Finca Ses Fontanelles — Hotel in Andratx

!WARNING! No possibility to buy water, host is aggressive!

A few days ago, my sister and I passed by the Refugi and had a rather memorable encounter. It ended with the host telling us to go ahead and leave him a bad review because he doesn’t care – so here we are.

But let’s start from the beginning: We were hiking the GR221 and stopped by the Refugi (as recommended in the official hiking guide) to refill our water. The first odd thing we noticed were torn signs that were supposed to point toward the Refugi. Fortunately, we were using GPS on our phones, so we still found our way down to it. The first building we saw even had the name “Ses Fontanelles” out front.

We headed to what seemed to be the check-in office, as it had a check-in bell next to it. As soon as we approached, a man came out the door and, rather irritated, asked us what we wanted.

We politely asked if this was the Refugi Ses Fontanelles and if he could sell us some water before we continued our hike. At that point, he became even angrier and told us that this was NOT the Refugi but private property, and that he doesn’t sell water to anyone.

Confused and a bit embarrassed, we apologized and tried to de-escalate by explaining why we had mistaken the building for the Refugi. He showed no interest in our explanation and launched into a five-minute angry monologue, saying things like: He hates hikers, he and his wife just want to live in peace, he could sell us water, but he won’t because he hates sharing, this was never a Refugi, the hiking season is long over, and the next Refugi is far, far away.

At this point, we wondered if the Refugi might be closed and that perhaps we had encountered a neighbor instead. We pointed out that the check-in bell by his door was misleading. He then told us he only rents rooms to “normal” tourists (not hikers, whom he despises) and only from June to August.

The whole situation felt increasingly sketchy, so we decided to end the conversation and leave without water.

Later, we met another hiker who told us she had stayed at this exact location overnight and confirmed it was indeed open. We compared experiences (hers was equally unpleasant), and it became clear that we had, in fact, encountered Patrick, the host.

So dear Patrick, if you’re reading this: We strongly recommend updating Google with your operating hours and informing every possible source (e.g., hiking guides) that you do NOT sell water to anyone. You might also consider a career change, perhaps one without hikers (since you dislike them so much). P.S. Moving far away from the mountains might help.

In any case, We hope you and your wife find the peace you’re...

Definitely mixed feelings about this one. On the one hand we were really grateful for being able to end our hiking day here and to be welcomed onto this private property. It's the only accommodation between Sant Elm and Estellencs so if you don't stay it's going to be a really long day. Beautifully located in the middle of nature. The dorm was ideal, hot showers and comfortable beds. No wifi or cell reception, be prepared for that. On the other hand we didn't really feel comfortable with the way the place was run and we were treated. For example, it took us a lot of negotiating and discussing to get to a point where we were allowed to order breakfast for just one person in our 2-person-party. The owner told us that it's normally not possible to order breakfast for only a part of a group because he's made the experience that in the end the others of the group will end up eating it anyway. So just prepare for some discussions around stuff that seems rather intuitive. Also I think it's important to mention that the breakfast is overpriced with 10€ per person, given that it's super basic. The dinner was good, although we were missing some carbs in the main dish. Another weird aspect was that they're charging (a very fair) 1€ for water bottles that you pay in cash but when it came to paying the final bill he said he doesn't have any change, which led us to the feeling that he wants to push us to just round the final price up, which we didn't. When we were about to leave around 9.45/10 the owner came into the dorm and asked in a rather stressed voice who's still sleeping, which no one knows. He then told us that normally (again) check-out is at 9.30, which hadn't been mentioned a single time up to that point. Overall there were a couple of similar moments that left a bit of an unsettled feeling. Yes, we appreciate that these people offer their private home for hikers and travelers. But to continuously emphasize that he's not doing it for the money and complain about ungrateful guests, reminding us that he's not a hotel etc. just felt off overall. In conclusion this place is a decent option to stay for a night to split an otherwise really long stage in two, but don't expect a lot of hospitality and warmth here. Our feeling was that the service doesn't come from a place of joy, love and dedication and it definitely shows in the reviews. If you're sensitive or easily triggered, I'd recommend starting your day early in Sant Elm with supplies and make it a long day...

When making my planning for the GR221 I saw that this was listed in the guide book as a some kind of refugio (and actually in my guidebook the route was even going through the property!) and as an experienced thru-hiker I thus fully counting on being able to get water there. When I arrived there oct 1st, I met the owner at the table in the company of some friends/guests, one of whom decided to translate between me and the owner, I asked for water which he indicated was only for guests: this struck me as a very experienced hiker as very strange, violating basic customs and decency at many, many levels, amplified by the fact that this was the only inhabited house for miles in this dry area; when I offered to pay for the water he refused as well, which only added to the strangeness. The demeanor of the owner was so unpleasant that I decided not to discuss further and got water on Andratx 5km down the highway. (I think the presence of others spared me the treatment that he gave to other reviewers). The terms "trespassing" and "bad planning" which some of the reviewers here use, parroting what the owner told them, do not apply to this situation, and the owner should realize that from the moment he opens his house to starngers and rents out bunk beds and an apartment he is no longer just a private home owner, and has some moral (and maybe even legal obligations) towards someone knocking on the door for water. It strikes as unfair at a very basic level to one hand, make money of the trail by providing "hospitality", and on the other hand very inhospitably refuse water to other users of the trail. I'll definitely make some more work of this...

If indeed this truly just about privacy as the owner claimed, then he could just install a water tap outside his property, and nobody will bother him, but I'd be greatly surprised if this hasn't occurred to him, and I fear that his true motives are much less noble, and that he regards any thru-hiker who does the trail and does not stay in his place is a thief...