A finca holiday in Mallorca: what to know before you book

1What a finca in Mallorca is

Finca is simply the Spanish word for a plot of land. A finca rústica is a plot in the countryside. In tourism the word has come to mean a holiday home in a rural setting, in Mallorca often a stone house with a garden and pool among almond, olive or carob trees.

The law does not know finca as a type of accommodation. Behind an offer there is usually one of three categories from the Balearic tourism law:

• Holiday rental in a dwelling (ETV): the whole house is let, for days or weeks. A stay may last no more than 30 nights, and letting by the room is not provided for.
• Agroturismo: accommodation in a building constructed before 1 January 1960 on rural land, on an estate of at least 21,000 square metres that is run as a farming, livestock or forestry operation.
• Rural hotel (hotel rural): accommodation in a building constructed before 1 January 1940 with at least 49,000 square metres of land.

The law allows the island councils to set other values for age and area.

2Which region for a finca holiday

Fincas are found where Mallorca farms, which mostly means away from the coast. Your choice of region decides how far you drive to the beach and to the sights.

• The centre: the flat land around Sineu, Petra and Binissalem, the centre of the Binissalem wine region. You can reach every coast from here, but you are on none of them.
• North-east and east coast: the hinterland of Artà, Felanitx and Santanyí, a short drive from the coves of the east.
• North: the plain near Pollença and Alcúdia, close to the long sandy beaches of the Bay of Alcúdia.
• Serra de Tramuntana: the Sóller valley with its citrus and olive groves, and the villages at the foot of the range. Strong on scenery, and the roads are winding.
• South: the land around Campos and Llucmajor, flat and dry, with Es Trenc beach nearby.

3Checking the licence: the registration number

Anyone in the Balearic Islands who lets a dwelling to holidaymakers declares it to the tourism authority and is entered in the island council register. Balearic tourism law states that all advertising for such a home must include its tourist registration number. Guests have an explicit right to know that number.

The Consell de Mallorca, the island council, lists several licence types: VT, ETV for single-family houses, ETVPL for flats in multi-family buildings and ETV/60 for letting on no more than 60 days a year. ETVPL and ETV/60 have to be renewed every five years.

How to check an offer:

1. Look for the registration number in the advert. If it is missing, ask.
2. Enter the number, the name or the municipality in the public register of tourist businesses kept by the Consell de Mallorca. It shows the category, the municipality, the number of places and whether the entry is active.
3. Compare the number of places with the number of beds in the offer.

4The tourist tax for fincas

The Balearic Islands charge a tax on tourist stays, the sustainable tourism tax. Law 2/2016 sets it per person per day. For holiday homes let to tourists it is 2 euros, and the same for agroturismos and rural hotels unless they are classified by stars. If they are, the rate of their star category applies.

• For stays from 1 November to 30 April the law applies a 75 per cent reduction.
• From the ninth day in the same property the amount drops by a further 50 per cent.
• Children and teenagers under 16 pay nothing.

The tax is collected by the host. Ask before booking whether it is already included in the advertised price.

5Checklist before you book

• Car: a finca lies outside the towns. Plan on car hire and check the access road, as many lanes are narrow.
• Climate: mean highs in Palma in July and August are 29.4 and 29.8 °C. Ask about air conditioning in the bedrooms. In January nights fall to a mean 8.3 °C, and then the heating matters.
• Pool: find out in which months it can be used and whether it is fenced if children are travelling.
• Distances: ask for the location on the map and measure the route to the nearest beach and supermarket yourself.

More on choosing an area is under where to stay in Mallorca.