Rustic elegance in a beguiling 18th century mill house
Just a few miles from Spain's Mediterranean coast, this wonderfully located villa nestles below limestone hills near the sleepy village of Manilva.
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Bedrooms
Six (two double, four twin bedded).
Pool
Private swimming pool
18m x 6m x 1.5-3m deep.
Location
Access is just off the main road, 4 km from Manilva in the Western Costa del Sol region (Province of Málaga).
Price
Sleeping 8 From 4,730 € to 9,190 € per week.
Sleeping 12 From 5,250 € to 9,190 € per week.
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Villa Description
Pretty as a peach
A splendid property in an equally impressive garden setting.
Just a few miles from Spain's Mediterranean coast a leafy valley cuts through the limestone hills beneath the sleepy village of Manilva, surrounded by vineyards of the region's famous muscatel grapes. Since Roman times the valley's hot springs were channelled into one of Spain's oldest spas whilst a little further to the south the river's waters once turned the millstones of Molino del Duque. After a recent makeover this 18th century mill house, with secluded elegance both inside and out, offers one of Andalucía's most seductive holiday experiences.
Arrival at El Molino provides a fitting first taste of the narcotic charm of the house and gardens. Entrance gates draped in bougainvillea open out to an avenue of towering palms and giant strelitzia which in turn lead past the old mill channel to a pebbled patio where a murmuring fountain imparts oodles of southern allure.
Step inside …
And feel the warm embrace offered by a delightful property.
The faded pink façade of the house with pan tiled roof and windows etched in chalky blue could not be prettier: the feel is reminiscent of the country houses of Provence or of those of Umbria and Tuscany whilst the three acre swathe of mature gardens evoke the romantic idyll of the palaces of Moorish Spain.
As soon as you step in from the courtyard this is a house that wraps you in a warm embrace. A huge collection of hand-painted furniture and wall hangings – created under the owner's guidance in a neighbouring workshop – have been commingled with antique furniture and an eclectic collection of prints and paintings. The feel is much more of home than of a holiday let whilst you're aware that these are interiors that were designed to please, created with the surest of touches by this accomplished interior decorator.
Just space - and more space
Masses of living space, inside and out.
The main living spaces of the Molino lead off from an airy entrance hallway. The drawing room lies within what once was the machine room of the old mill house. Heavy stone flags sit beneath a traditional beam-and-brick ceiling with a sofa and easy chairs, dressed in muted colours, facing a planked table and an open hearth flanked by amphora-style table lamps and hand-painted wall hangings: their colours synch' perfectly with that of the rest of the room. French windows overlooking the old mill channel, where turtles float amongst the water cress, bring in masses of light and the mood of the room speaks of lazy afternoons with a good book. In the drawing room's small annex, which leads out to the garden and pool, you'll find an honesty bar and a small collection of books, CDs and DVDs.
On the southern side of the house is a second sitting room - it doubles as a winter dining room - where the TV and DVD player are hidden away in a hand-painted wardrobe. This room has a similar, shabby-chic feel to that of the main drawing room: there are terracotta tiles, wooden beams and an open hearth along with a small collection of Andalusian folk art and another of blue chinaware. Back across the hallway you'll find a small guest cloakroom with an eye-catching hand-painted ceiling.
And the mill's metre-wide exterior walls ensure that there's no need for air-conditioning at even the hottest time of year.
Rustic charm, southern comfort …
Lovingly finished with floral stencils and hand painted tables and draws.
The Molino has six bedrooms of which four are within the main house and two to one side of the entrance patio in a separate guest cottage. At the top of the house, occupying most of the second floor, is a huge suite which faces the fountain patio and the greenery beyond. Coco floor matting offset by walls of duck egg blue and white beams impart a mood of rustic charm as do hand-painted tables and chests of drawers. There's more hand-crafting in the form of floral stencilling around the small corner hearth whilst a huge wall-to-wall wardrobe offers masses of space for cases and clothes.
The room has a huge bathroom with bath, separate rain shower and a long sweep of marble-topped surface with twin sinks and retro-style taps.
Privacy if it suits
With enough space to avoid the crowds and settle down in a quiet spot.
You can access the top suite via the main staircase or through its French windows where a large, private terrace has twin staircases leading down to the pool garden as well as to the fishpond courtyard: the room can be utterly private if you prefer it that way.
Downstairs on the first floor are three more bedrooms whose twin beds can be linked to make king-size doubles. Two bedrooms face the main courtyard whilst the third room, this one with an open fire place, looks to the rear of the house with a velux-style window bringing in additional light.
All bedrooms have floors of polished terracotta tiles and feature hand-painted furniture – tables, chests and headboards. The three rooms share two bathrooms: one comes with a tub whilst the other has just a shower. All rooms have electric radiators and immersion heaters and the luxury of underfloor heating in their bathrooms.
A Kitchen worth mentioning
A cosy, country-style kitchen next to the fishpond courtyard.
The guest cottage, or Casita de los Invitados, offers the possibility for two families sharing the Molino to have entirely separate accommodation. Fronted by a covered terrace with a dining table and separate chillout area, the cottage has a large, low-ceilinged sitting room with terracotta floors and an open hearth. The two bedrooms, Rosa which is a double and Amarillo a twin, feature more hand-painted artefacts whilst their bathrooms come with a retro-style stand-alone sink and a tub with overhead shower: Rosas's is backed by a half-moon window.
Expect a big stack of white hand, bath and pool towels along with gel, shampoo and soap courtesy of Alvarez Gómez of Madrid.
If the Molino's kitchen is endearingly rustic in style you'll find all you need for self-catering in style. A small, scrubbed-pine table provides extra work space for the prepping of food whilst the all-marble surfaces and floor are both attractive and practical.
The focus of the kitchen is its big, six ring industrial hob and oven which has an additional compartment for heating plates. There's a fridge and a dishwasher, toaster, microwave, kettle, a blender and a juicer, and you'll find masses more culinary instrumentalia in the glass-fronted kitchen cabinets. In an annex leading off from the kitchen and out to the fishpond courtyard a high, wall-to-wall dresser contains a generous stash of all-white crockery and glasses.
Whilst staying at El Molino nearly all your meals will be alfresco events and you can choose between three outside dining areas: just beyond the kitchen there's a glass-topped table beneath the palms in the fishpond courtyard, there's another on the covered terrace of the guest cottage – this a few yards further away - and there are two more dining areas next to the pool.
A swimming pool to remember…
Set in a wonderful garden, the pool is crystal clear and absolutely inviting.
The chances are that you'll spend most of your stay at the Molino in and around its palm-lined swimming pool: this must surely number amongst the most alluring pools in southern Spain.
Flanked by high canary and washingtonia palms, banana and strelitzia, and measuring in at a huge 18m by 6m (that's excluding the big semi-circle of steps to one side), it could be that you'll never make the beach after a first dip here.
You'll find chunky pool sofas and wooden loungers topped with cotton mattresses at the pool's edge whilst a large, heather-topped gazebo offers masses of shade and a great spot for pool-side dining and barbecues. Just beyond the gazebo, in the old dovecot, there's a toilet and shower whilst next to the entrance back into the mill house is another shaded terrace/chillout: it's a perfect spot for sundowners or more casual, low-seated dining.
Not to mention the gardens
It would be wrong not to! They are stunning.
From the moment you get a glimpse of the Molino's gardens through its main entrance gates you sense that you're in for a huge treat of the botanical kind. High, sculptural washingtonia and a century-old auracaria reach improbably skywards with a second canopy provided by the delicate fronds of dozens of canary date palms. Plumbago, strelitzia, bougainvillea, agave and aloes enhance the feel of this most exotic of gardens whilst groves of fig, citrus and avocado are interspersed with big stretches of well-tended lawn: this would be a perfect place for kids of toddling age to play or for younger children to kick a ball around.
Unless you object to the presence of canines you may well find that you'll be joined in the garden by Dulce, Molino's resident and most gentle mut.
Maria can help…
Breakfast, no problem, María is at hand to ensure that you are catered for.
Any stay at Molino comes with included home help from María, a gentle mannered middle-aged lady from Chile. María can also prepare breakfasts for any groups should you prefer a more laid-back start to your day. And should you prefer not to shop on the day of your arrival food hampers can be ordered. More details on request.
Even though you may find that you're loathe to leave the inner sanctuary of the Molino del Duque there's masses to do, and a lot of it right on your doorstep. You could climb the steep track from Molino's main gate up to Manilva and have a simple tapas-style meal in one of its many lively bars and restaurants.
If you fancy a more sophisticated meal you're just 5kms away from the excellent fish and seafood restaurant Sal whilst it would be a shame not to eat at least once, with your toes in the sand, at Florian's, one the best of the local chiringuitos (‘seaside bars'). And temporary membership can be arranged for Molino guests at Finca Cortesin's beach club which also has an excellent restaurant.
Gibraltar can be reached in half an hour, Tarifa in a few minutes more whilst Bolonia, with one of the best beaches on Spain's Atlantic Coast, is a 45 minute drive from Molino del Duque.
If you're happy to drive a little further Ronda and the White Villages as well as Jerez and Cádiz can be comfortably visited as day trips as can Tanger via the fast ferries which leave every couple of hours from Tarifa.
Villa Details
The Villa in Detail
All the facts and features about this villa
Distribution
Ground Floor
- Hallway
- Sitting Room
- TV/Games Room/dining room
- Bar/library
- Kitchen
- Breakfast area
- Bathroom/WC/sink
First Floor
- 3 Double bedrooms :
- (1) Twin beds (can be joined to form double bed)
- (2) Twin beds (can be joined to form double bed)
- (3) Double bed
- 2 Bathrooms :
- (1) bath tub/wc/basin x 2/bidet
- (2) walk in shower/wc/bidet/basin x 1
Second Floor
- Master bedroom with super king sized bed
- En suite bathroom – bath tub/walk In shower/basin x 2/wc/bidet
- Open plan dressing room
- Terrace with direct access to pool and inner courtyard
ANNEXE
- 2 x bedrooms both twins with the possibility of joining into doubles.
- 2 x en suite bathrooms – bathtub/shower – WC/basin x 1
- 1 x sitting room with open fireplace
- verandah with alfresco dining for 8
Facilities
Entertainment
- 1 x plasma TV room (UK channels – canal plus)
- 1 x DVD player
- 1 x music system / bar / CD player
- 1 x set of speakers for Ipod / portable
- WIFI / main house and annexe
Amenities
- Open wood burning fireplaces (Living room, TV room, Master bedroom and Annex living room)
- Independent Radiators (All bedrooms, Living room, All bathrooms)
- Ceiling fans (Kitchen, Living room, Master bedroom and Twin room)
- Free standing fans in all bedrooms
- Washing machine, drier, iron and board (in Utility room)
- All linen is provided (including pool towels)
- 2 Hair dryers
- Cots and highchair (available on request)
Kitchen
- Electric oven
- Gas hob (6 rings)
- Microwave
- Fridge / freezer
- Dishwasher
- Toaster, kettle, 3 coffee makers (1 filter), 2 juicers, Thermos
- Cooking utensils, cutlery, crockery
- 2 Breakfast tables and chairs
Outdoors
- Inner Courtyard with pond (ideal for alfresco dining for 8 to 16 people)
- Large Parasol for shade
- Entrance courtyard with fountain (furnished seating area)
- Bar outdoor patio (fully furnished)
- Filtered swimming pool (18m x 6m x 1.5-3m deep deep)
- Pool area (furnished with sun loungers)
- Gazebo
- Pool changing area and bathroom
- Pool lighting (manual)
- Garden lighting(manual)
- Outdoor dining and garden furniture
- Electric gated entrance
- Parking x 7 cars
Notes
The swimming pool is open throughout this period but because it is not heated, the swimming season is usually May to September.
Rental start and finish days for this property are flexible in low season, Saturdays in high and mid season.
Please, no smoking in the house.
Pets may be accepted, please ask.
Villa Prices
Prices and Seasons
ZC 119
| 2020 Season Dates | Main House Sleeping 8 |
House + Cottage Sleeping 12 |
|---|---|---|
| Villa available only for weddings or any other special events | On request | On request |
ZC 119
| 2021 Season Dates | Main House Sleeping 8 |
House + Cottage Sleeping 12 |
|---|---|---|
| Prices Pending | --- | --- |
Security Deposit
A 500 Euro security deposit is required on each booking. This is held against your credit or debit card and will be cancelled one week after your holiday, subject to any reductions for breakages or damage. See Terms and Conditions for full details.
Villa Availability
ZC 119
Availability 2021
Please contact us for latest availability and to reserve the villa.
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Villa Location
Location Map
Access is just off the main road, 4 km from Manilva in the Western Costa del Sol region (Province of Málaga)
Location
Access is just off the main road, 4 km from Manilva (most facilities), 15 km from Casares (most facilities) in the Western Costa del Sol region (Province of Málaga).
Costa del Sol beaches 10 mins; Gaucín (most facilities) 30 mins.
Estepona 25 mins; Marbella 35 mins; Gibraltar 45 mins; Tarifa 1 hr; Ronda 1¼ hrs; Málaga 1¼ hrs.
Jerez 1½ hrs; Cádiz 1¾ hrs; Sevilla 2¼ hrs; Granada 2½ hrs; Córdoba 2½ hrs.
Nearest Airports
Gibraltar 45 mins; Málaga 1¼ hrs; Jerez 1¾ hrs; Sevilla 2½ hrs.
See our Links Page for web sites of airlines traveling to Andalucia from the UK.
Around and About
This is an excellent base from which to explore this delightful and very beautiful part of Andalucía.
Excursions
- La Costa del Sol with its wealth of sandy beaches, sun, fun and nightlife is just 10 / 15 minutes away. Resort towns include Estepona (25 minutes) and glitzy, glamorous Marbella (40 minutes).
- Gibraltar, steeped in history, VAT free shops … and plenty of fish & chips is also a 45 minute drive from here.
- Tarifa on the southernmost point of Spain is less than an hour away. Looking directly across the Straits of Gibraltar to Morocco, Africa is so close you feel that you can almost touch it!
- Beyond lie mile upon mile of magnificent white beaches on Spain's Atlantic coast, La Costa de la Luz.
- Spain's unique sherry wine region (Jerez and Sanlúcar), is well worth a visit, enhanced no doubt by stopping at one or two of the famous bodegas along the way! Jerez de la Frontera is 1½ hours.
- Cádiz (1¾ to 2 hours) continues to evoke the romance, intrigue and mystery of centuries of trade (some legal, some not so) between Europe, Africa and the Americas.
- There are a plethora of beautiful white villages and hilltop towns to explore and enjoy in the magnificent countryside of the Serranía de Ronda – Gaucín and Genalguacil to name just a couple.
- And, of course, Casares, just fifteen kilometres away. Because of its stunning setting, perched precariously on the side of a precipitous sandstone buttress, it is known as the "hanging village", one of the most photographed villages in Spain.
- It is steeped in history with its Roman baths and aqueduct still in place. Climb to the castle at its very top, where the Moors held out against the Catholic troops surrounding the town, and enjoy the breathtaking view clear across the sea to Africa.
- Talking of which, the fast boat from Tarifa to Tangiers in Morocco takes 35 minutes, so you can be exploring the local souks in just a few hours. Fascinating and colourful, it really is a different world.
- From Gaucín (30 minutes away) a beautiful road winds over the spectacular mountains to Ronda (45 minutes from Gaucín), with its spectacular gorge and Spain's oldest bullring, Hemmingway's favourite town in all of Spain.
- All around Casares, the beautiful scenery of the rugged Sierra Bermeja mountains provide a wonderful backdrop. The crags around Casares are home to a colony of Griffon vultures. These majestic birds, with a wing span of two metres, glide on the thermals high above countryside of deep gorges and pine forested ridges. The Sierra Crestellina Nature Reserve which lies alongside the village is a popular destination for birdwatchers and walkers.
- Other National Parks not so far away include the fabulous Los Alcornocales Natural Park and, just to the north of Ronda, the Grazalema National Park, one of the most beautiful tracks of mountain anywhere in Europe. Jagged peaks, gorges, chasms, faults and caves, underground rivers and deep canyons are interspersed, here and there, by some of the prettiest villages in Spain, Grazalema, Zahara, Setenil and the other famous "pueblos blancos".
- Sevilla takes 2¼ hours. It is impossible not to be captivated by its exuberant atmosphere: stylish, confident, ancient and proud, yet also convivial, intimate and fun-loving. If you don't know what alegría means, Sevilla is the place to learn!
- Córdoba and Granada are both within 3 hours drive from here.
Activities
- There are excellent riding stables ten minutes from here which cater for all - experienced riders and complete novices alike. They will match you up with a horse and a ride to suit your requirements. Reviews are highly complimentary.
- There's great walking too, with several marked routes through the delightful countryside.
- Here you are in the heart of the "Costa del Golf" with at least 25 top quality golf courses (including Finca Cortesin, Valderrama, Sotogrande, and San Roque) all within half an hour's drive.
- On the coast (both the Costa del Sol and the Costa de la Luz) there's every beach pursuit imaginable, from sailing and windsurfing, diving and snorkelling to whale and dolphin watching.
