El Raco de Madremanya

---WHEN WE ARRIVED at the house, Ivan, the owner, greeted us. Ivan is that type of cold person, excessively haughty and lacking empathy, although very polite. A person who conveys an attitude of superiority that makes communication uncomfortable. I do not want to disrespect this gentleman at all; I am only describing the impression we received of him, which I will break down below. ---IVAN SHOWED US THE HOUSE AND THE FACILITIES, the two pools, the garden, the self-service drink area, and how the coffee machine works. The way he showed us the facilities was like someone reading a lesson aloud in a rush, as if he were alone. Ivan kept giving us explanations at a trot without giving the impression that he was worried about whether we had any questions, or if we were absorbing his explanations. Looking at other customer reviews on Tripadvisor, I have seen precisely a response from Ivan to two guests (Joan and Esther) from the year 2023. The curious thing is that these two customers did not mention the arrival tour at the hotel in their complaint, but Ivan clearly felt alluded to. So there must be some truth to it. Ivan's response: Hello Joan and Esther, We regret your comments, and the truth is that they surprise us a lot. You booked 1 night at the hotel and I attended to you personally (Iván), and at all times I was totally kind to you. It surprises me that you define me as “rude and unpleasant” since, as with all the guests who visit us, I gave you a personalized tour of the hotel, showing you the facilities and explaining how everything works. The entire hotel team tries to be kind and helpful, and we adapt to the profile of the guest who visits us. There are more talkative guests, and during the arrival tour, we make comments, give explanations about the area, and strike up conversations, but there are other guests who are not talkative or do not feel like talking for whatever reason, so we conduct the tour in a kind manner, but without forcing them to strike up a conversation. In your case, I only saw you during the arrival tour and, the gentleman, during check-out (since the lady did not come to the front desk on the day of departure). ---THE RURAL HOUSE IS IMPECCABLE, it is an idyllic place, but you are uncomfortable at all times, trying not to do anything that might bother Ivan. I will give several examples. …..The lounge chairs by the freshwater pool, instead of facing the pool, were placed backward—with their backs to the pool—and therefore all the guests who arrived at the pool had to turn the heavy lounge chairs around. Well, when we left the lounge chairs in the morning to go to our room, Ivan would not waste a minute, if he was paying attention, which he always was, and he would turn the lounge chairs back around. In the afternoon, you would find them backward again. Incredible! That is why I say that he made you feel uncomfortable because of having to turn the lounge chairs around when you arrived at the pool, when you knew about Ivan's obsessive fixation in this regard and that hours later he would turn them back around. …..I saw this warning directed at other guests. At another time of day, the sun was hitting the lounge chairs in such a way that some guests decided to move the umbrella slightly. They moved it about 20 cm. And Ivan was already on top of them saying that the umbrella could not be moved because then the base would come out of its spot on the lawn and leave a mark. I do not doubt that he was partly right, but it made you feel uncomfortable again. ...they accept dogs on the premises, and there is a price for it. For each dog, it is 10 euros per day. If you bring two little dogs, it is 20 euros. And if you stay 5 nights, it is 100 euros. And that is money. There will be people who do not like dogs; I personally am not thrilled by them, but if the hotel accepts them and even charges for it, they must be aware that a dog can pee. Dogs do not wear diapers and are often unpredictable when it comes to these types of things. Well, I saw how a guest's dog peed on the lawn; there was no time to react, and Ivan was already on top of them, reprimanding them that the dog could not pee on the lawn because the grass would burn. I completely agree, but if you admit dogs, this can happen to you. You are charging money; it is not free. ...They should indicate on the website that they admit dogs in the rooms, since there are many people with allergies, and no matter how much a room is cleaned, some hair may remain. ...Do you like cats? Well, be careful because there are two cats prowling the garden. They are Ivan's two tame cats. And if you do not like cats, you just have to deal with it, because the cat will perch next to your lounge chair as if it were one more member of the family. I understand that they have cats, but not that they are in common areas bothering the guests, sitting on the chair of a guest's ground-floor terrace. I repeat that there may be people who find it amusing to have a cat 20 cm away, but surely there will be people who do not like it. We did not make any comment so as not to bother, since we already saw that both cats were like family. ---THERE IS NO BAR SERVICE, IT IS SELF-SERVICE, although it is true that if they are in the House you can ask them for whatever you wish. During the hours when the house staff is not present you must go to the fridge and take what you wish, or make yourself a coffee and write it down on a piece of paper. One morning -at 11:00- we wanted to order a cocktail and I went to the office, and there was no one there. I went to the entrance, to the breakfast area, and the person who attended to me -who prepares the breakfasts- told me that I should go to the office. I returned again to the office, at the other end of the house, and there was still no one there. Finally, Ivan's partner appeared in the garden -I think it is Josep- from whom we were able to order the cocktail. The truth is that it was not comfortable at all. Half an hour after the walks I had my cocktail in the hammock. And below you will see what they told us -days before our arrival- by email when we asked if there was bar service: We have 24-hour self-service bar service and pool bar service from 09:00 to 14:00 and from 16:00 to 20:00. I think this information, about bar service hours, should be indicated on the website. Regarding the fact that they have bar service at the pool, they mean that you have to locate someone to prepare your drink or otherwise you have to go to the fridge; it is not that there is a snack bar at the pool. They have two fridges, and in neither of them is there ice in the freezer. So at 15:00 you cannot have an iced coffee, or a drink with ice. Nor do they mention on their website that they have dinner service by reservation, except on Wednesdays and Thursdays. This was what they indicated to us by email when we asked them about the restaurant: You can make dinner reservations on the same day until 18:00. We did not stay for dinner any day; we like a bit more atmosphere, having a drink afterwards with music,…. ---IF THERE IS NO STANDARD BAR SERVICE, THEY SHOULD BE MORE PERMISSIVE. One morning in the garden, we opened a can of mussels that we had brought from home. On the sheets for noting down what you were consuming that are on the ground floor of the House, next to the self-service fridge, we had only seen that they had cockles, and I cannot eat cockles because of my Crohn's disease, nor can I eat or drink certain things. Ivan appeared from behind our lounge chairs, attentive as always to what the guests are doing, and told us that we couldn't eat anything that we hadn't bought at the House. The truth is that it was quite uncomfortable. Packing up our things when we were already finishing and going to the room. We also didn't know that you couldn't eat anything not bought at the House, since there was no sign anywhere, nor had they told us on the day of our arrival. It is true that we later looked at the QR code in the room and it did explain it. Although they do allow you to eat anything you have bought outside in the rooms!!! We weren't exactly eating a rotisserie chicken either!!!!! Now, mind you, other guests—foreigners—ordered a bottle of cava to consume on the garden lounge chairs, a cava they bought at the House, and they brought down a huge bag of potato chips that they had bought outside. In this case, since they had already made a purchase, they didn't say anything to them about the chips. When an accommodation of this style does not have bar or food service (they only prepare a picnic to eat if you request it -36 euros-), they should be more permissive regarding food in the common areas. ---MOSQUITOES. The garden area next to the freshwater pool is infested with mosquitoes. Bites all over the body. ---ATTENTION STEEP STAIRS IN SOME ROOMS. It should also be indicated on the website that access to most rooms is via steep stairs. We met an elderly couple, over 80 years old, and they suffered every day going up and down to their room. ---SETTLE THE BILL. The last day we went to Ivan's office to settle the stay. Ivan, very kind, with his haughty pose, told us what was left to pay. We paid, and he kept talking, saying goodbye to us without looking us in the face, always looking at the computer, which conveyed a feeling of disinterest. You have to look the client in the eyes and convey that kindness. Kindness is not conveyed only with words. A couple of hours after having paid almost 1000 euros, we wanted to order a coffee, just one coffee. It is true that we were at the pool until approximately 2:30 PM, which we appreciated since we ordered a picnic-style meal that they prepared for us (36 euros per couple). We went into the house, and next to the refrigerators and the office is the coffee maker. We made ourselves a coffee and Ivan told us it is 1.80 euros for the coffee. My intention was to make a Bizum to Ivan, and he told me no Bizums, that payment is by card. I had to go to the pool to get my credit card, and return to the office and pay the 1.80 euros. Don't you think that after having paid almost 1000 euros he could have treated us to a coffee? Very little empathy and not very professional. But something I could expect. ---SPECTACULAR FACILITIES. I must also say that both the two pools, as well as the garden and the house, are spectacular. The facilities are impeccable. The treatment received by Ivan not so much. It is not that he is a bad person, please I do not want to say that, but he is not the most suitable person to run a hotel, although being the owner it is what it is, if you like it fine and if not….. The breakfast is very good and of high quality. Perhaps the toaster is a bit small -only for I must say in his favor that they did not put any obstacles to us checking in at 11:00 a.m. on the morning of our arrival and they gave us the room at 12:00 p.m. As well as checking out at 10:30 a.m. and vacating the room and staying at the pool until 2:30 p.m. having consumed the hotel's picnic.

Location superb for exploring the Costa Brava / Girona region. From Cadaqués to Barcelona but even more special the small medieval towns and villages inland. Madremanya despite having no touristic shops or cafes is an idyllic place for peace, rest and beauty. Next to the hotel there is a superb cafe/bar/restaurant for a quick and easy food option. However, the food at the hotel is superb. Breakfast is so nutritious, plentiful and delicious plus you are treated like special family as guests. Nothing is too much trouble and the choice of settings makes it perfect for all guests. There are a variety of options for rooms, which all look wonderful and as we were staying for 2 weeks we opted for an apartment. This had everything we needed, was very comfortable and the housekeeping was superb. The 3 housekeepers were also so nice and both friendly and efficient. Kept our apartment immaculate. There are 2 pools (one saltwater) and beautiful gardens with plenty of options for sitting/lounging in the tranquil setting. Having no children around but dogs being allowed made it a perfect haven for us and this was made even more special by having Ivan, Josep & Santi looking after us so well. It has been such a wonderful 2 weeks and a very big thank you to you all for proving this little paradise for us to relax.

It all started so well but ended with the 2 ladies in our party being intimidated and scared for their safety as we were marched off the premises. Initially the 4 of us (2 adult couples with many years travel experience across the world) were met by a convivial and charming host Santi. He showed us around the beautiful buildings and gardens and to our delightful room. It was so perfect I was talking with my wife as using the facilities for our family celebrations next year (2027). Things changed dramatically that night and the next day. The air conditioning in our room had a serious mechanical fault that made significant unreasonable noise which meant we hardly slept that night. I went to see management first thing to raise the matter. Whereas Santi was charming and customer focused I discovered that Ivan has clearly not been to Customer Service school. When I pointed out that the air-con had kept us awake throughout the night his first words were: “Oh, so you found something you don’t like about our beautiful hotel” ….. no, “I’m sorry to hear that, what can we do to make it right". I repeated my complaint to which the response was: “Well hundreds of guests have enjoyed that room OK” I added that maybe the case, but last night we couldn’t sleep because a fault made the room unsuitable for sleep. “Would you like me to find an alternative? I have one at the same rate as yours” I said OK if it provided ALL the facilities I had paid for (including ground floor terrace with direct garden access). The one offered didn’t meet the criteria, but an “upgrade” was offered at an additional €65/night. I said OK but would not pay the extra as all I wanted was to get what I’d paid for but with the ability to sleep. We duly moved to the new room. Come check out 2 days later, I was asked to pay an additional €130 for the upgrade. So I repeated my complaint that I wanted compensation for a lost night’s sleep and that I wasn’t paying the upgrade (as I’d said at the time) as it was the hotel’s responsibility to provide what I’d ordered. After much sarcasm and insincerity from Ivan I realised the best I was going to get was no compensation, no apology (he’d still never expressed any sympathy for a lost night’s sleep) but no upgrade fee. He then got upset when I asked to see a print out of my bill prior to paying (we had extras). I was told that he’d called out the items so why the need for a bill. I said yes, but I wanted to check prices and it’s common practice to see an itemized bill rather than just a total on a card machine. A bill was eventually printed and I paid it in full. In the process Ivan got angry that I suggested that he change the website to point out that the Dining Service mentioned is not available on Wednesday and Thursday evenings. His response was a very sarcastic: “Didn’t you read your 2 confirmation emails which make this clear”. He didn’t accept that for many people that confirmation is too late as payment will have already been made before receiving that detail! Anyway – there was an exchange over walkie-talkie and the next minute my travel companion and I were being escorted out of the office to our rooms for immediate removal from the hotel ( check out deadline hadn’t yet been reached). The man who was escorting us went on ahead and burst unannounced into the room where the ladies were sitting. He walked out for a moment and then went back in and shouted: “Out now. Get out. You go now” The ladies were intimidated as they didn’t know who this man was and what was happening and were visibly shaken and upset by this treatment. To summarise – undoubtedly a beautiful place as advertised but customer service was non-existent from Ivan who was like a spoilt child with zero understanding on service in the hospitality industry. Check when you book which days Ivan is working as otherwise you might end up being made very unwelcome and even intimidated. Because of that risk I would NOT RECOMMEND and my search for a venue for family birthdays and anniversary next year continues