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Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
A luxury hotel with recently refurbished Rooms & Suites inspired by Mallorca's indigenous charms and treasures. Boasting captivating panoramic views towards the bay of Palma, Castillo Hotel Son Vida embodies the alluring lifestyle of its affluent neighborhood. Combining an enriching heritage with thoughtful service, the sophisticated ambience extends throughout 164 guestrooms and suites. Surrounded by three excellent golf courses and featuring outdoor swimming pools for unequalled recreation, the 5-star luxury hotel also offers prime downtime at Castillo Hotel Son Vida Spa, including a 24-hour fitness center. A dining destination on its own, an inspired range of restaurants, make the most of the unsurpassed vistas, from fine dining El Castell to the chic Pool Bar. Our meeting rooms featuring natural day light, create the perfect setting for corporate and social events.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
Castillo Hotel Son Vida, A Luxury Collection Hotel, Mallorca
4.5 reviews
Getting there
Car recommended
Places to stay are graded on a 0-100 scale. The higher the grade, the easier it is for travellers to find restaurants and things to do within walking distance.
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While opinions on Castillo Hotel Son Vida's value and service vary, with some guests questioning the value and experiencing slow service, others acknowledge the high-quality food and commend the staff's professionalism. The hotel's cleanliness and inviting atmosphere, complete with rooftop concerts and DJ events, consistently earn praise.
The prime location in Mallorca, with its stunning views, enhances the guest experience. Room feedback is mixed, citing both luxury and dated aspects, and while amenities are generally celebrated for their elegance, some have pointed out service shortcomings.
Location
Picturesque
Atmosphere
Elegant
Rooms
Dated
Value
Expensive
Cleanliness
Immaculate
Service
Inconsistent
Amenities
Well-appointed
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We love the hotel, over the last 20 years, we have visited over 7 times. Its location is amazing, over looking Palma, it is the perfect escape from the hot city. The staff are amazing, very friendly and welcoming, special shout out to Thomas, who when we arrived, recognised us from 11 years ago, and made us feel like we were coming home. The rooms are lovely, and pools are incredible . However, last week, with temperatures reaching over 100 degrees, the hotel charges you 5.50 euros for 500ml of water. I don't mind paying 8 euros for a beer, or 15 euros for a G and T, but really £5 for water ! We have stayed around the world in some amazing hotels, and everyone, including the $4000 per night Aman group hotel , the Amangiri, has either complimentary water, or a free water station . It's not really about the money, as I am sure most people staying at this hotel could afford it, its the feeling of being ripped off. They have a water station at breakfast only, and you see guests filling up their water bottles for the day ahead. You do get water in you room once a day, but this is in glass bottles that you cannot take to the pool area. The mark up on the water sold must be huge, and a great money spinner for the hotel.Breakfast is excellent , lunch is very good, but if you are staying more that a few days, be aware that dinner is repetitive and completely uninspiring. We were there for 6 nights, and with exception of a daily chef special, the menu doesn't change. The quality of the dinner food is poor, having to return a fillet steak as inedible , I am sure I would be still chewing on it 3 days later! Its little wonder not many of the guests eat there, preferring to pay a taxi to eat out, one night when we went for dinner, over an hour and a half, they only had 6 covers. The hotel is surrounded by over a 100 million pound properties , yet the restaurant is nearly empty, if it was any good, it would be packed out every night . A shame really, lovely hotel and great staff let down by the restaurant .
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Date of stay: July 2023
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Astonished to read the derogatory review currently on view. Visitors should not be deterred, it is quite contrary to the views of this guest who has enjoyed a superb stay in each of the past five years..in fact our first visit was in the sixties shortly after the hotel opened. There is a wonderful feeling of space, comfort, and elegance. The staff are outstanding in their energy, enthusiasm and genuine welcome. There are usually at least two people at Reception, the tables on the terrace immaculate, and the service first class. The choice on the terrace may be a little repetitive, but a special request never fails to satisfy. Perhaps also a review of how drinks by the pool are delivered to the correct guest May be considered, but breakfast is made special by the greeting by the smiling receptionist, the food splendid, the tea hot, and full choice of food. The lunch bar, perched in a breezy spot, above the pool perfect, and as for the cleanliness and comfort of the rooms…we slept. Blissfully. Lighting very good, bathroom accessible, and TV provided a very clear picture of all the main stations (BBC 1, 2, and ITV as well as Sky.) Perhaps the manager, David, I think could have found a smile and a touch of eye contact with guests, on his frequent rounds ? But back to the important thing for old codgers like us..the elegance, the quiet atmosphere (no kids) though perhaps one. Problem, how can adults, sitting quietly by the pool, find it necessary to shout in their conversations when standing in the pool ?..it amplifies, and I don’t want to hear lectures delivered from the pool. The pool staff, brilliant. Towels sorted, and umbrellas tilted in position even without asking. Can’t wait to come back. So, to the man who complained, which precipitated this outburst, you must have been n at another hotel
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Date of stay: August 2024Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Pay an extra few bob for one of the lovely rooms on the seventh floor
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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Arriving there after a disappointing stay in another hotel on the island, this hotel literally saved our vacation.
I really want to highlight the fantastic work of the staff who were absolutely incredible, I particularly remember Jasmin and Ramon (respectively at the bar and at reception) who were really wonderful.
The rooms are spacious and well equipped with extremely comfortable beds. The bathroom was also fantastic.
We were able to test certain hotel services which were all up to standard. The breakfasts are varied and excellent. Room service efficient and very good. Accustomed to Parisian tea time, we were delighted with the quality/price ratio of that offered on site. And finally the cocktails which were also delicious.
The indoor swimming pool is also very appreciable.
Thank you very much for this wonderful stay.
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Date of stay: October 2023Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Extremely disappointed and saddened by the treatment we received upon arrival for our three night stay at Castillo Son Vida hotel.
Upon arrival there was no one to greet us as you would expect a five star hotel to do and we were left waiting in the reception area whilst another guest stood making a heated complaint regarding her bank cards for the following thirty minutes.
Finally when someone eventually took the time to check us in our room was not ready and no cool beverages were offered after our long journey by car to the facility. We were merely directed to a help yourself at a water station.
We then made our way to the terrace for food and beverages whilst waiting for our room to be prepared, the tables were extremely dirty and again we had to seat ourselves as there was no one to greet and seat us. The sticky unkept tables were attracting wasps which was considerably unnerving for someone with a wasps allergy. Cleanliness would have prevented this or at least not discouraged this. Finally, but only after calling for some service to a bunch of staff who seemed more interested in giggling and chatting amongst themselves we finally ordered some beverages and food.
The food that was served was completely inedible and even some of the chips were black from rotten potatoes. The mojito was filled with cheap syrup and no ice which was sent back and the lamb wrap resembled cat food. In fact I wouldn’t even feed this to a cat.
Staff were very unhelpful and lazy and this was not the service we are use to from a five star rated hotel.
Service, food, drinks, cleanliness and hospitality would not in our opinion receive a 1 star rating.
Sadly we made our decision based on the above not to stay at this hotel and asked to speak to the hotel manager who we was told was not available at the hotel on this day to voice our opinion. As unhappy guests we have the right to complain and as paying customers with the expectation of receiving a quality five star service that was not met the right to leave and at least be reimbursed regardless of hotel policy. All the evidence was there before the hotel staff on that day.
This being so we felt it fair to voice our dissatisfaction and seek a resolution with a senior member of staff, that only being the head of concierge. We made it clear that we would not be staying at this hotel as it clearly did not meet our expectations and as pointed out above, had severe hospitality problems and did not deserve the five star rating that it holds and which we had paid for.
Head of concierge apologised for our experience and assured us that whilst we may not be reimbursed for the full three nights we would most certainly be compensated for at least two. We then had the inconvenience of finding somewhere to stay at such short notice.
Upon our return our agent has notified us that the hotel now refuse to honour this verbal agreement. Needless to say we are extremely disappointed by this outcome and change of decision and will not be visiting again.
This hotel is clearly riding on its location and simply does not deserve the rating it holds.
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Date of stay: July 2024Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:This is not a five star hotel and rating rides on location alone
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Ramon Ballester, Guest Services / Front Office at Castillo Hotel Son Vida, A Luxury Collection Hotel, Mallorca
Responded Aug 1, 2024
Dear Ajit S, We thank for sharing your feedback through Tripadvisor. We are sorry that we did not met your expectations in the areas mentioned by you. Your comments has been shared with the Head of departments . Regarding the requested reimbursement we understand your position. In the next days we will contact you . Your sinceraly
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We visited here in July and it was an edifying experience. Returned in August and it was a shambles. The hotel level of service is below average.
Most mornings we had to find and sort our sun beds the pool attendant works from 7-6 apparently but at 1030am we were having to do it ourselves opening and securing umberellas and moving dirty food trays from the previous night and sourcing pool towels etc.
The staff who clean and look after the property having little regard for Guests who want to sleep spending most of the day shouting to each other across hallways and entire restaurants dropping cutlery scraping furniture across the stone floors.
The turn down service is erratic with soap and amenities not refilled. Water not always delivered. The garden rooms are in habituated by weeds and there is an overpowering scent of sewage in certain areas of the lower areas.
Poolside service is hit and miss with guests having to traipse upstairs to find a drink. The breakfast seems to invoke queues when there are adequate tables available.
Mobile phones are in use in all areas so that all guests are privy to simultaneous multiple loud conversations.
A beautiful property and setting that has a handful of good staff but is generally lacking in the above areas of management.
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Date of stay: August 2023Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Avoid the breakfast queues. Beware of lack of taxis and long waits
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Ramon Ballester, Guest Services / Front Office at Castillo Hotel Son Vida, A Luxury Collection Hotel, Mallorca
Responded Aug 29, 2023
Dear Laura T, Thank you very much for your loyalty as for sharing your feedback regarding your recent stay with us. We are extremelly sorry , that in this ocassion we haven't met your expectactions. We appreciate your comments and you can be sure we will use them to correct these issues and hope we are able to exceed your expectactions on your next visit. with our best regards Ramon Ballester
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I will admit that I loved my stay here when it comes to the room. They upgraded me to one of the Suites in the corner, which is spacious. They also gave me generous amount of tea, coffee, and water, which is a rarity for hotels of this standards.
However, service is more or less lacking for a hotel this caliber. For example, at the restaurant, it took the waiter 20 minutes to come to me and ask, "Has anyone taken your order?" During breakfast, they forgot my coffee order multiple times.
Additionally, I didn't do my due diligence on this, which was clearly my fault... but the hotel is extremely tough to reach with public transportation. The only bus line that goes through here is the Bus No. 7 that runs only once an hour and even that bus is always filled to capacity between the hours of 15:00 and 18:00.
This is a hotel that's truly for those who want to get away for everything, so if you're thinking of staying in a hotel that's accessible to all main attractions in Mallorca, this is definitely not the one.
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Date of stay: September 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled solo
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Ramon Ballester, Guest Services / Front Office at Castillo Hotel Son Vida, A Luxury Collection Hotel, Mallorca
Responded Oct 21, 2024
Dear adrieltjokro, Thank you for your loyalty. We are very happy that you enjoyed the upgrade to one of the recently refurbished Suites. Our hotel enjoys a privileged location 5 km from the centre of Palma, in the middle of 4 golf courses and with fabulous views of the centre of Palma. As you mention, public bus transport to the city center has a limited frequency. We are happy to arrange your transfer either by limousine, taxi or if you wish using uber. We also recommend the use of a rental car so that you can discover the most suggestive corners of our island. We apologize for not providing service that exceeds all expectations of our brand in our restaurant. With our best regards from Mallorca Ramon Ballester Guest Experience Manager
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We were welcomed continually each day with a disgusting smell of toilets/drains/waste from the entrance to reception to the restaurant, this smell was present all day for our entire stay. This was made even worse by one of the ‘cheap’ stores selling non brand fragrances that were pumped into the hotel and restaurant during breakfast.
The breakfast service was below par with rude staff and everyday issues with begging to get a coffee! Every table complaining that their coffee order hadn’t arrived after ordering it more than 20 mins before.
One night we tried the restaurant for dinner and had to send the steak and lamb dishes back as they were both uneatable, over cooked, dry and I’m sure we would have still been chewing next morning.
The room doesn’t have any tea or coffee making facilities, maybe not important to everyone but we enjoy an espresso in the morning before going for a run/walk/exercise and a tea later in the day. When asking for a kettle or coffee machine, we were met with different departments, bringing different things, one person brought a kettle but not tea, coffee or cups, then someone brought nespresso capsules but when we asked for a machine they said they don’t have them! So no coffee or tea then.
The swimming pool area is concrete and soulless, which I’m sure appeals to some but it made us want to leave the hotel each day and find other pools/beaches/beach clubs.
There are other minor issues (house branded water in a carton costing 5.5 EUR) that in other hotels is handed out for free, but don’t want to rant further.
Unfortunately this hotel doesn’t feel like deserves 5 stars.
Positives: Nice location, rooms are clean and recently renovated.
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Date of stay: August 2023Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Ramon Ballester, Guest Services / Front Office at Castillo Hotel Son Vida, A Luxury Collection Hotel, Mallorca
Responded Aug 10, 2023
Dear JimmyBTraveller, thank you very much for your visit and for sharing your feedback . We are very gratetul for your comments and apologize for not having met your expectations. We taken them as a way to improve our services and hope we are able to provide a lovely experience on your next visit to Mallorca. We stay at your entire disposal for any further information, you may need. with our best regards from Mallorca Ramon
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The king has lost its crown. I have been visiting Castillo son Vida for at least 15 years as a family with a few breaks during that period but at least 10 out of the last 15. But this year the king has allowed its crown to droop with tired rooms, poor service especially around the pool side and now accommodating events rather than the residents. Our suite had air conditioning that pumped out air but no cooling, a bed that made squeaks than an undergrads dorm and frankly the place is in need of a good clean and spruce up. As a platinum Marriott member none of the usual benefits appear to apply. The hotel is now focused on external events at the expense of the residents as the external terrace, the jewel in the hotels crown was closed to residents to accommodate the young and beautiful of Palma. This was a huge disappointment for our family, loyal evangelists of the hotel. The property itself is fantastic but the operation of what was a great hotel has dropped to mid table mediocrity. There are better hotels in the island and in Palma.
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Date of stay: September 2024Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Ramon Ballester, Guest Services / Front Office at Castillo Hotel Son Vida, A Luxury Collection Hotel, Mallorca
Responded Sep 6, 2024
Dear Neil M. thank you for your loyalty as a Bonvoy Platinum Member and for sharing your valuable feedback. We are sorry that we were not able to meet your expectations on this occasion with your well-deserved upgrade to a suite, which was refurbished like the rest of the suites and premium rooms just two years ago. We apologize for the inconvenience caused by the private event that took place yesterday night. We would be happy to welcome you back to the Castle, and in that case please do not hesitate to contact me so that I can inform you about possible events taking place at the hotel. With our best regards
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A lovely old building, with lots of old paintings etc inside to enjoy, but we experienced quite a few problems. We booked a 2-week holiday at this hotel, half-board. We were not told on booking that ‘half-board’ apparently meant a very limited menu (most of which I could not eat, due to allergies). We were presented with this on about our third day, having eaten from the a la carte menu until then. Even the a la carte menu is quite limited, but the one we were asked to choose from only had 2 Choices per course! We contacted our travel agent, who got in touch with the hotel and told us it was sorted out, and we could choose from the a la carte menu each evening in future; however, this did not seem to have been conveyed to the restaurant staff, who kept telling us each evening to choose from the limited menu. This was very embarrassing when done in front of other guests. We had asked for a quiet room (having booked a grand deluxe with a sea view), but we were given a room directly over the bar, overlooking the main terrace where entertainment took place most evenings, and where large gatherings of visiting groups were held. It did have a beautiful view over the bay, though. There were many large groups in the hotel while we were there, which we had not been warned about, and some of which were quite disruptive. When the large groups ate at the hotel, it meant the service to ‘’normal’ guests like us was not very good, as priority seemed to be given to the groups. There was one large (210 guests) wedding, with a very loud group playing near the restaurant where we were trying to have a nice quiet meal. Apparently a wedding is held there every 2 weeks. On the day we left, 280 delegates arrived from the USA for a conference. We were VERY glad to be leaving! So if you are thinking of booking here for a peaceful couples holiday, it might be worth checking beforehand what other plans the hotel has for that period.
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Date of stay: September 2023Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Check what large groups are due to be there when you are
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Ramon Ballester, Guest Services / Front Office at Castillo Hotel Son Vida, A Luxury Collection Hotel, Mallorca
Responded Oct 3, 2023
Dear melaniesL1856WT, we thank you for having chosen our Castillo for your recent stay and for sharing the feedback with us. We are sorry that we did not met your expectations and for the inconveniences caused to you. We would like to recover your trust and i am at your disposal in case you would return to arrange the right room assigment up to your wishes and also to inform you at the time of the booking if there is any private or corporate event during this period. Looking forward to the pleausure of welcoming you again Ramon Ballester ramon.ballester@luxurycollection.com
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On arrival we checked in at Reception and were ably assisted by the fabulous Ferran. A very courteous and professional member of staff and he got our holiday off to a great start. The hotel itself is clean and well kept. Plenty of sunbeds around the pool and some scattered around the garden. Pool staff were very attentive, always quickly on hand to supply copious towels and move sunshades when required. We stayed in a room overlooking Palma and the view at night was stunning. I think a hire car would be a good idea although not entirely essential. Cars to Palma and the airport were easily arranged by hotel reception. My only negative thought about the hotel relates to the menu in the restaurant in the evening. (Same menu each night). It would have been nice to add a few "specials" each evening. However, overall we enjoyed our stay and would definitely go back again.
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Date of stay: June 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dear Eightbites,
Regarding your question at our hotel you are able to reserve 2 adults, 1 child (extra bed) and 1 baby (cot) at a Classic Terrace double room, Deluxe Terrace double room, Grand Deluxe double room, Family Suite, Classic and Deluxe Suite. The extra bed in the same double room has an extra supplement per day and the cot is free of charge.
We remain at your entire disposal for any further questions.
Best regards,
Heike Frauendorf
Executive Secretary
Castillo Hotel Son Vida
There are more places to choose from in the Palma de Mallorca area.
PRICE RANGE
C$457 - C$729 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
castillo hotel son vida
LOCATION
SpainBalearic IslandsMajorcaPalma de Mallorca
NUMBER OF ROOMS
164
Prices are the average nightly price provided by our partners and may not include all taxes and fees. Taxes and fees that are shown are estimates only. Please see our partners for more details.
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Does Castillo Hotel Son Vida, A Luxury Collection Hotel, Mallorca have airport transportation?
Yes, Castillo Hotel Son Vida, A Luxury Collection Hotel, Mallorca offers airport transportation for guests. We recommend calling ahead to confirm details.
