A perfectly appointed, charming, peaceful, well equipped little cottage (it’s quite cosy for a growing family – you’d better all get on!) with fabulous amenities — even a sharp kitchen knife and a blender — and a kind, respectful and responsive host.
The location is good for those wishing to be close to a village yet rural. The village itself makes for a delightful, if hilly!, paseo of an evening through pretty, winding streets and has a few lovely restaurants, but is not very lively in late August and you need to be there after 7-8pm to really get a sense of local life. There are two decent supermarkets but for a big hypermarket you’ll have to travel 45mins+. The castle at the top is the only real landmark there and provides a great view of the landscape. You can’t quite see Africa, but the coastal wind farms are visible.
We took a couple of day trips: to Ronda (5*, highly recommended), 1.5hrs away, and to Tarifa (worth it), 1hr 10 mins away. Both made for very pleasant diversions.
The pool and tennis court area is not right next the the house but a steep climb up the hill (approx 60m away) which put me off at first but in the end did not matter. If you have small children it may be tricky having to clamber between house and pool for trips to the loo and forgotten sunglasses etc, but with older kids (aged 9-13) whom it was safe to leave in the pool alone, it did not bother us. Also, there is a fridge and a rudimentary kitchen unit up by the pool so we were able to store drinks and snacks up there which significantly reduced the number of trips needed to the house.
Top features in my view:
* the aircon in bedrooms
* the large and perfect-temperature pool
* the pool-side fridge
* pool-side basic kitchen set up (cupboard with utensils, sink, bin and cups)
* BEAUTIFUL handmade poolside dining table
* fantastic, handbuilt barbecue
* charmingly wonky tennis court and tennis equipment
* vastly superior pillows and comfy sofas
* excellent WiFi
* vultures n eagles soaring overhead
* ping pong table
* and especially the generous household supplies — plentiful soft towels, loo paper, and even emergency sun cream — including a lovely welcome pack of food and beer left by the host!
* Special mention for the nearby river @5mins’ walk, a haven for tiny frogs and kids who like to catch them. ‘Going frogging’ became our go-to afternoon diversion.
We were genuinely sorry to leave. Absolutely worth every star!