Review: St Regis Mardavall hotel in Mallorca, Spain – 2

Links on Head for Points may pay us an affiliate commission. A list of partners is here.

This is Part 2 of our review of the St Regis Mardavall resort in Mallorca, Spain. Part 1 of our St Regis Mardavall hotel review can be found here.

Pool, spa and gym at St Regis Mardavall

As you may have spotted from the aerial photo in Part 1 of this review there are three pools at St Regis Mardavall.

There is the main pool which is spread across three tiers and sits next to the Sa Badia pool bar:

There are lots of loungers situated around the pool as well as on the grassy areas:

The second pool is a kids pool, tucked away in a corner of the resort:

The third pool is much more private and adults-only, and can only be accessed via the Arabella Spa. This comprises an indoor-outdoor pool surrounded by loungers and cabanas. It was significantly quieter during my stay and therefore my pool of choice.

and

Depending on what you count as a pool there is potentially a much smaller, heated salt water pool in the spa itself:

The Arabella spa complex is an excellent size. Off the heated saltwater pool you’ll find a steam room, Finnish sauna, ice cave, salt room as well as experience showers. It is one of the nicer resort spas I have enjoyed.

The gym is part of the spa complex. It is not the biggest but features a range of mostly cardio machines in a lovely light room with skylight:

The grounds themselves are beautifully landscaped. Here are some of my highlights:

and

The beach

Whilst the St Regis Mardavall is perched on the cliffside it is a 1 minute walk out of the back of the resort to the small local beach.

The closest beach is to the right of the jetty whilst the nicer cove is where the last trees are.

There is also a much nicer small (10m wide) sandy cove 300m around the coast. Both beaches have public access, and there is no beach club (they’re too small) but you can still enjoy a dip in the Mediterranean. I can particularly recommend the 300m swim between the two which is a great way to start the day.

Dining at St Regis Mardavall

There are two main restaurants at the St Regis: Aqua, which is on the ground floor of the main building and looks out towards the pool and gardens and Es Fum, on the terrace above.

Es Fum is a Michelin starred restaurant, although it is only open Thursday to Sundays at present. Unfortunately we weren’t able to try it out.

Aqua is slightly more casual, although still impressive. This is also where breakfast is served each morning.

…. although you’ll probably want to sit outside:

Dinner always starts with an aperitivo:

Aqua is semi-fusion and features a range of different cuisines including some Asian inspired dishes. To start, we went for the kimchi prawns and croquettes:

and

We decided to share the Chateaubriand for dinner, which was sublime. Perfectly cooked and very tender:

and

The service throughout was impeccable, and not stuffy at all. Kevin, our waiter, was exceptional.

The breakfast buffet is also impressive. This has returned to self-serve, which is a novelty after 18 months:

St Regis Mardavall breakfast buffet meats

Here are some of the pastries:

…. as well as hot items. Eggs are cooked to order:

Freixenet Barroco Brut Cava is available, as are a number of different juices including fresh orange juice and peach juice.

You’ll also find the largest spread of condiments I’ve ever seen, with about 20 different jams and marmalades individually decanted into little ceramic dishes:

Conclusion

This was my first stay at a St Regis and I was seriously impressed. The hotel and grounds are obviously finished to a high standard. I suspect rooms have been refurbished in the past few years judging by their smart features.

But by far the most impressive aspect of the St Regis Mardavall is the customer service. The staff are extremely attentive and responsive and are always ready to try and fulfil your requests. It is exceptional, and second only to my stay at the Four Seasons Langkawi in 2019.

The St Regis Mardavall Resort is a Category 8 hotel, which means you will need between 70,000 and 100,000 points per night, depending on the season. Cash prices start at €680 per night in September. Given our target valuation of 0.5p per Marriott Bonvoy point, you will get decent value here.

You can see more, and book, on the hotel website here.

How to earn Marriott Bonvoy points and status from UK credit cards (December 2021)

There are various ways of earning Marriott Bonvoy points from UK credit cards. Many cards also have generous sign-up bonuses.

The official Marriott Bonvoy American Express card usually comes with 20,000 points for signing up, 2 points for every £1 you spend and 15 elite night credits per year.

You can apply here.

American Express Marriott Bonvoy credit card

Marriott Bonvoy American Express

20,000 points sign-up bonus and 15 elite night credits Read our full review

You can also earn Marriott Bonvoy points by converting American Express Membership Rewards points at the rate of 2:3.

Do you know that holders of The Platinum Card from American Express receive FREE Marriott Bonvoy Gold status for as long as they hold the card? It also comes with Hilton Honors Gold, Radisson Rewards Gold and MeliaRewards Gold status. We reviewed American Express Platinum in detail here and you can apply here.

The Platinum Card from American Express

30,000 points and an unbeatable set of travel benefits – for a fee Read our full review

You can also earn American Express Membership Rewards points with American Express Gold (20,000 bonus points), the American Express Rewards Credit Card (5,000 bonus points) and – for small business owners – American Express Business Gold (20,000 bonus points) and Business Platinum (40,000 bonus points).

Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which can be used to earn Marriott Bonvoy points.

(Want to earn more hotel points? Click here to see our complete list of promotions from the major hotel chains or use the ‘Hotel Offers’ link in the menu bar at the top of the page.)

Category

Marriott Bonvoy

This article is closed to new posts. Discussion continues in the HfP Forums.

Chris Heyes says:

13 Jul13 July 06:44

Rhys excellent plus only one mistake, I think, lol, delete my post when you find it
he closest beach ?
- N says:
  
  13 Jul13 July 07:02
  
  The missing T is actually floating above it as it has been center aligned with the photo above!
  - Rob says:
    
    13 Jul13 July 08:46
    
    My fault. Rhys wrote that line as a photo caption but I cut and pasted it as a paragraph.
- 1ATL says:
  
  13 Jul13 July 07:12
  
  You’d have had a field day with the brochure the tour operator I used to work for used to produce. They spent thousands on proof reading every year and there’d invariably be at least 20+ typos in roughly 150 pages of text.
Brighton Belle says:

13 Jul13 July 07:55

I’d love it but my rate of Bonvoy points accumulation via the Amex card is so slow I’ll need zimmer access to this hotel. 100,000 points per night via Amex is serious spending. What am I doing wrong?
- Chris Heyes says:
  
  13 Jul13 July 08:14
  
  Brighton Belle, You know what your doing wrong, without anyone telling you !
  Not enough referrals, not enough swapping and changing Cards
  It’s nothing to do with everyday spend, more careful planning and thought
  Unless of course there’s only you ? That makes it harder
  - Memesweeper says:
    
    13 Jul13 July 08:43
    
    Even swapping and changing needs a fairly high turnover to hit the targets. 4 for 5 in Marriott’s makes this a tad more achievable on points, but fundamentally it’s an expensive place, points or not.
- Sam G says:
  
  13 Jul13 July 12:27
  
  hotel points are better when you’ve got a job that you travel with a bit IMO so you’re earning them anyway for “free”. I used to stay in decent $$ Marriotts for work in Asia & enrolled in all the bonuses + some leisure cash stays and soon racked up a good chunk of points. But 100k pn is a lot, was more realistic when it was 60k points for the top hotels for sure. 66666 Amex MRs (that you need for a peak night here) could get you 66666 Avios which in theory you can trade for £533.32 worth of Nectar points. Very rare I couldn’t find a hotel for less than that I’d be perfectly happy in. Appreciate that when cash rates are running at £1k a night it’s still a good “deal” but only if you’d be playing that ball park anyway
  
  Avios for flights is different as I do usually try to only fly business class
Nick says:

13 Jul13 July 08:34

Wow, seriously impressive hotel if the only area for improvement is that the colour of shampoo looks artificial.
- Rob says:
  
  13 Jul13 July 08:49
  
  It is a bit weird ….. a deep turquoise. It also has bits in it for exfoliation. I always worry I will fail to rinse it all off and I will spend the day with little green stones stuck to me ….
Yorkieflyer says:

13 Jul13 July 08:38

It just looks like a character less hotel plonked down in Mallorca, no character or local colour nor anywhere to promenade or eat/drink anywhere else? May as well stay in an AI resort not go out but at least get VFM in my view, horses for courses and all that
- Rhys says:
  
  13 Jul13 July 08:50
  
  I disagree on the character – when you are there it doesn’t feel out of place.
  
  Loads of places to eat and drink within a very short taxi ride. We drove to Port d’Andratx one evening, lovely marina and seafront there for dinner.
  - Chrisasaurus says:
    
    13 Jul13 July 09:37
    
    And if someone plonked a large chain hotel on top of the promenade then one would arguably be miffed that it spoiled the character anyway, so perhaps best that a resort like this is tucked away and you take it upon yourself to find civilisation. Somewhere walkable would be nicer but a short drive or taxi is not the end of the world.
    
    Remember there are people that fly to the ME for a holiday sat in western chain hotels, private beaches and indoor malls – so this is significantly less culturally insulated than that
  - Mummy55 says:
    
    13 Jul13 July 09:50
    
    Why drive all that way when Puerto Portals Marina is far better and only 3mins drive or a ten min stroll away! Some of the best restaurants ,shops and boats on the island and they have just built a new extension with underground parking.
    I also often see the hotels drivers dropping people off so they must offer this service.!
    - The Lord says:
      
      13 Jul13 July 10:56
      
      Its a bit new money there
MisterE says:

13 Jul13 July 09:12

Rhys – Sounds really lovely, so thanks for a great briefing. Any insights into how St Regis treats Titanium Bonvoy members? I’m guessing no lounge, but hopefully a full breakfast? And what about Upgrades?

TIA
- Rhys says:
  
  13 Jul13 July 09:24
  
  Not entirely sure – for starters, I’m not Titanium but it’s always slightly different on trips like this anyway as it’s been arranged by Marriott & they often book me into a particular room. I’d imagine it’s quite good here, though.
Richie says:

13 Jul13 July 09:12

I don’t like the bathroom and the pool, so it’s a no from me. Great review, lots of very interesting content.
Ls says:

13 Jul13 July 09:12

Was it particularly empty? Or were You using promo photos?
- Rhys says:
  
  13 Jul13 July 09:23
  
  It wasn’t empty – I think the occupancy rate was somewhere around 60%+ the week I was there, and increasing the following week.
  
  But it never felt full or overly busy – all my photos except the aerial view. However, I do try and get photos with fewer strangers in – ie. photographing the pools in the morning when nobody is swimming yet.
- Rob says:
  
  13 Jul13 July 10:02
  
  Readers normally get grumpy when we run photos with people in them!
Harry T says:

13 Jul13 July 11:38

I think you’ve played a blinder, Rhys – base rooms were over a grand for these dates when I was looking. Glad you had a great time. Thank you for the review, I think I’d enjoy staying here a bit out of season when the rates are more terrestrial.
- Rhys says:
  
  13 Jul13 July 12:27
  
  We were told the hotel was pretty much running at capacity from mid/late July so I’m not surprised!