This warm and welcoming traditional house has been completely renovated and extended,
with sloping ceilings, natural wooden beams, wrought iron window grilles and terracotta
floors.
Sitting on the top of a small hill at the end of the small Spanish hamlet of Los Nogales, the surroundings are pretty and unspoilt, with cultivated fields and pasture lands,
goats grazing contentedly here and there against a backdrop of distant mountain
ranges.
The views, over the Montes de Málaga, La Sierra de las Nieves and the villages of the Guadalhorce valley are superb. You can see the glittering Mediterranean Sea in the distance
and on a clear day, you can see right across to Africa.
Children will love it here. The well maintained gardens include both lawn and
rockery features, there is a built-in barbecue and, of course, the inviting
swimming pool which is gated for extra peace of mind. And beyond the property
there is a whole world of lovely Spanish countryside to explore. Adults
will be equally content, perhaps relaxing on the terrace, watching the goats pass
by on their way to their pastures.
With five bedrooms, four bathrooms, central heating, satellite TV, et al,
it is well equipped and comfortable. Cleverly
designed and nicely furnished, it has been finished with an attractive mix of
wood and iron, locally made ceramics and colour washed walls.
Downstairs there are two sitting rooms as well as a dining room. Both the main
salon and the dining room have feature fireplaces. The country-style kitchen is
fully fitted with all modern appliances including fridge, freezer, dishwasher,
microwave and a washing machine. There is one double bedroom on this floor, accessed
via the second living room. One bathroom serves the ground floor. It's all very
spacious, roomy and relaxing.
Upstairs are four more bedrooms, a double
and a twin, both of which have en-suite bathrooms, plus two more doubles which
share a bathroom between them.
Los Nogales is an authentic Andaluz farming
hamlet. It doesn't even have a bar, never mind a shop! The
nearest are 1.5 kilometres away in the little village
of La Joya. Amenities here include a grocer's, a bakery, a chemist and that
all important tapa bar.
It is
just a 15 minute drive from here to Antequera, one of Andalucia's prettiest towns.
Antequera dates back to Moorish times, the castle ruins providing a dramatic backdrop
to the town below. Steeped in history it has some excellent shops,
especially for leather goods and ceramics. The entire Andalucia motorway
network links here, just outside the town, so day trips to Sevilla, Ronda, Córdoba
and Granada are all possible from here.
Locally there are the attractions of the turquoise clear waters of the lakes and gorges of El Choro, the Fuente de Piedra lake - home to more than 5,000
pink flamingos, the Roman Spa baths of Carratraca, where you can spend a day taking
the waters, and Málaga too, often overlooked but which has a delightful
"old town". Beyond Málaga, the resort towns of the Costa del Sol beckon.
