In a popular Majorcan tourist resort lies a series of apartments that have been occupied by squatters, and they are still have refusing to leave after five years.
Cala d’Or, often referred to as the ‘Golden Bay’, is a beautiful resort area on the southeast coast which is popular with tourists thanks to its stunning beaches, lively nightlife and warm climate.
According to Expedia, Cala d’Or, which attracts a mixed, international crowd of tourists, was the top travel spot for international travel in 2024″ followed by Palma.
However, the resort has been battling an underground problem, since 2020 squatters have occupied tourist apartments – which only first really came to light in autumn 2023.
Owner Jordi Chalé inherited a 218-bed hotel and three adjacent apartment blocks in Cala d’Or.
But there was a problem. All the apartments had squatters providing a massive headache for Mr Chalé.
Five years on and he has been unable to recover the apartments.
In September 2020 he reported usurpation and trespass to the Guardia Civil. “And here we are in 2025 trying to defend private property”, says Mr Chalé.
The owner says he cannot renovate, rent, or sell. Meanwhile he is still paying for water and electricity and has lodged more than a hundred reports. There is now a risk of the buildings collapsing.
One of the squatters even once attacked him “with a stone”, he claimed. Now when he goes to the apartments, he wears a Go-Pro camera. “It’s my insurance, as any attack would be recorded”, says Mr Chalé.
Mr Chalé has spent more than half a million euros thanks to the cost of lawyers, judicial procedures, boarding up premises and emptying them, surveillance and alarm systems.
However, there is some light at the end of the tunnel for the owner as there are now two legal proceedings against the last squatters which may put the five year nightmare to an end.
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