At the south-eastern corner of the bay of Palma, where the coast turns past Cala Blava towards the cliffs of Llucmajor, a dry moat and a bridge lead into Cap Rocat, a luxury hotel on the bay of Palma built inside the Fortaleza d'Enderrocat. The Spanish army raised the fortress at the end of the 19th century to command the sea approach to the city, cutting batteries, magazines and barracks into the sandstone of the headland.
History
The fortress was built in the 1890s and the first years of the 20th century, part of a ring of coastal defences around Palma, and its guns never fired in anger. The army kept it through most of the 20th century, then let it go. The headland had by then become a protected natural area, which ruled out demolition or new building. The Mallorcan architect Antonio Obrador took on the conversion for the owning family and spent years on it, working within the existing walls, vaults and terraces rather than against them. Cap Rocat opened as a hotel in 2010. The Sentinel suites, with private pools cut into the rock terraces facing the sea, were added some years later.
Architecture and design
Nothing rises above the old fortress line. The rooms occupy the former gun emplacements and casemates, each with a stone terrace facing the sea; the public rooms use the barracks and vaults around the inner courtyard; the old moat is now a garden. Obrador kept the local sandstone and lime render, added timber and linen, and let the thickness of the walls do the work that air conditioning does elsewhere. Lighting is kept low after dark, with candles and lanterns along the ramparts. Each room's terrace is screened from its neighbours by the fortress walls, which is why the hotel can feel empty when it is full.
Rooms and suites
There are about 30 rooms and suites. The standard rooms are large by the measure of a fortress, with vaulted ceilings and a terrace apiece. The Sentinel suites stand apart on the seaward terraces, each with its own pool in the rock and a view across the bay to Palma.
Dining
La Fortaleza, the main restaurant, serves dinner in the vaulted rooms and on the terrace above the sea. The Sea Club, down at the water, serves lunch beside the sea-water pool through the season, with seafood and rice dishes. A bar occupies the inner courtyard in the evening.
Wellness
The spa is set in the fortress's former water cisterns, with a pool under the vaults and treatment rooms. The sea-water pool at the Sea Club is cut into the rocks at the water's edge, and there is a second pool on the upper terraces.
Weddings and events
Cap Rocat is one of the most-booked wedding venues in Mallorca, and the whole fortress can be taken for exclusive use. Ceremonies are held on the ramparts or at the Sea Club by the water, with dinners in the courtyard or on the terraces. Out of season the fortress is often taken for a single wedding over several days, with the guests filling every room. The hotel also takes small corporate groups and board retreats.
Location
Cala Blava is a residential cape in the municipality of Llucmajor, on the eastern side of the bay. Palma airport is about 15 minutes by car and the city centre about 20. The beaches of Es Trenc are 35 minutes to the south-east.
At a glance
What sets it apart
- 0119th-century Fortaleza d'Enderrocat guarding the bay of Palma
- 02Conversion by Mallorcan architect Antonio Obrador, opened 2010
- 03About 30 rooms in former gun emplacements, each with a stone terrace
- 04Sentinel suites with private pools cut into the rock
- 05Sea Club with sea-water pool at the water's edge
Chronology
Dates that matter
1898
Work begins on the Fortaleza d'Enderrocat as part of Palma's coastal defences.
2010
Cap Rocat opens as a hotel after Antonio Obrador's conversion of the fortress.
2016
The Sentinel suites with private pools open on the seaward terraces.
