The catch at Castell Son Claret
Five things stand between the photographs and the stay. None of them is hidden, and none of them is a reason to pass on a castle evening, but each one changes how you plan it: the calendar, the car, the room, the steps and who comes with you.
On our shortlists
It shuts for four months, and Sa Clastra keeps a shorter week than the hotel
The hotel closes from mid-November to mid-March: the last night on sale in 2026 is 14 November and the first in 2027 is 11 March, and every 2027 date currently sells stays of three nights or more. Sa Clastra keeps its own, shorter season. It serves dinner from March to the end of October only, and never on a Sunday or a Monday: Thursday to Saturday in March, April and October, Wednesday to Saturday in May and September, and Tuesday to Saturday from June to August. The outdoor pool is seasonal too, open from 10:00 to 18:00 in spring, with water only as warm as the weather makes it.
What to do. If dinner at Sa Clastra is the reason for the trip, build the three nights around a Thursday, Friday or Saturday in spring or autumn and book the table when you book the room. In November, plan on Olivera.
You will want a car, because there is little to walk to
The castle sits inside its own 132-hectare estate on the road from Es Capdellà up to Galilea. Es Capdellà, the nearest village, is a 29-minute walk or five minutes by car. The nearest beaches, at Peguera, are 15 minutes away by car, Camp de Mar and Santa Ponça 19, Palma's cathedral 35 and the airport 38. Public transport in this rural corner is limited, and in high season a taxi called from reception can take a while to arrive. The mountain roads around the estate are winding, narrow in places and shared with cyclists, so allow more time than the distance suggests.
What to do. Hire a car at the airport. Parking on the estate is free and needs no booking, and there are two charging points for electric cars, first come, first served. For a beach day, the concierge can request sunbeds at Gran Folies in Cala Llamp, 26 minutes away, with 48 hours' notice.
The two cheapest rooms are 25 m² and look into the courtyard, not out
The Estate Courtyard and the Estate Double are both 25 m² with a shower, and both look into the historic courtyard rather than out over the estate. The Estate Courtyard sleeps one, and there are only two Estate Doubles, so the entry room for two is in short supply. Across every category, views vary room by room between the courtyard, the gardens, the estate and the Tramuntana, and a request counts only once it is confirmed in writing. Every room is sold for two at most; extra beds start at the Demi Suite, at 100 euros a night for a child of 3 to 12 and 150 from 13. Twin beds are the exception: the beds in rooms 900 and 1000 separate, by about 5 cm, and any other bed request needs confirming.
What to do. Book the Deluxe Double, 37 m² in the castle with windows that look outwards, and ask in writing for a garden or Tramuntana outlook. With a child over three, start at the Demi Suite.
It is a historic estate of stairs, changes in level and garden paths
The historic layout, changes in level and some natural surfaces limit access in places, and there is one room adapted for reduced mobility, a Deluxe Double. Some of the most characterful rooms are the hardest to reach: the bedroom of the Water Tower Duplex is up a narrow winding staircase, and the Terrace Demi Suite is up a staircase in a separate building beside the castle. The palm avenue ends at the car parks, about 100 metres short of the castle front, across the front garden. Not every wet area in the spa offers the same access, and getting into the pools depends on steps and handrails.
What to do. If stairs or uneven paths are a problem, contact the hotel before you book, not after. Its team checks routes, doors and bathrooms room by room, and can hold a parking space near the right entrance.
Under-14s miss the spa, its indoor pool and Sa Clastra
Children are welcome, but the castle is run for calm. Bellesa de Claret, the spa, with its hammam, sauna and indoor water area, is for guests aged 14 and over, and so is Sa Clastra. There is no kids' club; the concierge arranges babysitting, tennis lessons and bikes. That leaves children the outdoor pool, where an adult must supervise them at all times and jumping and inflatables are discouraged. It is seasonal, and its temperature follows the weather; the private pools of the Pool Suites are not heated at all. In March and April, a family's only pool may be a cold one.
What to do. With children, come from June, when the pool opens from 8:00 to 20:00 and the weather has warmed it. Eat at Olivera, which has a children's menu and high chairs, and keep Sa Clastra for a night with a babysitter.
Who should skip it
Families with children under 14 who want the spa or a warm pool in spring, anyone who wants to walk to a beach or a village bar, anyone who cannot give it three nights in 2027, and anyone who needs step-free access beyond the one adapted room. Also friends sharing a room, because twin beds are the exception here, not the rule.
Who should book it anyway
Anyone who wants a castle evening in the countryside. You arrive along a palm avenue lined up on the towered front of 1888, dine at Sa Clastra under one MICHELIN star, out in the courtyard if the evening is warm, wake to bread from the hotel's own bakery, and are on Peguera's beaches in 15 minutes. Book a Deluxe Double, hire the car, give it three nights between mid-March and October, and put the Sa Clastra dinner on a Thursday, Friday or Saturday.
The catch elsewhere in Mallorca
- Four Seasons Resort Mallorca at FormentorFormentor peninsula
The building is new: the 1929 hotel was gutted in 2021, its last walls came down in 2022 and it was rebuilt to look from the bay much as it did, so the history is in the name, the site and the old garden steps rather than the rooms.
- La Residencia, A Belmond HotelDeià
Built into a hillside, with steps between buildings and sometimes more than one lift to reach your room
- Cap Vermell Grand HotelCanyamel, east coast
Not on the beach: Canyamel's sand is 1.8 km down the hill, 25 minutes on foot and a climb back
- Can FerreretaSantanyí
It is in the village, not on the sea: the nearest beach, Cala Santanyí, is a 7-minute drive, and parking at the hotel is charged by the day.
- Es PrincepPalma, old town
The view starts above the entry room: the 22 m² Standard sits on the lower floors facing a narrow lane, and the Superior looks over the city.
- Can CeraPalma, old town
No pool: the water here is a hot tub in the spa, and the nearest beach, Can Pere Antoni, is a 16-minute walk.
- L'Avenida HotelSóller
Closed from November to the end of February, with a three-night minimum stay from May to September.
- Maristel Hotel & SpaEstellencs
The basic Cosy Rooms are twins whose window may face a courtyard or a wall, and the sea view costs extra.
- Fornalutx Petit HotelFornalutx
Stairs and no lift in the old convent, in a village of stepped, cobbled lanes: hard work with heavy bags or bad knees.
Car hire in Mallorca
Inland on its own estate, with Es Capdellà a 29-minute walk, Peguera's beaches 15 minutes away by car and limited public transport, and parking on the estate is free.
Read the car hire guideOpens Expedia’s car search at that airport for your trip dates, or for a week starting a fortnight from today. You book and pay with Expedia.
Questions people ask
Good questions about Castell Son Claret
What are the downsides of Castell Son Claret?
Five things stand between the photographs and the stay. None of them is hidden, and none of them is a reason to pass on a castle evening, but each one changes how you plan it: the calendar, the car, the room, the steps and who comes with you. It shuts for four months, and Sa Clastra keeps a shorter week than the hotel You will want a car, because there is little to walk to The two cheapest rooms are 25 m² and look into the courtyard, not out It is a historic estate of stairs, changes in level and garden paths Under-14s miss the spa, its indoor pool and Sa Clastra
Who should not book Castell Son Claret?
Families with children under 14 who want the spa or a warm pool in spring, anyone who wants to walk to a beach or a village bar, anyone who cannot give it three nights in 2027, and anyone who needs step-free access beyond the one adapted room. Also friends sharing a room, because twin beds are the exception here, not the rule.
Our verdict
Castell Son Claret earns its place as a Mallorcan manor with a castle front and a starred dinner in its own courtyard on fine evenings, a short drive from the south-west coast. Pay for a Deluxe Double, hire a car and give it three nights.
Last checked: October 2026