From the little road which winds up into the hills en route to the pretty white village of Setenil, a long (4 kilometres), but wide and decently maintained farmers track takes one ever deeper into this gloriously tranquil part of Andalucía.

It is a completely rural landscape, mile upon mile of mature cork oak forest opening up here and there to olive groves and small farms.

Even when you are inside the estate gates, you still have no clue as to what lies over the brow of the hill, there is seemingly nothing but leafy greenery and gorgeous nature to behold.

And then … there it is, the trees open up to reveal this resplendent and absolutely enormous villa basking in the sunshine on the terraces below.

It's a fabulous spot, a long valley sloping down immediately below the villa offering tremendous views, a craggy rock face rising up dramatically and almost vertically to one side, richly wooded hillsides gliding across the horizon on the other side of the valley.

Designed and built to the exacting specifications of its American owners some 15 years ago, it is a complete reflection of their exemplary good taste and very grand, lavish style.

It exudes quality and character, a classically beautiful home exquisite in every detail and comfort. Unabashed luxury from top to bottom, inside and out, an intoxicating blend of antique riches and modern convenience.

And it's huge too, almost 700 m2 of built space which is constantly being improved on; all rental incomes are re-invested in the house to maintain and enhance its immaculate, luxurious style.

There is direct access to the front courtyard and also access to the gardens and barbecue area to the side of the house. Behind is a laundry room with its huge, commercial-purpose washing machine and dryer.

The room beyond the kitchen in this side wing of the house has been converted into a play area for children with a TV, sofa and a table for eating, drawing or whatever.

It is all perfectly presentable but deliberately created to be indestructible so that children or teenagers can enjoy themselves here without worrying (their parents) about fine, irreplaceable antique furnishings being damaged.

There is also a 6th bedroom (twin bedded with en-suite bathroom and a small service kitchen) alongside, ideal for the children's nanny perhaps, or for grandparents or anyone else wishing for a bit more independence.

Returning to the main wing, on the opposite side of the hallway from the kitchen is the hugely elegant, almost regal, dining room with an immaculate, 19th Century English mahogany dining table and chairs at its centre.

The palest of light blue walls with faded rose colored silk curtains and a superb array of detail such as the ornate candelabra overhead and the 18th Century fireplace alongside, original paintings and antique furnishings. The marble floor tiles reflect the same lovely blue/grey and white theme.

On three sides of the room, french windows open to the sunny world outside and soft light pours in, enhancing its calm, welcoming ambience. The view, across the gently rolling hillsides of the estate's mature woodlands to the ancient Roman settlement in the far distance, is a joy.

To one side it opens to a wide and well maintained lawn surrounded by a pretty and genuinely English herbaceous border, a lovely, shaded outdoor pergola and barbecue area for al fresco dining alongside.

Other doors open to the vast, wide sun terrace which runs the entire length of this wing of the house and leads on, in turn, to other garden areas and the pool on lower terraces.

The next room along the hallway is the "small" sitting room (although it's bigger than most people's main lounge), a more modern, beautifully appointed and very relaxing room.

Delightfully furnished and very stylish, it's a lovely room to take a few moments off from the rest of the world, to settle down with a good book perhaps. Doors open to the sun terrace outside and to the views down the valley.

It also doubles up as the TV lounge; a massive, 52" flat screen TV, DVD player and stereo system are hidden away very discretely in a concealed cupboard.

Impressive as it is, even more so is its huge en-suite marble bathroom suite, the gorgeous, greeny-grey ribboned tiles beautifully offset by a marble bathtub, white marble washstand and fluffy white towels.

A huge picture window looks out to a very private and very green little garden scene, bamboos and ivy competing with tropical plants. The walk-in shower room (with power shower) is big enough to fit half a rugby team in!

The other four bedrooms are in the third wing of the house, one accessed from the library, the other three from the front courtyard. All are individually styled and furnished but all share the same immaculate quality (and size) as the other rooms in the house.

Three have queen-sized double beds, one has a more standard sized, four poster double bed. They all have spacious, attractive en-suite bathrooms, two of them with walk-in shower rooms, two with bath tubs and showers.

They all look out through French windows to the extensive formal gardens and terraces on this side of the villa.

There is central heating throughout, with the exception of the three bedrooms which are accessed from the front courtyard which all have electric radiators as well as open fireplaces.

There's no air conditioning but it really isn't necessary: massively high ceilings and excellent insulation keep the property beautifully cool even on the hottest of summer days.

The lawn and dining pergola on one side of the house and the formal gardens on the other side are connected by a vast, furnished sun terrace which runs all along the back of the property.

Stately stairways descend to the next terrace down which has been laid out as another formal garden area, fish ponds running down its centre, tranquil sitting areas, a herb garden at one end.

It's all reminiscent of the Palace of Versailles!

This is separated from the pool area by high poplar hedges and a few more steps. The pool, of course, is big and beautiful with intricate mosaic tiling.

At one end there is now a lovely pergola / chill-out area with high-end lounging furniture, night lighting and a bar with four stools, a small fridge and an iPod dock.

16 m x 6 m, the deepest part of the swimming pool is in the centre (2.2 m deep) with shallower levels at each end where there are entry steps into the pool. There's an expansive, wrap-around sun terrace and lots of good quality sun beds.

A wonderfully sunny spot, views are far and wide across the joyous countryside, birds sing happily in the branches of the magnificent, gnarled old olive trees.