Posada del Marqués I A Slow Design Hotel

The people working here were some of the kindest, sweetest we met in Europe. Our rooms were spacious and comfortable, with smart TVs, and breakfast was top tier. La Posada felt like our own private resort, complete with a pool and sauna. It was exactly what we wanted for our Mallorca vacation, surrounded by the island’s natural beauty and away from Palma’s commotion. Esporles is still close enough to head out for dinner.

The sauna was amazing after a long hike, and the hotel itself was beautiful, about a 15-minute drive from Esporales. Vilma was so accommodating. There might have been a power outage, which we hadn’t been told about beforehand, but they more than made up for it.

We arrived around 22h to find a room with no valley view, an unplugged fridge and a shower that didn’t work. At least someone came right away to fix the shower. The next day, we found a dirty hand towel with female polish on it. They charge customers if they damage bedding or towels, something like 20-30 eur, I can’t remember exactly, so it was surprising to find this left for guests. The day we were due to arrive, we were at a cala with barely any signal when, at 17:52, one hour before reception closed at 19h, a message came saying they didn’t have the Superior Suite we’d booked. They pushed us to choose from three options sent over WhatsApp at the last minute. The videos wouldn’t download until we could leave the cala, by which time reception would be closed. Just the kind of unpleasant surprise that wastes time and brings down the mood on vacation. I replied that I agreed to the Superior Suite with view to the valley that we’d booked, nothing more and nothing less, then ended the conversation. At checkout, the hotel had already drafted fair compensation and apologized very politely. I sent my bank account details and we left. A few days later, the transfer came through 35 EUR short of what they’d offered. I followed up asking for the rest, but they stopped replying to my emails and WhatsApp after June 12. I’m very surprised by the management’s behavior and wouldn’t have expected it from a place like this. I gave them time to get back to me, apologize and transfer the remainder, but as of 21 July, nothing.

We were upgraded to a suite with a beautiful balcony over the mountain, and the place felt romantic, gorgeous, almost like staying in a castle. We had no complaints otherwise, though I never got a reply through the messaging system on booking about the check-out instructions, despite our very early departure. There wasn’t a live staff member after 12pm. If you use Google Maps, it’ll lead you to the rear entrance, so ask the nearby neighbors or zoom out and set the destination to the front of the property. Things ran on the honor system, so you record your room number if you have anything from the cafe. The pool was meant to close at 6 pm, and we saw people swimming later. Since the hotel was unmanned and guests seemed respectful of the rules, I think summer hours could have extended to 8 or 9 pm. There’s breakfast, but no restaurant for lunch or dinner, so plan to eat elsewhere before heading back to this mountain retreat.