Mallorca isn't selling itself as a golf destination — it's selling itself as Mallorca, and the golf happens to have caught up. The island already had the food, the coastline, and the Old Town hotels. Now it has courses worth flying for.
Golf Son Gual is the headline act — Bay of Palma views, conditioning that rivals anything in continental Europe, and a layout that asks real questions. Alcanada on the northeast coast plays with that lighthouse sitting in the bay like it was placed there by the design team. Arabella's four-course campus near Palma gives you a base with genuine variety, and Pollença adds a shorter, hillier change of pace. Then you go eat — and the eating in Mallorca is reason enough by itself.
Dogleg's Pick Courses
Where to Play
In order of conviction. Every course on this list was chosen deliberately.
Golf Son Gual
€175+The best-conditioned course in Spain and it's not particularly close. Thomas Himmel design ten minutes east of Palma airport with bentgrass greens, framed bunkering, and a routing that uses the natural elevation without faking anything. Pricey, walkable in cooler months, and worth every euro — book the morning slot before the wind picks up.
Club de Golf Alcanada
€100–€175Robert Trent Jones Jr.'s best European work, sitting on the northeast coast with the Alcanada lighthouse anchoring the bay views from the back nine. The 15th and 17th are postcard holes that actually play as good as they look. It's a 70-minute drive from Palma — do it anyway.
Arabella Golf — Son Muntaner
€100–€175The flagship of the Arabella four-course campus just outside Palma, with thousand-year-old olive trees framing several holes and a layout that's stiffer than it looks off the tee. Stay at the Castillo or St. Regis and you'll get preferred rates and tee times. The other Arabella tracks (Son Vida, Son Quint, Son Quint Pitch & Putt) are right there if you want a half-day round.
Golf de Pollença
€50–€100Short, hilly, only nine original holes stretched into 18 with two sets of tees — sounds gimmicky, plays great. José Gancedo design tucked into the hills near the north coast with views back toward the bay. Bring the wedges and the camera, leave the driver in the car on half the holes.
Club de Golf Alcanada — a Robert Trent Jones Jr. design on the northeast coast with the Alcanada lighthouse in the bay beyond the 15th green. The most scenic finish in Spanish golf.
Where to Stay
Lodging Picks
Ranging from splurge to smart. Pick based on what the group wants and how much time you'll actually be at the hotel.
Castillo Hotel Son Vida
$$$$The grand-old-castle play on a hill above Palma, on the Arabella golf campus with preferred access to all four courses. The most golf-functional luxury option on the island — walk out of the room, play 36, eat dinner without leaving the property. Old enough that some rooms feel dated; the suites are the move.
The St. Regis Mardavall Mallorca Resort
$$$$Beachside sister property to Castillo Son Vida, same Arabella golf access but with the Mediterranean out the back instead of a castle on a hill. Better for groups that want pool and water alongside the rounds. Twenty minutes to Son Gual, golf shuttle to the Arabella courses.
Can Cera Hotel
$$$Restored 17th-century palace in Palma's Old Town, 14 rooms, the kind of place where you walk to dinner and don't think about a car. Right call if you want to base in Palma and accept the drive to courses. Small enough that a four-some books it out for the week.
Cap Rocat
$$$$Converted 19th-century military fortress on a cliff south of Palma, 15 minutes from the airport and 20 to Son Gual. Adults-only, dramatic as hell, and the best splurge option on the island if you don't need to be in town. Book the cliff-side rooms or don't bother.
Carrossa Hotel Spa Villas
$$$Up on the northeast coast near Artà, 25 minutes from Alcanada and a world away from Palma. Smart pick if you're splitting nights between south and north — modern rooms, good restaurant, and you wake up next door to your best round of the week.
Villa Rental — Pollença / Port de Pollença
$$$For groups of six or more, renting a finca or villa in the Pollença area beats hotel rooms by a wide margin. You're 10 minutes from Pollença golf, 30 from Alcanada, and you've got a kitchen, a pool, and somewhere to drink without paying hotel prices. Check VRBO and the local Mallorcan agencies.
Where to Eat & Drink
The Right Restaurants
9 picks across the full range — the big dinner out, the post-round decompress, and the morning before an early tee time.
Marc Fosh
fine diningMichelin-starred, set inside the Convent de la Missió hotel in Palma — tasting menu, quiet courtyard, and the rare star restaurant that's actually a good time. Lunch menu is the value play; dinner is the full commitment. Reserve a month out in season.
Restaurante Caballito de Mar
seafoodOn Palma's harbor front, white tablecloths but not stiff, and the seafood is what you came for — grilled langoustines, fresh fish by the kilo, Mallorcan red shrimp when it's running. The kind of long lunch that ruins your afternoon tee time on purpose.
Ca Na Toneta
farm-to-tableTwo sisters cooking what their grandmother cooked, up in the mountain village of Caimari. Single tasting menu, all local ingredients, most of it from the garden out back. Worth the 40-minute drive from Palma. Lunch only most days — check before you go.
Es Racó d'es Teix
fine diningMichelin-starred in Deià, terrace under the lemon trees, mountain views down to the sea. The reason you build a day around lunch in Deià instead of squeezing in another round. Closed in winter, so plan accordingly.
Celler Sa Premsa
traditional spanishOld-school Mallorcan cellar restaurant in Palma — wine barrels lining the walls, bullfight posters, lechona and tumbet and frito mallorquín done the way they've done it since 1958. Loud, cheap, perfect post-round dinner if you're tired of tasting menus.
Forn de Sant Joan
tapasTapas across three floors of an old bakery in Palma's Old Town. Small plates, good wine list, the kind of place to land for the first night when you're tired and don't want to commit to a tasting menu. The lamb shoulder is the move.
Stay Restaurant
seafoodOn the pier in Port de Pollença, 360-degree water views, the best dinner option on the north coast. Mediterranean menu that leans seafood, fair prices for what it is, and an easy walk from any of the villas in the area. Sunset table beats the indoor.
Ca'n Joan de S'Aigo
breakfastOperating since 1700, serving ensaïmadas and hot chocolate in Palma's Old Town. The breakfast/mid-morning stop, not a destination dinner. Order the ensaïmada with the cabello de ángel and the almond ice cream even if it's nine in the morning.
Bar España
tapas barLocals' tapas bar a block off Plaça Major, no tablecloth pretension, just good pintxos and cold beer. The lunch-between-rounds spot or the late-night stop after dinner went long. Cash is faster than card.
Beyond the Course
When the Group Needs a Break
All of these are mandatory.
Serra de Tramuntana Drive — Valldemossa to Sa Calobra
The coast road from Valldemossa through Deià and Sóller up to Sa Calobra is one of the great drives in Europe — switchbacks, sea cliffs, mountain villages. Rent something with a manual if you can. Plan a full day, stop for lunch in Deià, and don't rush.
Book this experience →Palma Cathedral & Old Town Walking
La Seu cathedral is genuinely impressive — Gaudí touched it, the rose window is the largest Gothic one in the world, and the light through it at noon is the thing. Pair it with a wander through the Old Town's stone alleys. Two hours, max.
Book this experience →Long Lunch in Deià
Drive up to Deià, eat at Es Racó d'es Teix or Sa Fonda, walk it off in the village, then down to the Cala Deià cove for a swim and a beer at Ca's Patró March. This is the day Dogleg told you to skip the tee time for.
Book this experience →Binissalem Wine Country
Mallorca makes serious wine and almost nobody outside Spain has heard of it. Bodegas Macià Batle and José Luis Ferrer in Binissalem do walk-in tastings, 25 minutes from Palma. The local Manto Negro grape is worth the detour.
Book this experience →Cap de Formentor
The northern tip of the island — narrow road out to a lighthouse perched over the Mediterranean. Go at sunset if you can get the timing right after a north-coast round. Closed to private cars in peak summer, so check restrictions if you're going outside the recommended season.
Book this experience →Pro Tips
Before You Book
Golf Son Gual in Palma is the quality anchor: German-owned, impeccably maintained, and consistently ranked the best course on the island.
Club de Golf Alcanada on the northeast coast has a Robert Trent Jones Jr. design and the Alcanada lighthouse in the bay beyond the 15th green. The most scenic finish in Spanish golf.
Mallorca works best as a golf-and-holiday combination: the island's beaches, food scene, and villages are legitimately excellent outside the courses.
Fly into Palma (PMI) — direct flights from most European hubs and increasingly from the US via Madrid.
May through June and September through October are the best golf windows. August is crowded and hot.
Dogleg's Advice
Most groups book Son Gual and call it a trip. Don't. Alcanada is the round you'll still be talking about a year later, and skipping the drive up to Pollença means missing the most underrated course on the island. Build in at least one full day with no tee time — the Tramuntana mountains and a long lunch in Deià will reset the whole week.
What to Know
April through June and September into October are the windows; July and August are too hot and too crowded with non-golfers. Fly into Palma direct from a few East Coast hubs in season, otherwise connect through Madrid or a European hub. Courses are spread across the island, so you'll be driving — base in Palma's Old Town and accept the commute, or split nights between Palma and the north coast.
Who This Trip Is For
✓ Best for
- →Groups who want Mediterranean holiday infrastructure alongside solid resort golf
- →Mixed groups where non-golfers have a genuinely complete Mallorca experience to explore
- →European golfers looking for a sun escape with good-quality courses
- →Anyone who wants the Alcanada lighthouse experience on a bucket list
✕ Not for
- →Groups coming purely for golf quality: Mallorca has very good, not world-class, courses
- →Golfers chasing Scottish-level design credentials
- →August travelers who want uncrowded, cool conditions
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