Villa Can Cirerol

You need a car for any trip from this house outside Porto Colom, whether you're shopping, getting groceries or heading to the beach. The access track is sandy and gravelly, with impressive potholes and no paved road. There’s no garbage collection either, so you have to take rubbish to the containers in Porto Colom, 3 km away. The villa's grounds and exterior are magnificent, with exposed stone, a large covered patio, two big terraces and a working pool. But the pool wasn't cleaned in the living area and was full of pine needles. The tables seat 10 comfortably. We had a new Weber barbecue to use, as well as a pizza and bread oven, and there are two large refrigerators, including one outside. The interior needs updating and still belongs to the previous owner. With some modernization, the attractive exterior might justify a higher price, but as things stand, this isn't a luxury home. Since we don't actually live inside, the appealing exterior may be the most important part. The owner asks for a cash security deposit on arrival. Booking.com listed it as €300 when we booked, but it was raised to €500 at arrival without explanation. Electricity also costs extra, at €0.90 per kWh, which is outrageous when you're paying €4,000 a week. For our second rental on the island, in Alcudia, we found this charge didn't apply, even though there were six air conditioning units, some running 24/7.

The villa is very spacious, with large grounds, a carport and a garden. It has five bedrooms and three bathrooms. We were six people and booked for a week, looking forward to it. Booking was a bit chaotic but manageable. The furnishings are basic. Kitchen appliances, toilet paper and towels are supplied, as are fans, but there's no air-conditioning. The bathrooms were very clean and had hygiene measures in place. Some appliances are old and due for replacement or modernization, and one bathroom could use a renovation. The beds were adequately sized, though a little small for me at 2m tall. A car is highly recommended for shopping, since the nearest supermarket, Eroski Center in Portocolum, is about 4 km away. The road to and from the villa is really poor, with sandy and gravel sections and either no proper asphalt or very deep potholes. Beaches take a bit of walking too, so allow extra time. The upper floor is being renovated and can't be used, but that wasn't a big deal. The pool isn't lit at night, but the water stays pleasantly warm, even then. Sun loungers are provided. It reaches 1.80m deep, with the front section about 1.30m. One outdoor light went out, which was a bit inconvenient. Two very friendly gardeners came during the week to look after the garden and grounds. Otherwise, we can highly recommend the villa, including for families.

Near Portocolom, this spectacular villa gave us our best vacation ever. Highly recommended.

A lovely finca and a great host.