Property Description
This is a lovely home - a real home lovingly cared for by its delightful English / Swedish owners. And its superbly situated too, just above the unspoiled Andalusian village of Restábal in the Lecrín Valley, midway between Granada to the north and the Mediterranean coast to the south. Both are just a 25 minute drive away.
The views from here are fabulous, over the pretty village, across the patchwork of cultivated fields and orange and lemon groves in the valley below to the snow capped peaks of Sierra Nevada which rises up dramatically across the horizon.
Just 150 metres up the hillside from the centre of the village, access couldn't be easier. One enters through the villa's gates to a gravel parking area outside (there is a garage alongside as well). All around the front gardens are a delight, richly planted with colourful flowers, shrubs and mature trees. A splendid palm tree sways gently in the breeze, orange, lemon, almond and olive trees surround the house and a fig tree delivers delicious fruit.
Built some 10 years ago, the style of the houses is modern yet suitably traditional with terracotta floors, wrought iron window grilles, wooden interior shutters, and Moorish roof tiles. The main living space is on the first floor and steps lead up from the gardens to the front door via an attractive sun terrace (furnished with a round Moroccan table and chairs and a large sunshade, great for drinks and taking in the view).
The open-plan living / dining room is, like the rest of the house, very comfortable and equipped with everything you could possibly need. A large 36 '' flat screen satellite TV receives both free-to-view programmes (BBC, ITV etc) and Spanish TV. Other electronics include DVD, VHS, a CD / Radio and an iPod docking station. There are lots of interesting books, board games and a medical box. The house is centrally heated throughout.
Lots of windows open to the splendid view over the village below to the mountains beyond. A three piece sofa, two easy chairs and an armchair are gathered around a glass coffee table. Behind these, the attractive wooden dining table comfortably seats six, eight at a pinch.
The room leads around a corner to a very well appointed kitchen (the owners are serious about their food and everything a chef would need is here, both for cooking and baking).
There are two bedrooms on this floor, the master double, with its king-sized bed and a pretty twin room. Both have en-suite walk-in shower rooms.
The third bedroom (also a twin with the beds pushed together) is downstairs with another bathroom (this one has a shower over a bath tub) alongside. A bed / sitting room with WiFi internet access (and a printer) has an easily assembled and comfy double sofabed, if required for a larger party of guests. The lower floor has its own entrance and a small kitchenette for added flexibility.
A door leads through to the garage which also doubles up as a laundry room (with washing machine, tumble dryer and iron & board).
Behind the house (with direct access from the main living room as well as by an external path which lead around property) is a really attractive, sunny dining terrace where, no doubt, you will enjoy many a relaxing meal under its leafy vine covering. For a bit of gentle exercise before retiring, you can adjourn to the boules court with its night lighting.
And you may need a little exercise if you have just had a meal cooked by Rosario, the lovely house keeper. She will, if you wish, cook delicious Spanish meals for you. Many clients, having tried her cooking on their first night, have immediately abandoned their plans for self-catering! The villa guest book is full of accolades to her cooking prowess.
A gated access will take you up to a higher terrace and the villa's crowning glory - its magnificent oval swimming pool taking centre stage. It's fabulous, approximately 15 m x 6 m with blue tiled mosaics. Grass surrounds and a wide bathing terrace offer plenty of sunbathing space and its completely private, courtesy of its high hedge of neatly trimmed poplars.
A shady eating / lounging area beckons when you have finished sunbathing. The pool is about 1.8 metres at its deepest, yet shallow enough for supervised splashing at the other end. And, wherever you are on this lovely terrace, you will enjoy the very best of the magnificent views over the valley towards the snow-capped Sierra Nevada.
Restábal is a small and still very authentic rural village located at an altitude of 550 metres near Lake Beznar in the Lecrín Valley. It's a 25-minute drive both to Granada to the north and through the mountains to the Mediterranean coast further south. It's only a small village of around 500 people but it has a restaurant, a bank, a coffee bar, a pharmacy and two minimarkets. Hiking up into the hillsides is a joy with trails to other villages and, from higher up, views which extend to the distant Mediterranean.
The surrounding countryside is a vast semi-tropical valley, filled with orange and lemon trees as well as olive, fig and almond trees. It's real Andalucía yet so close to sophisticated Granada and the Mediterranean coast. There are several other villages in the valley which offer shopping, restaurants, bars and lots of history.
The nearby village of Albuñuelas is the highest village in the valley, with a weekly market and several historic buildings, including a 14th Century Moorish Tower. Melegís offers two restaurants and holds the three-day festival of San Juan in late June. From Chite you can walk down to Lake Beznar. Talará contains the ruins of an Arab castle.
Dúrcal is the biggest - a small town these days - offering a weekly farmers' market, many stores, plenty of nightlife and access to the Sierra Nevada Parque Natural.
Granada is, of course, a beautiful Moorish city with the superb palaces and gardens of the Alhambra and the Generalife, the old Islamic/Jewish Quarter of the Albaicín, a wide variety of restaurants, theatres and cinemas, good shopping and many cultural pursuits as well as its own bullring.
You can drive to the picturesque Alpujarras or visit the magnificent Sierra Nevada with its world-class skiing less than an hour’s drive away. The ski station, located at an elevation of 2,100 metres, hosted the World Championships in 1997 and 2000 and has 19 lifts and 61 kilometres of pistes, plus extensive snow-making equipment.
The Mediterranean Coast is easily reached and offers beaches and seaside pleasures at many coastal villages and towns. The closest is Salobreña with Almuñecar and the pretty horseshoe bay of La Herradura beyond. Keep going along the Costa Tropical for the sandy beaches of Nerja and the Costa del Sol where Málaga and Marbella await you!
All this, and a delightful house in a lovely rural location to return to … it all adds up to a holiday of real quality.
Contact Us
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00 34 958 763 381
Property Details
Ground Floor :
Sitting Room (with a double sofabed)
Twin bedroom (beds pushed together)
Bathroom (shower over bath tub)
Kitchenette
Garage / Laundry room
Gardens and parking area
Boules Court
First (Main) Floor :
Living / Dining Room
Kitchen
2 bedrooms :
1
double bedroom (king-sized bed) with en-suite walk-in shower room
1
twin bedroom with en-suite walk-in shower room
Furnished sun terrace
Furnished dining terrace
Upper Pool Terrace :
Pool & gardens with a shaded eating / lounging area
Facilities
Satellite TV (Free-to-view and Spanish TV) • DVD • Radio / CD Player • iPod dock • WiFi Internet (bring your own laptop) • Printer • Selection of books, games and DVD's • Medical box
Central Heating throughout • Portable Fan
Electric Oven • Induction hob (4 rings) • Microwave • Fridge / freezer • Dishwasher • Toaster • Juicer • Kettle • Coffee maker • Breadmaker • Cooking utensils • Cutlery • Crockery
Washing Machine • Tumble Dryer • Iron & board
All linen is provided (including pool towels) • Hairdryer • Cot & Highchair • Baby bath
Gated, filtered swimming pool (oval shaped, 15 m x 6 m, 1.8 - 0.5 m deep) with underwater lighting
Pool terrace • Shaded pool area • Gardens • Night lighting • Sunbeds • Pool shower • Barbecue • Outdoor dining and garden furniture • Boules Court (with night lighting) • Garage and outdoor parking
Notes
Weather permitting, the swimming pool will be open throughout the year (although, because it's not heated, the normal swimming season is from April to September, inclusive)
The property is cleaned and linens changed weekly
Cooking and extra cleaning can be arranged on request (payable locally)
Please, no smoking in the house
Rentals for this property normally run from Saturday to Saturday in peak months. During the rest of the year rental starting and finishing days are flexible
Location
In open countryside, 150 metres from Restábal (only basic facilities); 10 km from Dúrcal (all facilities)
Granada 25 mins; Costa Tropical 25 mins; Sierra Nevada Ski Resort 45 mins; Malaga 2 hrs
See the location map above
Airports
Granada 35 mins; Málaga 2 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
Find Out More
About the El Valle de Lecrín
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