The catch at Fornalutx Petit Hotel
Five things stand between the photographs and the stay. None of them is hidden, and none of them outweighs a mountain terrace in a village that has won awards for keeping its looks, at this price, but each one decides whether the hotel suits you.
On our shortlists
There are stairs and no lift, in a village built on steps
The hotel fills a former convent on Carrer de l'Alba, and the old building has stairs between its floors and no lift. The rooms run over more than one floor. Outside, it is the same story: Fornalutx climbs its hillside in stepped, cobbled lanes, there is no parking at the door, and whatever you bring is carried on foot from the public car parks about 200 metres away. For anyone with bad knees or a heavy case, the building and the village together are hard work every day, not only on the day you arrive.
What to do. Pack one light bag each rather than a big case, and if stairs are a problem, say so when you book and ask for the room with the fewest steps.
The car stays about 200 metres away, and a late arrival needs arranging
There is no hotel car park and no parking at the door. Cars go in the village's public car parks, about 200 metres away on foot, where the blue bays cost 1 euro an hour for up to two hours, 10:00 to 19:00, Monday to Saturday. For a longer stay the village sells a holiday permit for those bays, 15 euros for up to a month, issued with a document from your accommodation.
The reception desk keeps daytime hours, and arrivals after 17:00 are asked to arrange check-in with the hotel in advance. Outside those hours, check-in runs on instructions the hotel sends ahead.
What to do. Tell the hotel your arrival time when you book, ask for the permit document when you arrive, and if you are coming by train to Sóller, book the taxi up to the village before you travel.
Some walls are thin, and the front-door buzzer carries
Many of the walls between rooms are partitions rather than the convent's stone, and sound travels through them: voices, bathrooms and late returns next door. The buzzer that sounds whenever someone is let in at the front door can be heard from rooms near the entrance and on the lane side, and some bathrooms have glass doors, which matters more if you are sharing a room with a friend than with a partner. In a building of this age and size it is not a surprise, but it is the complaint that comes up again and again, alongside the stairs and the pool.
What to do. Book a mountain-view room, ask for one away from the entrance, and pack earplugs if you sleep lightly.
The pool is small and partly under the house: a dip, not a swim
The pool is a basin of about 25 m², set partly under the first-floor terrace, with its open end facing the wooded hillside rather than the peaks. It is the right size for cooling off after a walk in July and the wrong size for lengths. There is no spa either: the one treatment on offer is a massage in your room, booked in advance. And the sea is not close. The nearest beach is Port de Sóller's, 12 minutes away by car.
What to do. Treat the pool as a place to cool off between walks, and drive down to the beach at Port de Sóller when you want a proper swim.
Breakfast is the only meal, and the village kitchens keep their own days
The hotel has a dining room and a patio terrace for breakfast and no restaurant beyond that, so every lunch and dinner is in the village or a drive away. The village is well supplied for its size, with five places worth eating at within five minutes on foot, but each keeps its own days. Ca n'Antuna closes on Monday and serves only lunch on Sunday; Es Turó closes on Wednesday and Thursday; Ca'n Boqueta, Sóller's Bib Gourmand, serves dinner only from Tuesday to Saturday and closes on Monday. Groenk, two minutes from the door, is the one that opens every day of the year.
What to do. Book Ca n'Antuna or Es Turó for the evenings that matter, ask for a terrace table, and keep Groenk for the night everything else is shut.
Who should skip it
Anyone who needs a lift or step-free access, light sleepers, anyone who wants a pool for lengths or the sea under the window, and families with young children. Also anyone landing late at night who would rather be met at a desk than let themselves in.
Who should book it anyway
Walkers and couples who want a real Tramuntana village rather than a resort, at a price that barely moves between May and August. From about 180 euros a night you get a terrace facing the terraced mountainside, a room with its own balcony on the mountain side for about 30 euros more, the convent's old chapel as a suite for an anniversary, and the square two minutes away. Pack light, book dinner, and the village does the rest.
The catch elsewhere in Mallorca
- Four Seasons Resort Mallorca at FormentorFormentor peninsula
The building is new: the 1929 hotel was gutted in 2021, its last walls came down in 2022 and it was rebuilt to look from the bay much as it did, so the history is in the name, the site and the old garden steps rather than the rooms.
- La Residencia, A Belmond HotelDeià
Built into a hillside, with steps between buildings and sometimes more than one lift to reach your room
- Castell Son ClaretEs Capdellà
The hotel closes from mid-November to mid-March, Sa Clastra stops serving at the end of October, and the 2027 calendar sells stays of three nights or more.
- Cap Vermell Grand HotelCanyamel, east coast
Not on the beach: Canyamel's sand is 1.8 km down the hill, 25 minutes on foot and a climb back
- Can FerreretaSantanyí
It is in the village, not on the sea: the nearest beach, Cala Santanyí, is a 7-minute drive, and parking at the hotel is charged by the day.
- Es PrincepPalma, old town
The view starts above the entry room: the 22 m² Standard sits on the lower floors facing a narrow lane, and the Superior looks over the city.
- Can CeraPalma, old town
No pool: the water here is a hot tub in the spa, and the nearest beach, Can Pere Antoni, is a 16-minute walk.
- L'Avenida HotelSóller
Closed from November to the end of February, with a three-night minimum stay from May to September.
- Maristel Hotel & SpaEstellencs
The basic Cosy Rooms are twins whose window may face a courtyard or a wall, and the sea view costs extra.
Car hire in Mallorca
Most guests drive: Sóller is 7 minutes away by car or 46 on foot, the beach at Port de Sóller 12 minutes by car, and the village car parks about 200 metres from the door.
Read the car hire guideOpens Expedia’s car search at that airport for your trip dates, or for a week starting a fortnight from today. You book and pay with Expedia.
Questions people ask
Good questions about Fornalutx Petit Hotel
What are the downsides of Fornalutx Petit Hotel?
Five things stand between the photographs and the stay. None of them is hidden, and none of them outweighs a mountain terrace in a village that has won awards for keeping its looks, at this price, but each one decides whether the hotel suits you. There are stairs and no lift, in a village built on steps The car stays about 200 metres away, and a late arrival needs arranging Some walls are thin, and the front-door buzzer carries The pool is small and partly under the house: a dip, not a swim Breakfast is the only meal, and the village kitchens keep their own days
Who should not book Fornalutx Petit Hotel?
Anyone who needs a lift or step-free access, light sleepers, anyone who wants a pool for lengths or the sea under the window, and families with young children. Also anyone landing late at night who would rather be met at a desk than let themselves in.
Our verdict
Book it for the village and the mountain view from about 180 euros a night, and take the room with the balcony. Pack light: the stairs come with the convent.
Last checked: October 2026