range of skincare and massage brands, with signatures inspired by the mountains and pines around the estate, and there’s a prenatal massage. Fitness is a 24-hour gym with an indoor studio and an outdoor garden, plus outdoor yoga decks with guided sessions.
There’s also a working vineyard on the estate, growing native Mallorcan and international grape varieties, with tours, tastings, a chance to join the annual grape harvest and a sunset dinner among the vines, plus history and olive-grove tours, and painting and ceramics workshops, and the concierge can arrange a helicopter flight or a 4x4 trip. Over Easter the resort runs a family programme of egg hunts, workshops, a paella lunch and an outdoor cinema night.
The area and days out
The peninsula is remote, so a change of scene means a drive. Pollença, a historic market town with a Sunday market, a Roman bridge, cafes, art galleries and restaurants, is about 15 minutes away and has the nearest pharmacy. Port de Pollença, a similar distance, has a marina, restaurants, a beach promenade and the supermarkets for baby supplies. Alcúdia old town, about 20 to 25 minutes, has Roman ruins, a walled medieval centre and weekly markets, and Hidropark Alcúdia nearby, about 25 to 30 minutes, is a family water park with a baby pool, a toddler water-castle area for 3 to 7 year olds and slides, open from April to October.
Further afield, Palma is about an hour away for the cathedral, the old town and the aquarium, Valldemossa is a scenic monastery village around 75 to 90 minutes, and the Caves of Drach at Porto Cristo, about 80 to 90 minutes, has an underground lake and a classical concert. The resort can also arrange a boat day trip to Menorca.
Loves and gripes
What families rate and what frustrates them, how it compares, the journey in, the weather and the practical layer before you book.
We haven’t stayed, so this draws on a wide read of guest reviews and family-travel write-ups alongside the resort’s own information. This is the pattern that comes through most.
What families love
- The setting, the single biggest reason most guests book: the estate, the beach and the mountain backdrop.
- The personal service, with special touches for families with babies and toddlers.
- The calm, shallow beach for toddlers.
- Breakfast at Mel.
- Attentive pool service, with loungers set up ahead of time and iced water and food brought to the sunbed.
- The kids’ club staff, singled out by name in reviews.
- The secluded, peaceful atmosphere, more like a private estate than a typical hotel.
- The boat arrival across the bay.
- The separate family and adults-only pools, giving everyone their own space.
Common gripes
- The price, well above the rest of the island’s luxury market, and value the lowest guest score.
- Not all-inclusive: meals, water sports, the spa and transfers all cost extra.
- The remote setting, which limits spontaneous days out and can stop the boat shuttle in bad weather.
- The public beach, busy with day visitors on summer weekends.
- A few opening-season reviews from 2024 flagged housekeeping misses, largely resolved by the 2025 full season.
- Patchy Wi-Fi around the pools.
- Small room-service portions for the price.
- A crowded, noisy indoor breakfast room; the terrace seating is the better choice.
- A kids’ playroom heavier on screens than crafts.
- One reviewer found the parking charge steep, so confirm the current terms when you book.
- Shima’s adult-leaning atmosphere, less suited to a family dinner with young children.
How it compares
On price this sits on a different level from anything else on a Mallorca shortlist; a few nights here can cost more than a full week at the best-rated alternatives. What you get for it is the beach, widely rated the finest of the set, and the estate setting. What you give up is the all-inclusive convenience: there’s no unlimited-food-and-drink option, and every meal, watersport and treatment is charged. The kids’ club starting at 4 is the other planning point, since some island rivals take children into supervised care from 0 to 2 or 0 to 3. The all-inclusive Ikos Porto Petro in the south of the island is the natural comparison if you’d rather have everything in one price and a crèche for a younger child. This resort is for families who want a luxury retreat, and older children who’ll use the activities, more than budget-minded or all-inclusive-minded families.
The journey inGetting there and when to go
Palma airport is about 42 miles (67 km) away, roughly 60 to 70 minutes by road, with direct flights from many UK airports and a flight time of about two and a half hours. The peninsula road needs some thought. From mid-May to mid-October, daily between 10 in the morning and 10 at night, private cars are restricted on the Ma-2210 road onto the peninsula; taxis, buses, cyclists and pedestrians are exempt, and the hotel registers guests’ car number plates in advance so they can pass. Enforcement is real, with more than 2,300 fines of €100 to €200 issued by camera in 2025, so the plate registration is worth doing properly. Taxis can reach the resort itself during the restricted hours, but private-hire cars can only get as far as Formentor Beach.
The resort can arrange a private car transfer from the airport, though it’s priced well above an ordinary metered taxi, which is exempt from the road restrictions and much cheaper. The resort’s boat arrival skips the winding road altogether. A car takes you to Puerto Pollença, then a 15-minute private boat crosses the Bay of Pollença to the resort’s dock, which suits a daytime arrival, though rough weather can stop the boat running. You can self-drive and park at the resort, but the final stretch of road is steep and narrow with sharp switchbacks, so it’s not one to drive unless you’re comfortable on mountain roads. A public bus runs to Formentor Beach, fine for a day out but not for arriving with luggage. Parking is available for guests, and the terms are worth confirming when you book.
The resort is seasonal, opening in mid-March and closing each winter. June to August is warmest and busiest with the best beach weather; May and September strike the best balance, warm days with a sea still warm into September, and quieter; April and October are cooler with a colder sea, less suited to a beach holiday with toddlers; March is really for wellness and cycling guests.
Month by monthWeather
Northern Mallorca gets more rain and more wind off the Tramuntana mountains than the south, so it’s fresher in spring and autumn, though the sheltered Formentor bay is calmer than the exposed north-coast beaches. The figures below are typical monthly averages for Pollença, across the resort’s season.
| Month | Daytime high | Overnight low | Rain | Wet days | Sea temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March | 18° | 10° | 30 mm | 5 | 15° |
| April | 20° | 12.5° | 34 mm | 5 | 16° |
| May | 23° | 15.5° | 32 mm | 3 | 19° |
| June | 27.5° | 19.5° | 13 mm | 2 | 23° |
| July | 30° | 22.5° | 5 mm | 0 | 26° |
| August | 30.5° | 23° | 23 mm | 2 | 28° |
| September | 27.5° | 20.5° | 63 mm | 5 | 26° |
| October | 24.5° | 17° | 67 mm | 6 | 24° |
Typical monthly averages from weather-station records. Sea temperature is the open-water figure, so a sheltered bay can feel a degree or two warmer. The resort is seasonal and opens in mid-March.
Health and practicalities
There’s no pharmacy and no supermarket on the estate, so the resort is self-contained and a trip out is needed for supplies. There’s a Four Seasons Boutique on site for branded pieces, resort wear and sundries. For nappies, formula, baby food and over-the-counter medicines, the nearest shop is The Store in Port de Pollença, on Carrer de Formentor, about 15 minutes away by car or taxi and open daily including Sundays, with a smaller Eroski supermarket in the town centre as a second option; the nearest pharmacy is in Pollença town. The nearest emergency hospital is at Muro, about 30 to 35 minutes away, with the larger public hospital and English-speaking private clinics in Palma about an hour away. UK travellers should bring a GHIC card, which covers emergency care in Spain, and take out travel insurance as well. There’s no specific UK government travel warning for Mallorca; standard Spain advice applies.
The scores and what they sayRatings and what families say
The resort rates highly across the board. On Booking.com it sits around 9.3 out of 10, with its highest marks for location, cleanliness and comfort, and its lowest, at 8 out of 10, for value, which fits the pricing. On TripAdvisor it’s 4 out of 5 and not one of the top-ranked hotels in the area. Forbes Travel Guide gives it four stars, and it’s listed as a hotel in the Michelin Guide, an accommodation listing rather than any restaurant Michelin star. A family-travel site also shortlisted it as a Best Beach Break for 2026.
Questions
The things families ask most, the official pages worth a bookmark and when this guide was last refreshed.
Is Four Seasons Formentor all-inclusive?
No, it’s room only. You pay as you go for everything beyond the room, so eating, water sports and spa treatments all sit on top of the rate. Set a separate food-and-extras budget before you book, and expect the week to cost well over the room price alone.
Does the kids’ club take a baby or toddler?
No. Kids For All Seasons starts at 4, and there’s no crèche below that. For a younger child you’ll be with them through the day or booking the paid babysitting, so contact the resort in advance to arrange a sitter, or look at a resort that runs a 0 to 3 crèche if that matters to you.
How does the boat arrival work, and is it worth it?
You’re driven to Puerto Pollença and taken across the Bay of Pollença by private boat to the resort’s own dock, which skips the steep peninsula road. Book it through the resort and choose a daytime arrival, but keep a road transfer in mind as a fallback, since rough weather can stop the boat running.
Can we drive ourselves to the resort?
You can, and there’s guest parking, but from mid-May to mid-October the peninsula road is closed to private cars between 10 in the morning and 10 at night unless the hotel has registered your number plate ahead of time, so send it to them before you travel. A metered taxi from the airport is exempt from the restriction and much cheaper than the resort’s car transfer.
Is parking free at the resort?
Parking is available for guests, but whether it’s included or charged can vary, so confirm the current terms with the resort when you book rather than assume it’s free.
Where’s the nearest shop for nappies and formula?
There’s no supermarket on the estate, so plan to bring a starter supply or shop nearby. The closest is The Store in Port de Pollença, around 15 minutes out and open every day, which carries nappies, formula and baby food. Stocking up on the way in saves a trip during the stay.
When’s the best time to go with young children?
May and September, when the days are warm and the sea is warm enough to swim without the July and August heat and crowds. The resort opens in mid-March, but the early weeks, April and October have a sea too cold for much toddler paddling.
See more Four Seasons Formentor photos
Open the Four Seasons Formentor photo gallery →Useful links
- Four Seasons Resort Mallorca at Formentor: the resort’s own site for rooms, dining and the children’s clubs.
- GOV.UK Spain travel advice: entry rules and safety updates before you travel.
- Mallorca with little ones: our guide to the wider island, its beaches and when to go.
Last updated 13 July 2026.
