These two lovely rustic cottages are located in the midst of some of the prettiest countryside in Andalucía. With the dramatic and incredibly beautiful scenery of the Grazalema Natural Park all around and fabulous views over the river which flows through the lush valley immediately below, this is an authentic and joyously peaceful place to be.
Here, seven kilometres from the delightful village of Grazalema, just off the little country road which winds northwards through the hills from the village to Lake Zahara and then on to connect with the main A376 Ronda road, the cottages are easy to
get to (and the road is not a problem, there's very little traffic on it and what
there is will be traveling only slowly around the sharp and scenic bends).
Here you will immediately feel a part of life deep in the Andalusian
countryside. The two cottages are close enough together to make a wonderful holiday location for a larger group who can enjoy all the delights of this rural paradise, including the swimming pool.
Cottage sleeping four : A delightfully sweet cottage, as pretty as a picture! Inside, it is simply decorated but charming nonetheless, with its original cane and beam ceilings and tiled floors lending that all important rustic touch. One enters to a roomy living / dining room with a small kitchen corner and beyond a passageway leads through to two neatly decorated double bedrooms (one can be converted into a twin, if preferred) and to the bathroom.
Just outside the front door, a table and chairs and bench seating around the little
patio is a perfect place to take your breakfast in the early morning sunshine
or perhaps a cold beer at the end of the day. And just below the house, on the other side of the track, there is
a much larger terrace area where you can enjoy a barbecue, sitting around the
stone table there, under the welcome shade of the leafy trees.
From here,
steps go down to the little swimming pool (7 m x 3.5 m) with its lawned
surround and wonderful views down and across the valley.
Cottage sleeping six : Just a few metres further down the lane, this actually comprises two separate farm buildings, connected by a tinao (a covered terrace area). Both have been restored and renovated with great care, retaining all their inherent rustic charm. This is enhanced by carefully chosen, ancient farm implements and traditional furnishings, completely in keeping with property's country style. It isn't luxurious, just simply decorated but always with with care, pride and proper local understanding.
The cobbled tinao itself is a delightful outdoor space, with a dining table and chairs under the shade of its chestnut-beamed roof. It's typically Andaluz with lots of plants and interesting farm implements, even an old bread oven, to keep you company. To one side of this patio, a simply furnished beamed sitting room leads through to the three bedrooms. A double bedroom and a twin bedroom share a bathroom at one end; the second double bedroom and a second bathroom at the other end.
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On the other side of the patio is the main living / dining room with an open-plan kitchen area. Very attractive in it's rustic way, this room has fantastic views over the valley to the mountain peaks beyond, both from the double doors which open to a small furnished balcony / terrace on one side, and from the larger terrace at the front. This really is a quite wonderful spot, the views all encompassing, enhanced by the sounds of the river tumbling through its rocky bed far below and songbirds soaring up above. There's even a little fountain on the terrace itself. Paradise!
There's a multitude of things to do in the area, it's great walking and riding
country, pretty lanes wind (sometimes spectacularly) through the pine covered mountains
to the attractive "pueblos blancos" of Cádiz.
Grazalema is a wonderful - and very pretty - village in a truly sensational setting,
under and surrounded by the craggy limestone peaks of the Sierra de Grazalema.
A National Park, it's a part of Andalucia unlike any other and its rocky, rugged
terrain is both spectacular and beautiful. Other great cities of Andalucía
such as Ronda, Jerez and Cádiz, even Sevilla, are not so far away.
Mind
you, once you have discovered the timeless beauty of this lovely part of rural
Spain, it will take some persuading to get you back on the road! Right here you can stroll down to the river, deep in its shady,
rocky bed. And just to make your visit complete, the owners have created an ecological
garden where you are welcome to help yourselves to the fruit and vegetables.
As one client remarked, "this is a very special place to stay, peaceful and rustic. It felt like staying in someone's house whilst they were away rather than a typical let property. The owners were great, maintaining the pool very discretely and bringing bags of fresh produce from the garden. The house and whole surrounding area couldn't have been better. Fabulous!"
