Lucas, Nicolás & Michael
In the 1960s, a Mallorca that was still unspoilt and untouched by mass tourism witnessed the birth of an unprecedented concept, created by a foreign woman. Today, more than half a century later, the third generation of the Cumberlege family has transformed a legendary hideaway for aristocrats and Hollywood actors into a four-star boutique hotel with a restaurant where local produce, fish and the smoke of the embers set the culinary tone in the north-east of the island.
The soul of The Sea Club was forged through instinct and sheer necessity. When, in 1957, Claude and Nora Cumberlege left the hustle and bustle of the French Riviera in search of refuge, their journey took them to the easternmost corner of Mallorca. There, in a Cala Ratjada of fishermen, cliffs and crystal-clear waters, they fell in love with a spectacular colonial-style villa right on the seafront, which the locals had nicknamed “Cas Millonari”. After being widowed in 1963 and with no entitlement to her husband’s military pension, Nora did something unthinkable for the time: she set up her own business. She opened the area’s first guest house, attracting a tribe of rebellious young Brits, aristocrats keen to let their hair down and film stars of the calibre of Michael Caine or Sean Connery.
This is the remarkable legacy that, decades later and after passing through the hands of their father Luis, now rests with Lucas and Nicolás Cumberlege. What until recently was a romantic bed and breakfast steeped in nostalgia is now a bold and cosmopolitan hospitality concept. Lucas, a lawyer left the legal profession behind to roll up his sleeves and help out with the family business, has been the driving force behind a radical transformation that began during the pandemic and came to fruition in 2023. His vision was clear: Cala Ratjada needed a high-end dining and lifestyle destination that went beyond offering more than pizzas, burgers and escalopes.
If anything defines the maturity of a hospitality project, it is its ambition in the kitchen, and this is where The Sea Club makes a bold statement. In an area dominated by generic, cookie-cutter tourism, Lucas decided to radically set the establishment apart with the help of chef Michael Bosca, a professional who cut his teeth in the Ebro Delta and has earned accolades from highly prestigious guides.
“Our mission is to prepare seafood to perfection. I was struggling to find places to eat good fish in Mallorca, so we decided that would be our focus,” admits Lucas. Their approach is guided by an unwavering philosophy based on the utmost respect for produce. Following this mantra, the kitchen team has embraced complex techniques, such as curing fish and the incorporation of Pira ovens, which provide the essential smoky notes of old-school grilling. The front-of-house team also adds to the spectacle by cleaning and preparing the prime cuts in full view of the diners, a nod to classic hospitality that pays tribute to the roots of the establishment.
I was struggling to find places to eat good fish in Mallorca, so we decided that would be our focus
But at The Sea Club, the obsession with maritime excellence goes far beyond scales, curing and the smoke of the embers. To orchestrate a menu that is Mediterranean through and through, the menu unveils another trump card: rice dishes. This is where chef Michael Bosca brings his Tarragona DNA to the fore, creating dishes with depth, impeccable technique and that precise point required by traditional cooking. It is the perfect complement to his devotion to fish, turning this corner of Cala Ratjada into an unmissable temple for the most demanding of palates.
Squaring the circle: hotel, bar and restaurant
The Sea Club in its current form cannot be understood without its ecosystem. The business model is supported by a perfect triangle in which signature cocktails, the restaurant’s grill and the 17 rooms of the boutique hotel (now upgraded to four-star status, with a heated pool and sauna) complement and reinforce one another. “The hotel allows us to have a staffing structure and services that would otherwise be unsustainable, and this greatly enhances the experience in the bar and restaurant,” explains Lucas.
Nicolás, who handles the technical side and digital management, and Lucas, in charge of designing the experience and the restaurant, form a partnership of complementary opposites. Despite having radically different profiles, the two brothers are indispensable pillars for one another: a true shared backbone. Together they have managed to revive the adventurous and cosmopolitan spirit of their grandmother Nora, reimagining it through the lens of today’s exacting standards.
The future, as Lucas suggests, lies in solidifying the operation so as to perhaps take the model further afield. But for now, The Sea Club stands as a rebellious oasis in Cala Ratjada; a place where family history is savoured through impeccable rice dishes, fish and cocktails that stretch the Mediterranean night out as long as the body can take it. Just as Sean Connery would’ve liked.
