Hot tub delivery in Mallorca: access, stairs and cranes

Delivery is the part of buying a hot tub that nobody thinks about until the week before. In Mallorca it deserves thought earlier, because the island has narrow side passages, stepped gardens, old-town streets built for donkeys and plenty of terraces that can only be reached from above. Our price includes delivery and standard installation with ground-level access. This guide explains what that means in practice, when a crane is needed, what it costs, and how the day runs.

How a hot tub travels

A hot tub does not move flat. It is strapped on its side onto a wheeled dolly, so the footprint while moving is its height by its length. A Cala 6 at 215 × 215 × 90 cm becomes a panel roughly 100 cm wide and 215 cm tall rolling along your path.

The rule of thumb: the route needs to be about 10 cm wider than the tub's height, all the way from the truck to the final spot. For most of our range that is 95–105 cm; the Mar 7 at 95 cm high and 240 cm long is the biggest panel we roll. Height clearance needs to be the tub's length plus a little, so 2.2–2.5 m under any arch, pergola beam or branch.

Swim spas are the exception. They are 225 cm wide and 140–150 cm high and cannot be tipped on their side. They always arrive by crane.

Measuring the route

Walk the route from where a 7.5-tonne truck can park to where the tub will sit, with a tape measure, and note the narrowest point. Common pinch points:

• Garden gates, especially ornamental iron ones at 90 cm.
• Side passages between the house and the boundary wall, often 85–95 cm, sometimes narrowed further by a gas meter box or a downpipe.
• Doorways if the tub has to pass through the house. Interior doors at 70–80 cm do not work; double doors or a 160 cm terrace slider do.
• Corners. A 90-degree turn in a 1 m passage needs extra width at the corner, because a 2.2 m panel has to swing round.
• Overhead: pergola beams, balcony undersides, olive branches.

Send us the measurements and photos of each pinch point. The alternative is finding out on delivery morning.

Gates, side passages and what counts as difficult

If the narrowest point is at least the tub height plus 10 cm, flat and without steps, that is standard access and costs nothing extra.

If the route is tight, has one or two steps, a soft lawn, a slope, or needs a gate lifted off its hinges, that is difficult access, priced at €250–350. It means more people, more time, boards on the ground and sometimes a temporary ramp.

If the route is narrower than the tub height, has a flight of stairs, or the only way in is over a wall, the answer is a crane.

Stairs and steps

One or two steps are manageable with ramps and extra hands. A full flight of stairs is not: at 290–560 kg dry and on its side, the tub cannot be carried up safely. Raised terraces reached only by exterior stairs, split-level gardens and basement courtyards all mean a crane.

Old-town streets and parking permits

Deliveries in the old centres of Palma, Pollença, Sóller, Alcúdia and the hill villages have their own logistics. The streets are often too narrow for the truck, there is nowhere to park, and access is restricted by hours or to residents (ACIRE in Palma).

What we do: use a smaller vehicle for the last stretch where needed, and apply to the council for a street occupation permit for delivery morning if a truck or crane has to stand in it. Permits take a few days to a couple of weeks depending on the town, so tell us early if you are in a historic centre. Some councils also set delivery windows, often early morning.

When a crane is needed

A crane is the normal solution for:

• Side passages narrower than 95 cm with no other way round.
• Terraces above street level reached by stairs.
• Roof terraces.
• Houses on the street with the garden behind and no side access.
• Any swim spa, without exception.

The crane lifts the tub in slings from the truck, over whatever is in the way, and lowers it onto the prepared base while our installers guide it. The lift itself takes 15–30 minutes once the crane is set up.

What a crane costs

Crane costs depend on reach, not on the weight of a hot tub, which is light for a crane. A standard truck-mounted crane reaching up to 15 m horizontally covers most villas and townhouses and costs €450–650 including the operator and time on site. When the lift has to reach further, over a wide house to a back garden or up to a fourth-floor roof terrace, a larger crane with a longer boom costs €900–1,500.

These are the prices the price builder adds for crane delivery. Street occupation permits, where needed, are separate and depend on the council.

Crane over the house

Lifting over the house is routine. The crane parks in the street, extends its boom over the roof ridge and sets the tub down in the garden behind. Whether a 15 m crane is enough depends on the horizontal distance from where the crane can stand to where the tub lands, plus the height it has to clear. A typical two-storey townhouse with a 10 m deep plot is well within 15 m. A finca with a wide house and the terrace 20 m back is not, and that is when the larger crane comes in. The crane also needs firm ground for its outriggers; a gravel drive may need steel plates, which the crane company brings if we warn them.

Swim spas always need a crane

A Nedar 5.2 is 520 × 225 × 150 cm and weighs 1,800 kg empty. It arrives on a flatbed, is lifted off by crane and placed directly on its slab. No swim spa delivery avoids this. The upside is precise placement, because the crane holds it while our team checks level and position. For the 5.9 m Nedar 5.9 Dual the crane also needs room to swing a 6 m load clear of walls and trees, so we check the lift path on the site visit.

Raised and roof terraces

Roof terraces combine two questions: can the slab take the weight, and can the crane reach. The weight question needs a structural opinion before you order. The crane question depends on the height of the building and how close the crane can park. A first-floor terrace in a townhouse is a standard 15 m crane job. A fourth-floor roof terrace in Santa Catalina usually needs the larger crane and a street permit for a morning. Raised garden terraces built up on marès stone walls above a driveway are often the same: too high for a ramp, easy for a crane.

What to clear before delivery day

The more that is ready, the better the day goes:

• The base is finished, level and cured; new concrete needs a week.
• The electrical line is in place with the RCD fitted, terminated near the tub's equipment side, and tested. We connect the tub on the day; we do not run the cable.
• The route is clear: pots moved, gates unlocked, cars off the drive, branches tied back.
• A hose reaches the spot. Filling a Cala 6 means 1,350 litres and about an hour.
• Someone is home who can decide.
• For a crane: the street in front is clear of parked cars, and neighbours know about the noise and the brief blockage.

Timeline on the day

A standard ground-level delivery takes two to three hours. Our team walks the route, lays boards where needed, rolls the tub in, sets it on the base, checks level, connects the electrics and starts filling. While it fills we fit the cover, lifter and steps, and go through the controls with you. A crane delivery takes three to four hours in total, with the crane on site for roughly an hour. Heating from cold tap water to 38 °C takes 12–20 hours depending on model and season, so a morning delivery means your first soak is the following evening.

Before you order

The access route is the first thing we check on a site visit, and it is why we ask for photos before quoting. Measure the narrowest point, look for stairs, and tell us whether the terrace is above street level. The price builder on our site adds difficult access or crane delivery to any model so the total you see is realistic, and our installation guide covers the base and electrical line that need to be ready before the truck arrives.