Mommabel Nou: an ecological cottage lost in Mallorca
Breathing the smell of wet grass, deafing to silence, feeling the calm blood, observing without seeing … Only ecological tourism can inject in us sensations that erase the mark of the frenetic pace that we expose ourselves every day. If we can also irrigate this feeling with the products of a local and seasonal agriculture, we will forget the world … at least during the days of our detox moment.
We just picked olives, olive oil is one of our farm’s star products. The clients can taste it during breakfast and at all times, they can also buy it if they want. Now we’ve entered the quince period, there’s also pomegranate and some fantastic berries. Soon mushrooms will start to come out.
Twenty years ago, Hotel Rural & Spa Mommabel Nou didn’t exist in Mallorca. It was a farm in ruins that had peaked in the XIX century thanks to the agricultural activity of Francisco Mayordomo’s ancestors. Xisco, as he likes to sign, inherited this broken dream from his grandparents and slowly began to reinstate its history, room by room, with the illusion of regaining the splendor to the land.
Now, this old farm is an eco-friendly hotel with four stars. And, why eco-friendly? We were trying to follow our life philosophy-based instinct. We aren’t doing anything strange. This is common sense. Our grandparents used almond shells for the boiler; when we were little we’d turn off the lights when we left a room… it’s about continuing to behave in the same way (…) we have low consumption lightbulbs, a wood fed boiler, if I have to buy a van, it’ll be electric… says Francisco.
All year-round
Mommabel Nou is open all year-round, mainly because the products they grow in the farm require agricultural activity in every season. We just picked olives, olive oil is one of our farm’s star products. The clients can taste it during breakfast and at all times, they can also buy it if they want – comments Xisco. Now we’ve entered the quince period, there’s also pomegranate and some fantastic berries. Soon mushrooms will start to come out. All these products are ecological and are used in our restaurant, where the menu changes seasonally. We also do plant rotation, with legumes and cereals. We also have lambs and piglets, which require a great deal of care.
We aren’t doing anything strange. This is common sense. Our grandparents used almond shells for the boiler; when we were little we’d turn off the lights when we left a room… it’s about continuing to behave in the same way (…)
The best seasons to visit the hotel are spring and autumn, although summer is also a good option for couples and families who want to get away from the masses and enjoy the natural surroundings and the area’s gastronomy. According to Francisco, Mommabel’s customers come in all ages, and are mainly Central European. We also have companies who reserve the hotel for worker team-coaching activities: they hold outdoor conferences, combine them with team-building activities, cycling with the whole team…
Hiking and cycling senses
Mommabel Nou isn’t the only ecological hotel in Mallorca. There are other ecological hotels in Mallorca, some make wine, others oil, others grow fruit trees… Each one has it’s own personality. I’d say ours stands out because of its location, behind the mountain (it is set at Sierra Tramuntana and only 15 minutes from Pollença and Alcudia bays), which allows guests to visit our hiking and cycling routes; the small spa, which adds an activity to their stay if they come in seasons with less sun hours…
An eco-friendly hotel doesn’t need to be more expensive than one that isn’t.
Speaking about being eco-certificated, we asked what’s the most difficult thing in an ecological hotel‘s everyday life. Definitely reaching the customer. Although this has changed a lot. The evolution of social networks communication and online recommendations over the last 5 years has revolutionized the tourist system. These are very interesting tools. Thanks to them, a small business such as ours can reach the entire world and now, tourists can discover more special places.
Staying at this hotel costs about € 115, up or down depending on the season we are in. Speaking of prices, he tells us that an eco-friendly hotel doesn’t need to be more expensive than one that isn’t. We don’t charge more for being eco-friendly. If one applies efficient environmental policies well, the return on investment is rewarding (…) An eco-friendly hotel shouldn’t be more expensive than one that isn’t. On the contrary, it reduces costs greatly, especially in energy.
What would you say to a tourist who wants to start doing eco-tourism?– we ask him to end our interview. Look for places that offer local products in their kitchens, water saving or recovery systems, small and family-run hotels… Follow the trend…
