Es Racó d'Artà — Hotel in Artà

My partner and I had a nice time at Es Raco but, for best results, we recommend managing your expectations before you book/arrive.

The property is lovely with an authentic Mallorquín feel and thoughtful design. The setting is also lovely.

If you arrive anticipating a peaceful experience, you may be disappointed by the extensive use of noisy power tools throughout the day, the presence of small children, and other guests’ lack of consideration for maintaining a peaceful environment. After arrival, we went to the restaurant to enjoy an afternoon snack under the lovely olive trees. The first 10 minutes were nice with chirping birds and picturesque views. We were able to ignore the guest who was taking a lengthy call using the speaker on his phone. Then, the loud power blower started just behind the restaurant which made for a very unpleasant environment. I left the restaurant for the pool and spa where I found the sauna and steam room were not heated so I had to request they be turned on. After 30-45 minutes my partner said they still weren’t sufficiently heated so we opted for the outdoor pool (which is incredible) instead. Later, when I attempted a return to the spa, I was greeted by the sound of a crying baby. A mother had set up in the spa with her 3 small children whose crying and chatter echoed through the stone rooms. I imagine the hotel may not expect parents to bring their children to play in the spa but, if children are welcome in all areas of the property, this is what you will get. Later in the evening, we went to the restaurant for dinner (a very nice visual ambiance) and again found the family with 3 small children. The children were mostly well behaved but there was periodic crying and a bit of general commotion at the table which seemed distracting to other guests. When we awoke the next morning, we opened the windows to enjoy the cool air and singing birds. The peacefulness lasted about 10 minutes before we were again greeted by the loud power tools just prior to 9:00 AM. Breakfast was another meal with the small children running through the area - generally fine for us, as a lively breakfast is not an unpleasant way to start the day, but may be unpleasant if you are expecting tranquility. Later, at the pool, I was saved by my headphones as I was joined for more than an hour of weeding power tools which was not only extremely loud but I could not breath comfortably given the strong smell of gasoline fumes. Meanwhile, in the spa, my partner was having a massage - afterwards, he informed me that the power tools were also being used just outside of his treatment room which sent the sounds echoing through the space. Even after the power tools moved on, we experienced multiple guest pacing the pool area while having phone conversations. In my 4th and final attempt to enjoy the spa, I again found children enjoying the space as a play area - not the ambiance I was envisioning.

During our experience at the property, we noticed a few traditional ‘5-star’ services that were lacking. We were not offered a welcome drink upon arrival (were offered a glass of water) and there was no welcome note or small treat in the room. This is not a big deal to us but it is a small detail that seems to be a standard for many 5-star properties. We were able to check in at midday which was not expected but was convenient. There was no beverage service near the pool - you had to walk across the property to order a beverage and it arrived some time later. On the second day, I did see one server come to the pool one time for drink orders. There is little attendance in the pool and spa area so used towels are lying around and fresh towels may be scarce. With no monitoring, I found other guests using the sauna and steam room (with children) with the door open and leaving it open after use - likely the reason we never found these amenities to be at the proper temperature.

Overall, a picturesque property but not a place we would...

Probably a 3,5 / 5 if we could give half stars. Good, but room for improvement. We made this clear during checkout, but they weren’t very interested in listening to where they could improve (just said “perfect”) so maybe posting here might improve the experience for others if they genuinely care. Lots of potential here with a fundamentally good cause at heart (sustainability) and would love to return one day if they can improve upon some areas.

+ves • Beautiful place - amazing grounds. • Interior design is impeccable, the rooms in the main house and in the casitas contribute to the sense of simple luxury. • Activities we did attend were excellent : the violin and piano duo were supremely talented and the mindful clay making was a new and welcome experience. The meditation and yoga were first class on both days I went - Joy is a fantastic teacher. • Sustainable concept - minimal unneeded paper and usage of reusable glass bottles was appreciated and should be respected.

-ves • Dinner could be improved with some more options, especially vegetarian ones (breakfast and lunch are perfectly fine, maybe even too many lunch options!). • Staff : friendly, but seem disorganised / not really interested in delivering a 5* experience for guests : seem to be lacking a leader and not always the quickest to respond to issues or good at apologising. We had to call 4x to resolve a plumbing issue in our room. They did resolve the issue by changing us to another room, but didn’t want to admit the issue in the first instance which meant we spent additional time following up with them on it. • Activities : the cost equivalent of staying here ended up being what we had paid per night at the Six Senses in the Maldives and it feels that your money doesn’t go far here, feels there are a lot of rooms that could be put to use that do not have a purpose (besides relaxation). Maybe a simple, sustainable-minded gym? Maybe a crèche type room for the kids (given not an adults only hotel, children were frequently in the spa area). Again - if you’re here to find inspiration for a book or to switch off with someone else’s book then it might be perfect as it is, but if you like to stay active with activities, you might be left wanting more. • Communication : we signed up for an activity on our first day and as nobody else had signed up for it (minimum 4 people needed) by the time the day came around 2 days later, they didn’t inform us it had been cancelled until we arrived to the lobby to ask where it was taking place - because the lady at reception had been off the previous day. Why people are not signing up might suggest they are not making it clear enough to those staying at the hotel about what activities are on? There wasn’t much of an apology offered at all - you could have offered a drink on the house, anything. It was the only activity offered that day. One of the days it rained and there were issues with internet and electricity, which if known in advance as an issue, could have meant they would have prepared at least one activity for the hotel guests (besides the excellent yoga and meditation which is 1,5 hours in the morning). The team could have also been more proactive at making sure the buggy was ready after some of the activities were finished (after the concert which was very late, and after the mindful clay making when it was raining). • Shop - feel like there’s an opportunity to have some more (sustainable) things you could stock...

Lots of photos to show, from the resort, the villa, restaurant, pool, food, everything we did while staying here. In addition, it would be a long review. Please browse patiently.

Reason I didn’t rate it 5 stars, I must honestly say the service is not up to my standard. Everything else is amazing.

The location: easy access to the town if you have a car. Really quiet, it’s a perfect spot for you to relax. You can easily spend one or two days just in this retreat.

Activities: we came here around end of April. We love to stroll around here, take some photos. You can also do yoga, spa, massage, etc. But no options for other organized activities hosted by the retreat. So after two days, you might need to explore outside the retreat.

Retreat: it is an absolutely beautiful place! Very photogenic! Everywhere you go, you can easily take some great shots! It is really big, if you go everywhere by foot, it would be a great workout.

Restaurant: breakfast is included. It is very healthy and has lots of choices you can also order separately besides the buffet breakfast (no extra charge). Lunch and dinner is pricey, food is not bad, you should at least try it for once. Service wise, a bit disorganized, servers are friendly and nice. But they tend to forget things or mix orders up. I once waited 25min just for my coffee, and I nearly lost my cool. Expect to have a long wait for your food or even take your order.

Staff/service: staff are all friendly and nice, but as someone who paid $1,000 euros for one night, my expectation is high. My main issue with them is the villa we stayed at, the first night after our long journey from Palma, we did not have hot water. I called front desk, someone came, couldn’t fix it. He was apologetic and nice, so no issue. Next morning, I dropped by the front desk and brought up the issue. They didn’t think it’s a big deal, and said they are working on the issue. The guy I spoke to, did not apologize or make any offer to make me feel better. Another lady heard our conversation and stepped in, also didn’t apologize, just shrugged and looked at me like “what do you want me to do?” I mean, saying sorry would be a good start. I am from Canada, and worked in the hotel industry before. I am not sure maybe it’s the cultural differences. In North America, apology and offering solution to the upset guest is definitely required. From all the interactions I had with the staff, servers, bell boy, front desk, everyone is nice, but the things they do or say definitely have more room for improvement as a 5-star establishment.

Did I enjoy my time here? Absolutely! Will I come back? Most certainly! Do they have service issue and need better...