Property Description
This immaculately restored farmhouse has real style. The owner is an accomplished designer with exemplary good taste and creative flair; here she has combined traditional with contemporary in a truly brilliant way. The result is absolutely fabulous.
The longer you stay here, the better it gets. The attention to detail, imaginative colour schemes, subtle lighting, beautiful furnishings, fantastic photographs (all originals) … it all adds up to a house of the very highest quality which is both extremely comfortable and compellingly romantic. Immaculately maintained, everything is kept in pristine order by the English housekeeper who lives (with his partner) in a separate wing of the property.
It's delightfully situated too, just off a little country lane, a few kilometres from the lovely hilltop town of Jimena de la Frontera. Views extend over rolling hillsides of gentle farmland to a backdrop of distant mountains. It's a classic pastoral scene and really peaceful. Well, most of the time, anyway … there is a bit of a racket for a couple of minutes, early each evening, when the black pigs who reside on the hillside opposite realise that it's feeding time!
Deep in the countryside, yet it's very easy to get around and about from here. The house is only 20 minutes by car to Sotogrande and the beaches of the Costa del Sol. Tarifa on the Costa de la Luz is less than an hour away. Inland, pretty Gaucín is a 20 minute drive with historic Ronda another 40 minutes beyond.
Electric security gates open to the estate's short driveway, which climbs gently up a hillside lined with olive trees and colourful flowerbeds to the villa's entrance gates. Here there's shaded parking (for two cars) alongside a giant mulberry tree. Lawns run down the gentle slopes to meadow lands below, rustically fenced off from the gardens. This is home to two young donkeys and their mother, as well as two beautiful Shetland ponies; they all enjoy being fed fruit and vegetables by young children!
One enters to a splendid Andaluz patio, with the villa, gleaming white under its lovely, weathered old terracotta roof tiles, extending around it on three sides. Planted with fragrant lemon and palm trees, this is a lovely space with intricate tiling, a Moroccan dining table and chairs, night lighting and a quietly trickling, mosaic glass fountain at its centre. Beautifully crafted, ornately carved antique wooden doors open into the villa.
A cool, serene entrance hall under its traditional beamed ceiling leads through to a state-of-the-art modern kitchen, complete with Bulthaup and Gaggenau appliances. These include a built-in coffee machine, steam oven, regular oven, huge electric hob, dishwasher and American-style fridge/freezer/icemaker. Even a celebrity chef will be happy creating something special here!
Beyond the kitchen is the living / dining room … a huge and wonderful room full of interest under its splendid, high beamed ceiling. Attractions are manifold: beautiful original black-and-white photographs and prints adorn white walls and make such an impact that you barely notice the enormous flat screen, wall-mounted plasma TV screen (free-to-view system). Plump, white sofas are gathered around a huge log fireplace and other armchairs and a chaise-long are casually placed here and there, offering colourful contrast.
There are classy antique furniture pieces and a splendidly ornate silver and purple pool table too! Lighting is soft, subtle and imaginative. The music system has ipod connectivity, its quality speakers built into the walls. Doors open on one side to the patio, on the other side French windows look out to the gardens, the meadow below and the mountains beyond.
And worth a mention that you can enjoy your music just about anywhere here: there are speakers (with ipod connection) by the pool, on the dining terrace and in the two larger bedrooms as well as in the living room.
At the far end of the living room a short corridor leads to two of the bedrooms. The first is a really pretty double (the bed is king-sized of course!), with a lovely en-suite walk-in shower room which features handmade mosaic flooring and Moroccan-style polished plaster walls, all in delightful shades of turquoise. The bedroom is big, with plenty of space for its antique bookshelf and walk-in wardrobe. Double doors open to the garden.
Next comes the master bedroom and it's even bigger, even better! White is the theme colour here, offset by occasional splashes of bright orange and subtle turquoise, augmented by romantic lighting. There's a fireplace in the corner and doors out to the garden but what will probably take your eye first is the hand carved, freestanding marble bath which sits in a corner by the fireplace. It's gorgeous!
This bedroom also features a king-sized double bed and an en-suite mosaic bathroom with walk-in shower. The polished plaster walls in this one are painted a beautiful blue. There are fitted wardrobes and, in the corridor just outside, plenty of extra storage space.
Returning to the entrance hall, on its other side there is another, equally attractive shower room / W.C. (this one with polished plaster walls of bottle green). As elsewhere in the property, power showers are standard and the water pressure is excellent. All bathroom have underfloor heating and fittings of the highest quality.
Alongside is a small but very sweet single bedroom ideal for a child or, perhaps, a nanny.
A short flight of steps lead up to the only part of the house which is not at ground floor level, the original bell tower which has two single beds, a wardrobe and desk, and has lovely elevated views over the pool from its balcony windows.
The other side of the villa is all about out-door-living, carefully designed to enjoy the very best that rural Andalucía has to offer. A wide and very comfortably furnished covered terrace (with a large, solid wood dining table as well as sofa seating) runs along the length of the property. This opens to the large area of lawn which winds all the way around the property, a perfect place for children to play.
Views, of course, extend from here over the hills on the other side of the valley to the mountains. It's very pretty. Beyond the wide lawn, there is an organic garden where salad, herbs, tomatoes and vegetables are grown. Bird watchers will enjoy seeing all sorts of migratory birds - hoopoes, swallows, eagles, vultures - and in spring the meadows are full of wild flowers.
And then there's the swimming pool … oh, what a beauty! It's massive, 10 m x 10 m, with steps in at the shallow end, 2.5 m deep at the other. It has a salt filtration system, there is a pool shower to the side and its cobalt blue waters are utterly irresistible! A wide sun terrace alongside is protected from any breeze by a high wall and is furnished with good quality loungers.
Lying under the Spanish sun is, as we all know, hard and thirsty work but just a few short steps will take you to the chiringuito (the pool bar and barbecue) which has a dishwasher, fridge and ice maker for those all important refreshments! There is night lighting and a music system (with iPod connection) for the terrace and barbecue area. The pool lights up at night too.
The pool is fenced and gated on this, lower side. Behind, more lawns and lots of mature trees - olive, fig, almond, pomegranate, eucalyptus and citrus among them - climb up the estate grounds. Access to the pool from here isn't gated but it would be quite a trip for a youngster to get around to here.
Across the lawn, a few steps down from the pool area, is the casita (guest cottage). This is self contained with a large double bedroom, en-suite bathroom with walk-in shower, a small but fully-appointed kitchen and a comfortable living room. There is a small private terrace at the back. The living room has plasma TV and a music system with iPod docking.
There is a separate laundry room and drying area to the side of the guest cottage.
There is air conditioning throughout the main house, although rarely needed because inland Andalucía enjoys such a dry climate with very little oppressive humidity. It may come in useful in the height of summer. The house is also fully centrally heated. Note, however, when using the central heating or air conditioning, that electricity consumed will be charged to you (at cost price) at the end of your stay.
Jimena, just ten minutes drive from here, is one of the most charming of Andalucia's small towns, its 13th Century Moorish castle presiding over the pretty town houses, tapa bars, restaurants and churches which climb up the hillside. It's now famous for its annual International Music Festival (in early July), with renown artists like Paco de Lucia performing.
Just outside Los Alcornocales Natural Park, it is surrounded by the stunning landscapes that make up Europe’s largest cork oak forest. There is plenty of scope for rambling and horse riding here. If you head inland, the timeless beauty of some of Spain's most impressive Natural Parks awaits you. There are lots of charming towns and villages to discover along the way - Gaucín, Genalguacil and, further to the north, delightful old Ronda and the mountain village of Grazalema are all attractive, lovely places, well worth visiting.
If you don't want to take the car, try the wonderful, narrow gauge railway which runs from Jimena to Ronda, stopping at little white villages along the way. It's air-conditioned and you can even buy drinks on board! Further afield the great historic cities of Andalucía - Sevilla, Granada and Córdoba - are between two and three hours drive.
You can choose between Mediterranean beaches on the Costa del Sol or, just a little further away, the wilder beaches on Spain's Atlantic coast. Sotogrande and Tarifa are both popular choices for day trips. For golf enthusiasts, there are at least 25 top quality golf courses (including Valderrama, Sotogrande and San Roque) close by and, if you are looking for something really different, how about nipping over to Morocco for the day!
Wherever you go, whatever you do, you will always enjoy returning to the comfort, quality, good taste and superb style of this marvelous villa.
Contact Us
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00 34 958 763 381
Property Details
Ground Floor :
Entrance hall
Kitchen
Huge living / dining room
3 bedrooms :
2 doubles (with king sized beds), both with en-suite shower rooms (the master bedroom also has a handcrafted marble bath tub)
1 single (child's bedroom)
Shower room W.C
Shaded dining terrace (furnished)
Internal patio (furnished)
Gardens and Grounds
First Floor (tower room) :
1 twin bedroom
Guest Cottage :
Living room
Small kitchen
1 double bedroom with en-suite shower room/W.C
Private terrace
Laundry Room :
Washing machine, tumble dryer, iron & board
Pool Bar :
Equipped with gas barbecue, fridge, ice maker & dishwasher
Facilities
Satellite TV (Free to view) in the living room and also in the guest cottage • DVD • Music System (with iPod connectivity) in the living room, two bedrooms, in the guest cottage and also in the pool bar • Collection of DVD's • WiFi Internet (bring your own laptop) • Pool Table
Open fireplace in the living room • Central Heating throughout • Underfloor heating in all bathrooms • Air Conditioning throughout the main villa • Portable Fans
Steam oven • Regular (electric) oven • Electric hob (5 rings) • Microwave • American-style fridge / freezer / icemaker • Dishwasher • Toaster • Juicer • Kettle • Coffee machine • Cooking utensils • Cutlery • Crockery • There is also a fully equipped kitchen in the guest cottage (oven, 4 ring hob, dishwasher, fridge / freezer)
Washing Machine • Tumble Dryer • Iron & board
All linen is provided (including pool towels) • Hairdryer • Cot & Highchair available (on request)
Filtered (salt filtration) swimming pool (10 m x 10 m, 1.0 - 2.5 m deep) with night lighting; partly gated and fenced
Furnished pool bar / barbecue area (gas barbecue, fridge, ice maker & dishwasher) • Pool terrace • Sunbeds • Pool shower • Night lighting on the covered terrace, internal patio and pool bar • Gardens • Outdoor dining and garden furniture • Covered Parking • Security gates
Notes
The swimming pool is open throughout the year (although the normal swimming season is from April to September, inclusive)
A weekly change of linen and towels is included for rentals of more than one week
Garden and pool maintenence (each morning) is included
Electricity costs are not included. The meter will be read on arrival and departure and consumption charged at 0.15 euros per unit
Please note that the (English) housekeeper and his partner live discretely in a separate wing of the villa
Rentals for this property normally run from Saturday to Saturday
Location
In open countryside, 10 mins from Jimena de la Frontera (all facilities)
Gaucín 20 mins; Sotogrande 20 mins; Gibraltar 30 mins; Estepona 45 mins; Ronda 1 hr; Tarifa 1 hr; Málaga 1½ hrs; Jerez 2 hrs; Sevilla 2½ hrs
See the location map above
Airports
Gibraltar 30 mins; Málaga 1½ hrs; Jerez 2 hrs; Sevilla 2½ hrs
See our Links Page for web sites of airlines traveling to Andalucia from the UK.
Car Hire
We offer competitive rates for car hire from Málaga and other airports in Andalucia. Click here for full details
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About the La Costa del Sol
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