Castillo Hotel Son Vida, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Mallorca

I rarely leave negative reviews, but unfortunately my stay at Castillo Hotel Son Vida was far below the standard I expect from a Luxury Collection five-star hotel. As a Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite member, my experience was disappointing from the moment I arrived. My room was not ready until around 3:00 PM, and I was not even offered my Platinum Elite welcome benefit at check-in. The service throughout my stay was inconsistent. I requested bottled water and never received it. The bathroom sink had drainage issues, the air conditioning in my room barely cooled the room (the hallway was actually cooler than the room itself), and I was repeatedly disturbed by a barking dog, which affected my sleep. The hotel also gave me conflicting information regarding a suite. I was initially told no suite was available, yet another employee later offered me the same suite for an additional charge with a discount. After several complaints and four nights of my stay already passing, I was finally upgraded only for the remaining nights. To make matters worse, housekeeping standards were unacceptable. I found several towels that were visibly stained and dirty. After my stay, I developed a skin allergy that required medical treatment and prescription allergy medication. While I cannot say with certainty what caused the reaction, it was extremely concerning considering the condition of the towels. Although the hotel later offered a suite upgrade and Marriott Bonvoy points as a goodwill gesture, this came only after most of my holiday had already been negatively affected. A late recovery effort could not undo the repeated service failures I experienced. This was not the luxury experience I expected from The Luxury Collection or Marriott. I hope the hotel takes these issues seriously and improves its service and housekeeping standards for future guests.

Spectacular hotel with views of Palma that cannot be bettered. Terrific staff, breakfast is mega, brand new restaurant, poolside is refined….the list goes on.

Property is lovely. Still here. Checked in at 8:00 am. Paid for the night before. Only one checking in - slow as molasses - took about half an hour. Had breakfast. Checked in and paid for the night before so I could catch up on some sleep. Called and woke me up twice before noon! Skip the hotel if you want some rest!!!

I returned to Castillo Hotel Son Vida after a disappointing stay in July 2025, hoping that the hotel had addressed the service issues I previously raised with management. Unfortunately, this stay was even more disappointing. The most serious problem was the air conditioning. During extremely hot summer weather, it was unable to cool the room properly. Effective air conditioning in Mallorca in August is a basic requirement, especially at a hotel charging luxury-level rates. Our room was located on the lowest floor and had virtually no view. As a long-standing returning guest and Marriott Bonvoy Titanium Elite Member, I was also disappointed by the hotel’s failure to follow through on an upgrade that had been discussed for later in the stay. The subsequent responses from management were formal and unhelpful. This created the clear impression that returning guests and loyalty are recognised in words, but not in practice. Service failures occurred throughout the hotel: * Our room was left uncleaned and unserviced for an entire day. * At breakfast, my daughter politely asked a waiter for juice and was abruptly told to get it herself from the buffet. * At dinner, a bottle of expensive wine was completely forgotten. We had to remind the staff after waiting approximately 20 minutes. * At lunch, a waiter placed—or practically dropped—my daughter’s lobster roll so carelessly that the dish fell apart and the fries spilled across the plate. It was neither properly rearranged nor replaced. These were not isolated mistakes. They reflected consistently inattentive, poorly coordinated and sometimes discourteous service. The gym is also far below an acceptable luxury-hotel standard. It is very small, with old, worn equipment in poor condition. It urgently requires renovation and modernisation. The hotel presents itself as a peaceful, adults-oriented retreat, yet numerous children and young guests were running noisily through the lobby. The atmosphere did not match the calm and refined experience suggested by the hotel’s positioning. To be fair, the concierge provided one genuinely good service experience. He was professional and helpful, recommending and booking a restaurant for us. Unfortunately, this was an exception rather than the general standard. The historic building and public-area views remain impressive. However, attractive architecture cannot compensate for inadequate air conditioning, outdated facilities, inconsistent housekeeping, poor restaurant service and indifferent handling of guest concerns. Castillo Hotel Son Vida appears to rely on its history, location and Luxury Collection branding, while failing to deliver the service and comfort expected at this level. After two disappointing stays, I cannot recommend this hotel to travellers expecting genuine luxury standards.

The hotel owner held a private party tonight. Our room, 751, overlooks the terrace where the event took place. The noise level was deafening, making sleep impossible, and our room has no double glazing to block it out. When I first contacted reception, I was assured the party would finish by 23:00. It continued until at least 23:30. On my second call, the staff member was extremely unprofessional and rude, stating only that it was the owner’s event and nothing could be done — before ending the call abruptly. Subsequent calls went unanswered. When I went down to the front desk personally, the same staff member was dismissive and hostile. He ignored me completely and retreated to the back area. When I began recording for evidence, he threatened to call the police. We have been loyal guests at this hotel for twelve years running. This experience has been completely unacceptable, and we will not be returning. There are many hotels across Mallorca that value their guests and uphold proper service standards.

This is a nice place but our check-in experience at the start of the holiday was awful. We were told our rooms weren’t ready but they would contact us at 3 to give us access to 1 room. By 5 we had no call so went to reception. We got room keys so they had clearly forgotten and we even had to take our weighty luggage to the rooms. Then the keys didn’t work so we had to go back to reception.