One thousand and fifty-eight Plum Guide listings reviewed across four regions: the Tramuntana coast, the north coast at Pollensa and Alcudia, the south, and the central hills. Cross-checked against Onefinestay, Mr & Mrs Smith, and Pollentia Rentals. The Mediterranean villa market with the widest gap between the strong areas and the weak ones.
Mallorca rewards the buyer who picks the side of the island first. The Tramuntana coast (Deia, Soller, Valldemossa, Fornalutx, Alaró) is mountains-into-sea, narrow roads, and a 35 to 55-minute drive from Palma airport. The north coast (Pollensa, Alcudia, Formentor) is flatter, beach-driven, and 50 to 70 minutes north from the airport. The south coast (Santanyi, Ses Salines, Es Trenc) is calmer water, sandier beaches, and an hour south. Plum Guide lists 1,058 homes across Mallorca as of May 2026, with 151 in Pollensa alone, which makes it one of the deepest single-island villa markets in the Mediterranean.
The peak season is short but intense. From the third week of June through the first week of September, the island runs at maximum and so do the prices. By mid-September the crowd thins, prices drop 20 to 30%, and the weather is still good through early October. Late May and June are the strongest combination of weather and value. Most regular travelers we know book the shoulder.
The areas that matter for the villa week are Deia, Soller and Port de Soller, Valldemossa, Fornalutx, Alaró in the Tramuntana, Pollensa and Port de Pollensa on the north coast, and Santanyi and Ses Salines on the south. Three areas we will not book in are at the bottom of the neighborhoods section, with reasons.
The rest of this page is the structured guide. Areas by group size, what each area is for, peak vs shoulder pricing math, the chef question, what to ask the manager, deposit norms, and the FAQ.
The villa is the destination, but the area is the trip. Distance to Palma airport, road type, beach access, and what each area is for.
Distance to Palma airport: 38 km, 45 to 55 minutes. Road: MA-10 coastal, single-lane in places. Beach: 22 km to Cala Deia, the lunch booking at Ca’s Patro March justifies the drive. The Tramuntana headline village. Sea-facing fincas above the village. Robert Graves country.
Distance to Palma: 33 km, 40 minutes via the tunnel. Road: good, plus the historic train from Palma. Beach: Port de Soller harbour, 5 minutes from town. Soller is the working town, the port is the swim-and-fish village. Right for groups who want a working town as well as the property.
Distance to Palma: 22 km, 30 minutes. Road: good. Beach: 12 km to Cala Banyalbufar. The Chopin and Charterhouse village. Closer to Palma than Deia. Strong for 4 to 8-person groups who want the Tramuntana without the longer drive in.
Distance to Palma: 36 km, 50 minutes. Road: narrow into the village. Beach: 12 km to Port de Soller. Technically prettier than Deia, quieter than Valldemossa. Two restaurants worth booking (Ca’n Antuna up the hill, Es Turo in the village). The inland mountain answer.
Distance to Palma: 28 km, 25 to 30 minutes. Road: excellent (new motorway). Beach: 35 km to the north coast. The inland Tramuntana foothills. Working country, two strong restaurants (Traffic and Es Verger up the mountain). Underpriced relative to the coast.
Distance to Palma: 58 km, 60 to 70 minutes. Road: good motorway. Beach: Formentor 12 minutes by car, Cala San Vicente 10 minutes. The north-coast headline. The Saturday market in Pollensa town, beach access at Formentor, the calmer alternative to the Tramuntana. Pollentia Rentals quotes upper Pollensa six-bedroom band at around €3,200 to €4,800 per night peak.
Distance to Palma: 55 km, 50 to 60 minutes. Road: good. Beach: Es Trenc, Cala Llombards, Mondrago beaches within 15 minutes. The south coast. Sandier, calmer water than the Tramuntana. The Wednesday and Saturday Santanyi markets. The German-favored side of the island.
Distance to Palma: 18 km, 22 minutes. Road: excellent. Beach: not adjacent (35 km north or south). The closest-to-Palma rural answer. Working country with vineyards, olive groves, and quick airport access. Right for short stays.
Three areas we would not book a villa week in: Magaluf and Palma Nova (mass-market resort coast, not the villa product), Andratx port and its high streets (overdeveloped, traffic, the villa rates do not justify the area), the Cala d’Or coast (apartment-rental dominant, low villa inventory, not what the buyer is paying for).
Each card sorts by what the villa does well at the occupancy level it is built for. Verified for current pricing as of May 2026 against Plum Guide and Pollentia Rentals.
Bedrooms: 4. Sleeps: 8 (works for 6). Area: Deia village, Tramuntana. Peak rate: $19,000 to $26,000 / week. Verdict: walking distance to the village, 10-meter pool, stone-walled garden. The four-bedroom workhorse of Deia.
Check rates on Plum GuideBedrooms: 4. Sleeps: 8. Area: Valldemossa, Tramuntana. Peak rate: $18,000 to $24,000 / week. Verdict: restored stone house, 11-meter pool, afternoon shade. Right for 6 to 8 with the Chopin museum and a 22-minute drive to Palma.
Check rates on Plum GuideBedrooms: 5. Sleeps: 10. Area: Port de Sóller, Tramuntana. Peak rate: $26,000 to $35,000 / week. Verdict: harbour walks, 13-meter pool, sea-facing main terrace. The Port de Soller answer for a group of 10.
Check rates on Plum GuideBedrooms: 5. Sleeps: 10. Area: Alaró, Tramuntana foothills. Peak rate: $22,000 to $30,000 / week. Verdict: mountain view without the coastal-village traffic, 14-meter pool, 25 minutes north of Palma airport. Two cars are non-negotiable.
Check rates on Plum GuideBedrooms: 6. Sleeps: 12. Area: Deia, Tramuntana coast. Peak rate: $32,000 to $42,000 / week. Verdict: restored finca, 12-meter pool, south view to the sea. The Deia premium pick at 12 sleeps. Manager response within four hours, tested.
Check rates on Plum GuideBedrooms: 6. Sleeps: 12. Area: Port de Pollensa, north coast. Peak rate: $24,000 to $33,000 / week (Pollentia Rentals quotes the upper Pollensa six-bedroom band at around €3,200 to €4,800 per night peak). Verdict: 14-meter pool, working finca, 12 minutes to Formentor beach, Pollensa Saturday market 6 minutes away. Wi-Fi at the property is rural; confirm Starlink.
Check ratesBedrooms: 8. Sleeps: 16. Area: Pollensa, north coast. Peak rate: $38,000 to $48,000 / week. Verdict: two pools, full staff, eight bedrooms across a single restored finca. The Pollensa scale answer.
Check rates on Plum GuideBedrooms: 8. Sleeps: 16. Area: between Deia and Soller, Tramuntana. Peak rate: $44,000 to $62,000 / week. Verdict: the scale answer on the Tramuntana coast. Chapel, full staff including chef on request, working olive grove. Allow 45 minutes from Palma airport.
Check ratesHeadline rates by bedroom count and season. Before service, taxes, staff gratuities, and chef. Verified May 2026 against Plum Guide and Pollentia Rentals quotations.
| Bedroom count | Peak (Jul to Aug) | Shoulder (Jun, Sep) | Off (Oct to May) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 BR | $13,000 to $26,000 / wk | $9,000 to $18,000 | $5,500 to $11,000 |
| 6 BR | $18,000 to $42,000 / wk | $13,000 to $28,000 | $8,500 to $18,000 |
| 8 BR | $32,000 to $58,000 / wk | $22,000 to $40,000 | $14,000 to $24,000 |
| 10 BR+ | $48,000 to $110,000 / wk | $32,000 to $72,000 | $18,000 to $38,000 |
Rates are weekly, before service (10 to 15% on the major platforms), Balearic tourist tax (around €4 per adult per night, payable on arrival), and staff gratuities (€500 to €1,000 per staff member per week, typically 2 to 4 staff). Chef cost is €180 to €350 per day plus food at cost when booked separately. Deia and Pollensa price at a 20 to 30% premium over Alaró or Santanyi for equivalent specifications.
The Mallorca chef market is stronger than the buyer often expects. The named chefs operate across the island year-round. Marc Fosh (one Michelin star, Palma) does occasional villa nights through advance arrangement. Adrian Quetglas (one star, Palma) sends sous chefs for villa dinners. The Pollensa-based chefs run through Pollentia Rentals and a small group of independents. The Tramuntana villa chefs source mostly from Soller and Deia restaurant alumni.
Budget €180 to €350 per day for the chef, plus food at cost (typically €40 to €90 per person per dinner depending on protein and wine). The shopping is the chef’s responsibility. The kitchens in the editorial-list villas are sized for a single chef working through a four-course dinner for up to 12.
The in-house chef option (offered at roughly 30% of editorial-list villas) is variable. The included option at the high-end properties (the Pollensa estates, the eight-bedroom Tramuntana houses) is reliably strong. The included option at the mid-tier is usually a member of the staff family and runs from competent to average. Hire the independent chef for the serious dinners. Use the in-house for the easy nights.
For August, the top 30 villas in our inventory are typically committed by mid-February. Pollensa books out earliest because the inventory is the shallowest of the headline areas. For the first or second week of August, December the prior year is the safe booking month. For late June or early September, March is fine. For October through May, two to three weeks of lead time is enough on most properties.
Spanish villa rentals run on 25 to 40% deposit on confirmation, balance 60 days before arrival. Security deposit of €2,500 to €8,000 is held against damage and refunded within 14 days of departure. Cancellation policies are platform-specific. Plum Guide and Onefinestay refund per their published terms. Local agencies (Pollentia Rentals included) hold tighter terms.
The thing to walk away from: any villa where the contract sits in Spanish only, where the management company holds the security deposit with no card hold or platform intermediary, or where the rate is quoted “all in” with no line items for taxes and gratuities. About 14 to 20 villas on the public platforms still operate one of these patterns. We do not list any of them.
Seven properties currently advertised on the major platforms that we did not include in our editorial list, with the reason each was disqualified. Names withheld where the management company would face commercial harm from naming. Conditions are described.
The villa is the destination. The rest of the trip still matters.
The 14 dinners worth booking a week before you fly. Marc Fosh, Adrian Quetglas, Ca’s Patro March, Es Verger, and the Pollensa picks. Plus the four restaurants we would skip.
BarsForKingsThe Palma wine bars worth the drive. The Soller and Pollensa cocktail programs that know what they are doing. The bodegas with a serious natural-wine list.
HotelsForKingsThree-night trips. Couples on a short week. The properties where the hotel format outperforms a villa at the same nightly cost (Cap Rocat, Belmond La Residencia, Sant Francesc).
Seven nights is standard from late June through August on the Tramuntana coast and in Pollensa. Some properties hold a 10-night minimum across August. The south coast and central hills typically open to 5 nights and occasionally 3 in the shoulder.
Yes. Outside the village centers of Deia, Soller, and Pollensa town, there is no walkable alternative. Most villas do not include a car. Budget €600 to €1,200 per week for a rental from Palma airport.
Mallorca villas typically run 25 to 40% on confirmation, balance 60 days before arrival. Security deposit of €2,500 to €8,000 is held against damage. Refund processed within 14 days of departure. Balearic tourist tax (around €4 per adult per night) is payable on arrival.
The top 30 villas in our August inventory are typically booked by mid-February. For the first or second week of August, December the prior year is the safe booking month. Pollensa books out earliest because the inventory is shallow.
The Tramuntana coast (Deia, Soller, Valldemossa, Fornalutx, Alaró) for the first-time visitor who wants the mountain-into-sea scenery. Pollensa for buyers who want a beach week with shorter drives. The south for a calmer, sandier-beach week. Avoid the south-west costa (Magaluf, Palma Nova) and Andratx-port for a serious villa booking.
Yes on the platforms we recommend. German is the second language across Mallorca (the German seasonal community is the largest after British). Spanish-only management is a disqualifier for our editorial list.
€500 to €1,000 per staff member for a week, paid in cash on the final day. Typical staff is 2 to 4 people across housekeeping, pool, and gardener. Chef separately at the chef rate (€160 to €320 per day plus food at cost), no gratuity expected on top.
Most Mallorca villas in our editorial list do not permit large events. Roughly 20 properties allow weddings of up to 80 guests with permits. The Tramuntana fincas and the Pollensa estate properties are the strongest options. Plan 12 months ahead for permits.
Fiber is available across most villa areas. Speeds of 200 to 600 Mbps are normal in Pollensa town and Palma. Rural fincas in the Tramuntana and the central hills run 30 to 100 Mbps with occasional drops. Anyone working from the villa wants a Starlink confirmation on inquiry.
Yes, with caveats. The MA-10 coastal road from Andratx to Pollensa is narrow, single-lane in places, and slow. The Soller-to-Deia stretch takes 20 minutes for 9 km. After 5 p.m. on a peak Friday, allow 25 to 30 minutes for what should be 10. If anyone in the group does not drive narrow Spanish mountain roads comfortably, hire a driver for the week.
Last updated May 2026. Properties on this page were assessed through Plum Guide listings (1,058 reviewed), Onefinestay, Mr & Mrs Smith, Pollentia Rentals, management interviews, and 14 site visits between September 2025 and April 2026. Prices verified within the last 90 days. Next refresh: August 2026.
The named editor of this page is the Villas For Kings Mediterranean desk. Conflicts of interest, where they exist, are disclosed on each individual villa page.
The hotels for the three-night version. The restaurants worth booking before you fly. The cocktail programs that know what they are doing.