Cap Vermell Grand Hotel: foodie heaven on the quieter side of Mallorca

Cap Vermell Grand Hotel opened in 2016 under the Park Hyatt brand, a modern recreation of a traditional Mallorquin stone village built into the mountain side, a short drive from the Mediterranean Sea. The five star hotel is no longer under the Hyatt Hotels umbrella but is a member of The Leading Hotels of The World and features superb dining options with service that is genuinely warm and welcoming. Cap Vermell’s award cabinet boasts the UNESCO World Heritage Prize for Architecture and Design, two Michelin stars for restaurant Voro, and now a Michelin Key - a new award in 2024 recognising the world’s most outstanding hotels.

Where is it?

Mallorca might be in the news for concerns of over-tourism but in the northeast of the island, it’s still remarkably easy to escape the crowds, even in peak summer season. That’s the location of Cap Vermell, in the Canyamel Valley one hour from Palma Airport on good roads and close to the beautiful historic town of Arta, as well as some of the very best long sandy beaches on the island. This is about as far from the capital Palma as it is possible to get on Mallorca, a natural, relaxing and upmarket area that, in general, is better known to German visitors than Brits.

Style

Built on a steep hillside in a mix of pale honey-coloured stone and soft pastels and designed to resemble a traditional Mallorquin village, Cap Vermell is made up of a collection of handsome low-level buildings clustered in artfully landscaped grounds.

The main public buildings, the reception and the restaurants and pool, are set around a large square and is mostly on one level, or linked with sloping paths, while hotel rooms and suites are up flights of stony steps. On-trend modern electrical golf carts zip up and down with guests who do not fancy the climb.

Facilities

The range of facilities is very good. The Serenitas Spa has seven treatment rooms including two couple’s rooms, saunas and relaxing rooms with a good menu of face and body treatments. There is a central gym, a family pool and a small adults’ pool with separate jacuzzi. Around 100 metres away, the Cap Vermell Country Club is an impressive health and fitness complex with a local membership. It has a large gym, two pools including a 25-metre indoor pool, a tennis court and six padel courts. There’s an extensive choice of daily group classes, from yoga and Pilates to high impact workouts and Turkish baths and saunas.

Off resort, there are four golf courses within ten minutes at Canyamel, Capdepera, Pula and Son Servera, and the hotel will arrange tee-times and transfers. A regular service operates throughout the day to the nearest beaches, which are a five-minute drive away.

Extracurricular

Lovely beaches, historic towns, fishing villages and local markets make up the main expeditions from the hotel. Porto Cristo is a top destination for sailing and fishing (and also where local hero tennis player Rafa Nadal keeps his own yacht) and there’s caving at Drach Caves along with one of Europe’s largest underground lakes. Other sites to visit include the medieval castle at Capdepera, Arta’s market every Tuesday and the Cala Ratjada lighthouse.

Food & drink

Cap Vermell scores top marks here for the choice and the quality of its restaurants starting with Voro, the only two Michelin-starred restaurant in the Balearic Islands headed by Alvaro Salazar. Book early to dodge the month-long waiting list.

Next up is ROKA, a pop-up summer outpost of the well-known and firm favourite London Japanese restaurant. Based around a robata grill and with outdoor tables set under shady pomegranate trees, eating their sushi and sashimi as hot air balloons soar over the horizon and the sun drops in the sky is quite the experience.

If Voro and ROKA are the top treats, Balearic and Tapas are also noteworthy, serving up local dishes done to perfection. Take a table at Tapas, ask the excellent manager Andrés for his recommendations and sit back to enjoy the best of Spanish dishes.

There’s also a casual pool bar serving a choice of salads, sandwiches and larger plates and a restaurant at the Country Club.

Which room?

Despite the size of the resort overall, there are only 142 rooms and suites, ranging from Grand Deluxe through Junior Suites, Deluxe Suites and two Presidential Suites. The Junior Suites are the ones to choose, all with dressing areas and some outside space, a balcony or small garden area and generous bathrooms filled with high-end Diptyque products. Fridges carry a good range of complimentary soft drinks and water, replenished daily, and there are tea and coffee making facilities.

Best for

Couples, families, golfers, ardent fitness fans and anyone coming to retreat for a few days’ peace will find their place. The average stay is around three nights, with many islanders using the hotel as a weekend escape from the buzz elsewhere on Mallorca. It is also popular as a base with parents whose children are training at the nearby residential Rafa Nadal Tennis Academy in Manacor. The new direct flights from New York to Palma that began in 2024 have also brought many US guests to the hotel.

The details

Double rooms start from €550 per night. The hotel is closed from mid-November until March. capvermellgrandhotel.com