Situated in its own extensive estate, this beautiful country house offers seclusion and peace, away from all the rest.
Surrounded by the most gorgeous countryside, the only sounds are birdsong, perhaps a goat bell or two, and laughter from your pool.
The road from Gaucín to Colmenar (also known as Estacion de Gaucín) is a pretty drive through the mountains, into a wooded valley lined with broad leaved trees of oak and chestnut. On descent, the delightful greenery of the woodlands gradually gives way to rolling countryside and fields more typically Spanish with olive trees and almonds.
Gaucín and all its attractions is not far, but this little journey takes you away from everyone else, slightly off the beaten track, to somewhere a little more undiscovered and a bit more special.
Off this quiet road is a large and grand country house, set in its own private estate of 70,000 square metres. The entrance is directly off the road through electric security gates, up a 100m concrete drive to the courtyard. The house is built along the lines of a Spanish country estate house and was completed in 2007.
From the cobbled courtyard to the vast entrance hall, everything about this house speaks of luxury and space.
True to the hacienda style, you arrive at an imposing cobbled courtyard with a majestic palm tree and enter by a nail-studded, wooden door. The courtyard water feature is a traditional Spanish design for watering horses in times gone by. Through the archway to the left is a formal garden with fruit trees and an interesting feature of an old-style bread oven in the corner.
The grand entrance hall has rooms leading off it with the marble staircase to the bedrooms rising up. The beautiful stone floor, which continues throughout the house, is a testament to the high quality of all the furnishing details. The house is decorated throughout in soft, neutral colours – the effect is tasteful and spacious. On the ground floor to the right of the entrance hall, is a small salon, cosy with a wood-burning stove and three sofas. It’s an ideal den to escape to for peace and quiet, away from the other house activities.
There are five bedrooms, every one of top quality, how will you choose?
On coming up the stairs from the entrance hall, you are met with a mezzanine study area with a large desk, set in the window with views to the sea. This study area overlooks the main living room like a minstrel’s gallery. The openness of the living room, from floor to ceiling gives a sense of space and freedom, further enhanced by the uncluttered furnishing style.
Seating in the living room is provided by a number of comfortable armchairs and classic sofas arranged around an open fireplace with a glass-fronted wood burner. The living room has views to the patio and the pool terrace, which in turn has an amazing panoramic vista to the Mediterranean and Gibraltar beyond. A large, flat screen TV is provided for entertainment.
Staying on this first floor are two bedrooms: one double and one twin bedded. The double bedroom has a balcony terrace overlooking the pool area and a railed window on the other side of the bedroom overlooking the side garden. Opposite this bedroom is a dressing room area with extensive wardrobes.
Although not en suite for the double bedroom, the bathroom next door is beautiful as well as being huge. Boasting a full size bathtub with marble surround, set in a window overlooking the pool and with the amazing views to the sea, you can wallow in complete decadence.
The big, walk-in shower is an unusual circular design tiled with stone-coloured mosaics. With its crystal light fittings, circular window and twin basins, its a luxurious bathroom to enjoy all day!
The second bedroom on this floor is a twin bedded room overlooking the entrance courtyard. French windows open to a balcony terrace with pastoral views to the mountains in the direction of El Colmenar. This bedroom also has a walk-in dressing area and has the benefit of en suite bathroom facilities with walk-in shower, basin, wc and bidet. Another terrace from this bathroom overlooks the charming orange tree patio.
The right-hand wing of the house accommodates the remaining bedrooms. The third double bedroom suite has twin beds, with windows to the palm tree patio in the front entrance on one side and to El Colmenar and mountains on the other side. Built-in wardrobes are arranged along one wall. This bedroom has the benefit of en suite facilities with a large walk-in shower, wc, bidet and basin.
The fourth double bedroom also has twin beds with a balcony terrace to the mountains and French windows overlooking the citrus tree patio. The en suite bathroom has a full bath tub and mixer shower, sink, bidet, wc and heated towel rail.
From top to bottom, the house has been designed for convenience and luxury, cooking's no chore, but relaxing is even easier!
Down eight steps from the bedroom wing is the final bedroom. This fifth bedroom, on a ground floor level, is a double bedroom suite with a sofa and armchair. Its en suite facilities comprise a large walk-in shower, basin with marble surround, wc, heated towel rail and delicate crystal light fittings. The bedroom leads directly to the veranda and onto the citrus-tree patio. Imagine … waking up and coming to sit under the wisteria here, shaded from the Spanish sun, drinking in the morning mountain view.
Continuing the tour of the ground floor, there’s plenty of room in the kitchen. The high quality kitchen has an island food preparation area (and sink in the island). There’s also a double sink with a shower tap fitting, lots of pans, utensils and crockery. The breakfast table in the kitchen seats six. A walk-in pantry for storage leads off the kitchen and a separate room leads to a laundry courtyard with washing line and access to a Miele washing machine and tumble dryer. For convenience, there is small cloakroom close by with a wc and basin.
The villa has beautiful spaces for eating inside, outside, with family, with friends, always with fun.
From the kitchen, the sunlit-filled dining room has a grand, chunky table seating 10, an open fireplace, corner bureau and dresser. The clear views to the lawned pool area are through large, French windows and there is direct access to the pool-side veranda. Although smartly formal, this room could equally be perfect for a family dinner on a summer’s night with the doors open to the veranda and the night-lit pool glowing in the dark.
The pool terrace with direct access from the living room, has a wide, shaded veranda which more than comfortably accommodates dining and lounging furniture. The dining table comfortably seats six, but there are extra chairs if needed, and there is also a circular table with four chairs. The rattan settee has matching armchairs around a coffee table, perfect for relaxing in the shade with drinks and reading material. You can keep an eye on what’s going on in the pool without having to stir from the comfort of your sofa.
The panoramic views from the pool are just incredible. On a clear day nothing disturbs your view, across the mountains to the sea and the Moroccan Rif.
The garden is a delightful place for children to play in, with soft grass and lots of space to run around. A stone path in the lawn leads from the veranda to the beautiful aquamarine swimming pool. The pool is a magnificent 12m long and is accessed by shallow steps along one side, ideal for young ones or timid older ones. The pool has swim jets, it can be heated for cooler months, and it’s night lit for romantic dips under the stars. Parasols and sun beds are provided but shade is also given by a big two hundred year old alcornoque (cork oak) tree at one end of the pool. The south facing side of the house, be it bedroom, veranda, garden or pool commands the most wonderful panorama to the Mediterranean.
Another thing to mention about the house is that it has two big garages doubling up as a ground floor basement area. And last but not least, from this area, are the pristine family-sized sauna facilities with its own walk-in shower and the small gym, sporting a small selection of equipment including static bike and cross trainer. The rest of the house can be accessed from the sauna, upstairs via stone steps.
Situated between Gaucín and El Colmenar, you have two very different villages to visit. One is cosmopolitan with a vibrant artistic community, the other is more traditionally Spanish and much less visited. The narrow gauge railway (built in the 1890s) from Ronda to Algeciras, runs through El Colmenar, giving it its alternative name ‘Estacion de Gaucín’. Why not take a train trip along this romantic route and experience the mountain scenery along the way!
There are plenty of other great trips to do while on holiday in this area. For beach-lovers, sandy Sabinillas is only 45 minutes away and Marbella, with its international reputation for glamour and nightlife, is an hour. Various sports are catered for, from local horse riding, nearby golf courses, windsurfing at Tarifa, and scuba diving on the coast.
For those who want to experience the culture of Andalucía, historical Ronda is a nearby ‘must see’, as are Jerez and Sevilla, a little further afield, but well worth the journey.
"Words almost fail me! This is without doubt the most well appointed & beautiful rental property we have ever stayed in."
The outdoor swimming pool is open throughout the year and is solar heated which should extend the usual April to September period of usage by a few weeks at either end (but is dependent on weather).
The gardener comes to the property between 7,30am and 9,00am so as not to disturb your stay.
A welcome pack is provided on arrival.
A weekly change of linen and towels is included for rentals of more than one week.
Rentals for this property run from Saturday to Saturday.
Catering and baby sitting services can be organised on request. Please contact our staff for additional details when booking.
Please, no smoking indoors.
The villa is available throughout the year with standard central heating and under floor heating included in the price for winter rentals. Additional Heating, if needed, can be requested at a cost of €150 per week paid locally.
If you would like to use the air conditioning during the summer, please note that there is an additional charge of €250 per week which is payable locally.
RB/VTAR/MA/01441
| 2023 Season Dates | Sleeping up to 10 per week | Sleeping up to 10 per fortnight |
|---|---|---|
| 4th February to 31st March | 3,800 € | 7,600 € |
| 01st April to 8th April | 4,950 € | 9,900 € |
| 08th April to 26th May | 4,140 € | 8,280 € |
| 27th May to 30th June; | 4,950 € | 9,900 € |
| 01st July to 01st September | 6,100 € | 12,200 € |
| 02nd September to 29th September | 4,950 € | 9,900 € |
| 30th September to 27th October | 4,140 € | 8,280 € |
| 28th October to 22nd December | 3,800 € | 7,600 € |
| 2024 Season Dates | Week | Fortnight |
|---|---|---|
| Prices Pending | — | — |
In open countryside, 7 km from Gaucin (most facilities) in the Ronda Mountains region (Province of Málaga).
