A ten
minutes drive along the little lane which runs from the spectacularly situated village of Comares through the pretty countryside to Colmenar, will bring you to this magnificent villa, a wonderful haven of peace and tranquility set within its own three acre estate of almond and olive dotted hillsides.
Just 40 minutes from Málaga, it's nevertheless beautifully rural here and completely private too, with views extending far and wide across a delightful vista of hills, dales and distant mountain ranges. It's a lovely spot, one where only the soft sound of clinking goat bells or the breeze rustling through the trees will interrupt its pastoral serenity.
And the villa does this location proud, too. Built to the owners exacting specifications, it demonstrates a flair for design and furnishing which is truly exceptional. The result is fabulous, a villa which combines the best of traditional and modern comforts, one which blends together classy European modernity with some outstandingly beautiful furnishings from Bali and other exotic Far Eastern locations.
One enters from the recently planted garden which surrounds the villa (there's maple, jacaranda, magnolia, red plumb and false pepper trees, to name but a few) through lovely "Alhambra style" wooden doors to the entrance lobby. To the right this opens to a large, stylish and superbly equipped kitchen. The owner has a great passion for cooking and this is reflected in the way she has designed and equipped it. There is plenty of working space as well as everything you need to create highly imaginative dishes, should you wish to.
An L-shaped room, the kitchen opens through to the dining area which comfortably seats six around its wooden table. Double doors also open to an outside dining area under the shade of a cane awning. This is a lovely space to take your meals al fresco, with bench seating and wrought-iron chairs around an antique Javanese circular table. There's soft lighting for those romantic evenings and splendid views of the mountains through it's big "open" windows.
Both the entrance hall and the kitchen / diner also open through to the really delightful living room. Light floods in from the huge picture window (and with surrounding mountains and distant villages to look out to, it's quite a picture!), setting off elegant white sofas which are arranged in front of a beautiful Chinese wooden chest which serves perfectly as the coffee table.
Another exquisite import, this one from Bali, a stone carving of Mother Earth, looks down benignly over the room which has a delightfully calm, cool and serene ambience. White predominates, perfectly setting off the lovely old terracotta floor tiles and other fittings which include teak cupboards from Indonesia and a more traditionally Spanish glass-fronted wood burning stove.
There is a CD player / radio which will also connect to your ipod or MP3 player. Lighting has been carefully designed to create subtle highlights in all the right places and includes gentle LED's which can be left on all night long, a very useful detail in a house one is not familiar with. There is WiFi internet access throughout the property.
All walls are double insulated and all windows double glazed, thus ensuring that the villa keeps beautifully cool in summer, warm and comfortable in winter. As well as the wood burner, there are also convection heating panels in all rooms to keep everything nice and cosy. In summer, the security blinds come in handy too; drop these down whilst you are out for the day and everything will stay as cool as a cucumber, whatever the temperature outside. And all doors and windows have retractable mosquito nets built in, so you can enjoy the breezes which freshen up even the hottest of mid summer days. All three bedrooms have air conditioning.
There are two bedrooms on the ground floor, separated by a lovely shower room with a mosaic stone-tiled floor. The double bedroom is painted in soft blue/grey and features a 1.5 x 2 m bed (which, like all the beds and bedding here is of the highest quality), antique wooden wardrobe doors and access to the rear terrace and swimming pool.
The second bedroom (painted in soft beige) has two single beds (which can be joined together if preferred) and it also serves as a TV lounge because the beds are equally comfortable as sofas. The flat screen 32" Philips TV is wall mounted and connects to a DVD player as well as receiving Freeview UK channels via satellite.
The master bedroom is upstairs. And quite a bedroom it is too, starting at the doorway which is actually a wonderfully intricate temple carving from Bali. The double bed is a splendid Indonesian one. A balcony window looks down over the swimming pool and the room opens at the front to a fittingly attractive, large en-suite bathroom.
There is also access from upstairs to a huge sun terrace with magnificent views of the countryside all around.
As cool, calm and delightful as everything is indoors, the magnificent pool and its surrounding terraces and garden will be most peoples favourite place! At the rear of the house, it is accessed through security gates, so the whole area can easily be kept out of reach of young children.
A large shaded terrace runs along the length of the villa, looking out to the pool and sun terrace beyond. An ideal spot to sip your gin and tonic whilst watching the fun and frolics going on in the pool, if that all gets too much for you, the extra wide, built-in day beds are perfect for taking a little nap!
The pool, with its beautifully tiled surround, is L-shaped, with a child's shallow pool in the foot of the L (3m x 2 m) where the crystal clear water is just 0.7 m deep. From here steps go down into the pool proper which is 8 m x 4 m and 1.45 - 1.8 m deep. There's plenty of sunbathing space surrounding the pool, attractively planted areas beyond and hillsides of olives and almonds rising up all around. An irresistible spot!
There are several pretty villages around and about, the nearest being Comares, a village of authentic character and spectacular views. The timeless countryside of La Axarquía and the even more dramatic mountain terrain of the Montes de Málaga and Sierras de Tejeda National Parks are all close at hand, just waiting to be explored.
Further afield, Granada (and its world famous Alhambra Palace) is not to be missed. Another very popular day out is the Water Park at Velez Malaga, only 30 minutes drive away. Just a little further along the coast is Nerja with its sweeping Mediterranean views, coves and beaches of powdery sand and sparkling clear water. All major water sports are available here, including water-skiing, scuba diving and sailing.
Whichever direction you head off to, one thing is for sure: you will be returning to one of the most comfortable and relaxing villas in Southern Spain. One that offers exceptional quality and class.
