Just a few minutes drive from the glitz and glamour of both Marbella and Puerto Banús, here you are also close to the natural beauty of the Sierra de Ronda mountain range.

Creating beautiful homes is the passion of the villa owners. He's Swedish, she's Spanish, and together they make quite a design team!

Towards the top of town, the house is accessed from a quiet little residential street. In a neighbourhood of private villas tucked away behind walled gardens, this one is no exception: electronic security gates open to reveal a wonderful world discretely hidden behind.

Immediately inside the gates is a garage (for two cars) plus an ample forecourt. Wide steps lead up to lawned and very attractive gardens on the terrace above, a pathway leading through to the villa.

Its pale cream walls glint joyfully in the sunshine, contrasting beautifully with the deep blue water glistening in the pool and the colourful reds and yellows of the shrubbery which surround the verdant greens of the lawn and trees. It's a classic Andalusian scene.

Obviously, in a residencial district, there are other villas around and about but the thick hedges which surround its 1,450 m2 of gardens and the abundance of tropical plants and trees create an oasis of calm tranquillity.

It's as quiet, private and secluded as any town house in or around Marbella can possibly be.

A superb location too: the vertical walls and rocky summit of La Concha mountain rises up to more than 1,200 meters immediately behind the Costa del Sol, just one of the dramatic peaks of La Sierra Blanca which lies immediately inland from the coast. Quiet a contrast to the palm fringed, golden beaches just down the hill.

Inside, one enters to a huge, high-ceilinged, light and airy living room. It's delightful.

Furnishings throughout are top-dollar, beautiful rosewood cabinets, a massive (47") state-of-the-art flat screen satellite TV with full Sky subscription, and a lovely, ornate grandfather clock are just some of many antique and exquisite details.

There's no feeling of being cluttered, there's masses of room, plenty of space around the vast leather sofa suite. Light floods in from sliding glass doors on two sides (opening to the outside terraces, both to the side and front of the house).

On the other side, the living room opens to a very convivial dining area, its immaculate and highly polished, circular cherry wood dining table comfortably seating eight. It looks through to a garden backdrop on the other side of the house.

The kitchen leads off from the living room and, wow, what a kitchen!

Superbly equipped and very attractive, everything is of the highest quality (Bosch, Smeg etc.) and there's not a chef in the land who wouldn't be happy here.

There's lots of marble-topped work space, a large electric oven, five-ring gas hob, microwave, food processor, an American-style fridge / freezer with a drinks and ice dispenser, a second huge fridge, even a TV - to compliment all the usual kitchen bits and pieces.

Not least of the advantages of this splendid home is that it is exactly that - a real home lived in by its owners for most of the year. So it's properly equipped as all real homes should be. All very attractive and entirely in keeping with its luxurious style.

There's air conditioning throughout the ground and first floors (but not on the lower ground floor which is naturally much cooler), high speed WiFi throughout and much, much more.

The kitchen is very pretty too, its "ultra-modern, country-style" a real pleasure to be in. It opens to the front terrace, as well as to the living and dining areas.

From the living room a short corridor leads towards the rear of the house, to a guest cloakroom and a bathroom (with shower over the bath tub) which is shared between the two bedrooms on this floor.

One is twin bedded with double doors which open to the side garden via its own private, furnished terrace; the other, another twin bedded room, with pretty garden views.

The lower ground floor has a different ambience to the rest of the house. It's mostly, although not completely, below ground level, so its a rather darker and always cool space.

Cleverly created, it has its own entrance to the gardens and can be used as independent accommodation, if so wished, by teenagers or grand parents perhaps, or for staff.

There are two good sized bedrooms, one double, one twin (with the beds pushed together). They enjoy some natural light from high windows and are furnished simply but comfortably enough. They share a bathroom (shower over bathtub).

A laundry room houses the washing machine and dryer as well as an extra freezer.

Also on this lower floor is a games room with a large screen, Wii games console and full surround sound system.

There's a wide selection of films to choose from, stored on hard disk. This room also has a small kitchen area (with a microwave and fridge) so there's no need to go upstairs for interval drinks!

So, all in all, a massive house (there's 500 m2 of built and terrace space), beautifully and imaginatively appointed with absolutely all mod-cons and furnishings of real quality throughout.

All surrounded by pretty, secluded gardens (our photos were taken in late December, for now we will have to leave to your imagination how lovely it all looks in full bloom).

A house of excellent good taste and real style, it's the ultimate "living-the-dream" villa in just-across-town Marbella.

Around and about there's plenty going on "just down the road".

The villa boasts its own fully equipped gymnasium, but for sports enthusiasts looking for more, you can find plenty on offer in Nueva Andalucía with tennis, paddle tennis and another gymnasium. For golfers in particular, the area could not be more ideal. There are several magnificent courses within virtual putting distance, including Las Brisas, Los Naranjos, Aloha Golf and La Dama de Noche, which is floodlit for night time play. All surrounded by stunning scenery and a mountain backdrop.

Nueva Andalucía is also fast becoming known for its international cuisine which ranges from an American deli to the ultimate in cordon bleu.

It boasts one of the most popular commercial centres in the area, Centro Plaza with quality shops, restaurants and bars a plenty, as well as a supermarket, gymnasium and beauty parlour.

Here you can buy everything from your weekly supermarket shop to exquisite gifts. There is also an excellent street market (rastro) held next to the bullring every Saturday morning.