Superbly situated on the hillside above the little hamlet of Ermita Nueva,
this is a delightful holiday villa. The view from here
is inspirational, across the patchwork of fields in the valley below to
the mountain ranges of Jaén and Granada beyond, culminating in the dramatic,
snow-capped peaks of Sierra Nevada.
It is the most delightful of settings, a place very
much at peace with itself. This situation was the deciding factor for the English
owner (who has created some very beautiful houses in Spain during her 45
year love affair with the country) when she chose to build her home
here.
Spacious and very comfy, it's a lovely home which, although newly
built, achieves an old-time Spanish "hacienda" feel, exuding elegance, grace and class.
There
are original works of art everywhere, and some fabulous antiques too. But it's
not a design museum: it's a completely equipped and functioning house, warm and
friendly, the owner's favourite place in all Andalucía.
There
is private parking at the end of the driveway which leads off from the little
country road. All on one level, one enters through an attractive,
plant-filled central patio. The beautifully decorated and furnished main room
extends along the entire length of the house: at one end, the fully equipped kitchen,
at the other, the comfortable living space, with the dining area in between.
Doors
open to to a lovely, covered veranda with seating and dining alfresco,
a great place to relax, listen to the birdsong and gaze across the swimming pool
below, over the olive groves and cornfields in the mid-distance to the magnificent
sweep of mountains beyond.
From the main room, there is access to the
master, double bedroom, with en-suite bathroom. The second, twin bedroom (which
also has an en-suite bathroom) is accessed from the central patio, thus creating
its own independence.
Thick walls keep it beautifully cool in summer,
warm and cosy in winter. And just to make absolutely sure, there's central heating
throughout, as well as the cheering open fireplace around which the sofa and armchairs
are arranged.
Steps lead down the bank to the azure-blue waters of the
swimming pool just below the house. The terrace surround is equipped with sunloungers
and a table and chairs. This is a gorgeous, south-facing sun trap and, as elsewhere
on the property, is completely private. There are no near neighbours.
Ermita
Nueva is a charming rural hamlet which climbs up the hill, a village famous
for its delicious, plump cherries as well as its olives. Still an agricultural
area, the people here are friendly and the lifestyle remains unhurried. As yet, few
tourists have found their way to this part of Andalucía and welcomes are
warm and genuine. The village boasts a supermarket, a bakery and a couple of tapa bars.
Just below the village lies the main Granada to Córdoba road,
so from here it's very easy to visit either of these great cities. Granada is
just 40 kilometres to the south (little more than half an hour away by car), with
Córdoba some 120 kilometres to the northwest.
There
are some fantastic places to visit around and about, too: Montefrío and the
surrounding rural beauty of the Poniente Granadino lies to the southwest
of the house, a region which leads naturally on to the Subbética de
Córdoba, a lovely area of pretty villages set amongst rolling hills
and small mountains, a place to enjoy a glass or two of the local Montilla sherry.
Just five kilometres away is Alcalá La Real, a Moorish fortress town dominated by its magnificent 15th Century hilltop castle.
These days it's an unpretentious market town, with a handful of quite decent (and
very reasonable) restaurants.
And,
talking of restaurants, one of the very best in Andalucía, "El
Rey de las Copas", is to be found (albeit with a little difficulty) in
the village of Ribera Alta, just a few kilometres outside Alcalá.
Looking from the outside like just another dusty roadside bar, it's a different
story inside and thoroughly deserves its Michelin rating.
This is a beautiful home in a lovely - and completely authentic
- Andalusian setting, a great place just to "be". At the same time,
it's also a great place to come home to after a day out exploring the great historic
cities and countryside joys which are so close at hand.
As one of our clients said, "Many thanks. We had a great time in Spain. The villa is the best we have stayed in".
