Cap Rocat

What’s so special about Mallorca? The Mediterranean isn’t exactly hurting for islands, and Spain is blessed with stunning landscapes and balmy climes almost from bottom to top. Have a look around Cap Rocat, though, a reconstructed 19th-century fortress set on an 88-acre coastal estate overlooking the Bay of Palma, and you’re quite likely to come away a believer.

This isn’t some feudal outpost, but a decommissioned military base, and it wasn’t all that long ago that guardsmen walked these ramparts. The result, after extensive work from the Spanish architect Antonio Obrador, is not only a boutique hotel with a truly unique personality, but also a parcel of land that was something of a blank slate, and is now there for the wandering, its Mediterranean views seemingly endless.

Cap Rocat is mostly suites, their boxy utilitarian spaces transformed, with the help of some well-chosen details and textures, into clean, luxe, contemporary lodgings. The fittings are high-tech but not dazzlingly so — the design shows an admirable restraint and keeps out of its own way. The cuisine is fresh and local, and this being Spain it’s one of the highlights, but the greatest pleasure at Cap Rocat may just be taking up a post and keeping watch over the bay.

Please note: Cap Rocat does not accept guests under the age of 15. Cap Rocat is a seasonal property and closed from mid-November through mid-March each year.