Hospes Maricel & Spa Hotel

The cooking felt thoughtful and precise, and the huevo de onsen was the dish that stayed with me. It was cooked gently at a low temperature, with mushrooms and truffle giving it a rich, earthy, comforting taste. The balance and flavor were lovely in every bite. That plate alone struck me as Michelin-level, both for the technique and ingredients and for how much it affected me after the meal. The restaurant doesn't need theatrics to show its confidence, the cooking speaks for itself. I left wanting to come back.❤️

The hotel didn't feel like the luxury spa stay we expected. Hospitality and customer service came across as unprofessional, the spa was mediocre and poorly kept, and there's no direct access to the water. Rooms face a very busy main road, with buses, motorcycles and sirens making noise through the night. The marketing gave a misleading impression of what the place is actually like. Parking costs €18 a day, and reception requires you to leave your car keys there without a valid reason, since there isn't a valet service. It might work as an expensive, noisy base for exploring Palma, but it didn't live up to its claims as a relaxing spa hotel.

We've been back several times for what we think is the world's best breakfast menu at Hotel Maricel. There are ten courses, with a different mix of delicious and exciting dishes each time. Marco looked after us today and did a great job. Thanks, and see you next time.

The people who did make an effort were lovely: the doorman was helpful, kind and polite, the staff who lit the outdoor fire for us were nice, and housekeeping and the spa team were excellent. Our room was clean, pretty and had a lovely sea view in daylight. The spa was pleasant, though small, and the season meant it wasn't busy. Those bright spots didn't make up for how poor much of the rest of the stay was for the price. The room had a couple of issues we hadn't seen mentioned online. The shower and toilet were in separate glass enclosures, more like a public pool than a hotel room. Each morning from 8, a very loud pool pump near our balcony woke us and ran for most of the day. It couldn't be switched off. We also found some insects, though we'd opened the window, so that might have been expected. There was no air conditioning, and the rooms hadn't been aired before we arrived, leaving an unpleasant smell for the first two days. You could reserve a fan. We were there in the off-season, when much of the hotel was closed. The restaurant, outdoor pool and bar weren't open, and dining was moved into the bar area. Reception and the spa seemed to be the only facilities regularly staffed, so the place felt mostly shut down. The website should have made this clearer, as I probably would have chosen somewhere else. We expected a five-course gourmet meal, but were told to order from the standard menu. Even then, my chicken came with lentils instead of the sun-blushed tomatoes listed. Luckily I like lentils, but the food was mediocre and the mix-up felt almost comical. When we asked to charge it to the room, the waiter followed us outside to demand payment right away, as if we might run off. The problems started before we arrived. I used a discount-code app and got 30% off, which I was happy to put toward breakfast at 25€ per person per day. The next day the hotel emailed to say the code had worked, but was only valid for residents. I thought it was poor service to ask me for the difference when their own website had accepted it. They could have restricted the code by address. With a week to go before Christmas and other things on my mind, I let it go and asked them to cancel breakfast. Somehow that required cancelling and rebooking our entire stay, leading to a string of unnecessary emails. I kept quiet and hoped the holiday might still be relaxing. At check-in, the reception staff member was shockingly rude. He didn't offer a seat or ask how we were, acknowledge our journey or mention our anniversary. He kept trying to sell us breakfast after I'd explained why we'd cancelled it. Instead of apologising, he said the €200-a-night room we'd booked was “really bad” and down a dark tunnel, then pushed an upgrade. We were exhausted after travelling, and the first thing we heard was a request for more money. The doorman had been great, but the contrast was stark. We also felt judged for taking the bus instead of renting a car or using taxis. We're from a city and conscious of our carbon footprint, and one reason we chose the hotel was the bus stop right outside. Staff looked visibly confused when we said we didn't need parking or a taxi. The hotel was inexpensive enough to suit different budgets, and breakfast had seemed like a reasonable extra, but the service and facilities fell far short. Some staff were wonderful and deserve recognition. I wouldn't recommend the hotel.