Belmond La Residencia is a gorgeous property in Deia, and though I already knew this when I booked the hotel for 7 nights, we were both wowed upon arrival. The setting in the mountains is stunning...
Belmond La Residencia is a gorgeous property in Deia, and though I already knew this when I booked the hotel for 7 nights, we were both wowed upon arrival. The setting in the mountains is stunning and you don't even miss being by the water because of the gorgeous views and pool area. As we checked in, we received welcome drinks and snacks, and a person went over the hotel's amenities and offerings. One of the things that's special about this hotel is all of the activities it offers as part of your stay with no additional fees. We booked a phenomenal sunset boat tour (cost included in the stay-- all we did was tip), and also signed up for cava tasting on site (very informative), cocktails in the garden, and yoga in the morning (for myself only).
Amenities, 11/10: In addition to the awesome main pool area, there in an upper adult pool, a hot tub, an indoor pool, a sauna, a yoga area with a view, and a fitness area (no views but decent equipment a couple treadmills). In addition, there are all the activities I mentioned above. I should also note that every night, we discovered a new little gift from the hotel at our room. It varied from local sea salt to a beautiful glasses/sunglasses cloth wipe with a Mallorca/hotel theme to a key chain to other items.
Service, 12/10: The managers at this hotel seem to really care about your experience. After I booked, the concierge reached out to book dinners for us since some of them (El Olivo) book up quite early. When we got to our room, we found a nice card welcoming us, a beautiful flower arrangement to mark our special occasion, and fresh fruit and biscuits. At the cocktails in the garden activity, a Belmond guest experience leader who visit several hotels chatted with us for 45 minutes and seemed genuinely interested in our thoughts about the property and our questions about other Belmond hotels. We had a very early departure time before breakfast opened, and our checkout was the best we've ever experienced. A person was waiting to check us out in person and gave us some lovely olive tea to take home. They also provided freshly-baked, unbelievably delicious ensaïmadas for us to take on our trip to the airport and coffee cups to go.
Food, 8/10: This is only place that could use a couple minor tweaks. We ordered a lot of drinks by the pool and they were good but not amazing-- and they cost about 20-25 euros each. When I ordered a Caipirinha, I received a glass full of small, pebbly ice, and such a small amount of caipirinha poured over the top that it felt like I was being served shaved ice! A Caipirinha is one of my favorite drinks, so I brought it back to the bar area so it could be fixed and the young bartender argued with me, telling me that that was how a Caipirinha was made. He googled it on his phone and eventually, after I pushed, made me a new one which had just slightly more liquid in the glass. My husband ordered many different drinks at the pool and was not impressed, and he has had some great drinks during international travels for work. It made me wonder if the pool bartender and bar staff were new and still needed training.
We ate at every restaurant on the property and I would say El Olivo is far and away the best. It's a special restaurant with a magnificent view and ambience, and we booked a time so we could see the sunset. It's such a magical setting that a young man chose to propose to his girlfriend next to us-- it was lovely! The other restaurants are good, but I probably would not eat at them more than once. If I were to stay here again-- and I would-- I would simply book dinners at other restaurants in the area. But I would still book my last night (and maybe my first night, too!) at El Olivo. It's worth it.
Breakfast was included in our booking and we enjoyed it every morning. There was a lot of choice-- from pastries to fruit to meats and cheeses-- and you could also order items off the menu (those were still included in breakfast without an extra charge).
Location, 10/10: The setting of this hotel is grand and beautiful. It's also convenient. You can easily walk down to the restaurants in town (at the bottom of the drive) and also take the short hike down to Cala Deia and Ca's Patró March (which has great ambience right next to/on top of the water and is a lovely, simple seafood experience. Book ahead online). I also walked through town and up the hill that faces the hotel for a beautiful view of La Residencia from Mirador de l’Església. I'm one of those people who sometimes get the itch to go 'do' stuff and explore when I'm staying at a hotel and the location offered several things to go see and do within walking distance. The pool setting is so gorgeous that I also felt content just lounging there with the view, listening to an audiobook.
SUMMARY: This hotel is special, and we would absolutely stay there again. I stayed here last year but could not indicate that on the TripAdvisor drop-down menu to write this review, so it's possible the pool drinks service issue has already been solved. But I believe their commitment to customer service is such that it will make the hotel even better in the future.
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