Exceptional family holiday villa with pool in Aracena woodlands

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Rustical´s review                                                  See prices

A driveway through chestnut trees sweeps round to reveal this excellent, L-shaped villa. It’s in a very tranquil spot of the Sierra de Aracena, yet only 15 minutes’ walk from the agreeable market town. The grounds are immaculately kept and a stone-walled garden leads down to a spanking blue swimming pool.

There are few holiday rental properties that live up to such promise. The villa is an interior designer’s dream where space, natural light and tastefully balanced colours create an overall sensation of exquisiteness. It is swish in a particularly impressive way.

In classic Andalusian style, the main room has been left open-plan, an archway dividing off a very comfortable lounge from the dining area and kitchen. Ceilings are high-beamed and sunlight filters through from the outside to present the nicely chosen furniture and decoration in what feels like a freshly laundered atmosphere.

The sitting room is designed as a genuinely relaxing place, the TV and other entertainment being downstairs in a purpose-built playroom which includes DVD and a pool table. Three sets of French windows open to a shaded terrace, a delightful place to enjoy meals.

Four chic bedrooms are ranged along the other wing of the house. Two of them are en-suite and have their own balconies. The other two share a shower room. Beds can generally be doubles or twins, according to requirements. Bathrooms are indulgently mosaic-tiled and attractive; bedrooms are spacious and have generous built-in wardrobes.

On the north side of the house, an independent apartment has been built into the high stone wall. It has a double-bedroom, sitting area, shower room and kitchen. The main laundry room is located alongside here.

The spacious entertainment room downstairs also has sofa-beds and a shower room leading off, if extra guests need to be accommodated (at a supplement). And if you need more space still, there is a self-contained two-bedroomed casita just below the swimming pool (let in conjunction with the main house only).

Children of all ages are welcome. For little ones, cot, highchair, pram and buggy are all available.

Whether indoors or out, you will find standards and style here quite luxurious. There is broadband internet facility at the house.

The gardens, and lawn are carefully tended and night-lighting guides you down to a large, stepped swimming pool (a huge 12 m x 8 m), so that dips are inviting at all hours of day and night. There are cheerful colours of bougainvillea and scents of jasmine, rosemary and thyme. The property covers 25 acres of grounds and looks out across the fertile valley of Fuente del Rey: what one client called “heart-stopping views.”

You can enjoy any number of walks in the area by simply following the old public footpaths that link one village to another. The villa has books and maps to guide you. Nearby Aracena is thoroughly Spanish in having some 60 bars to serve a population 7,500. Restaurants, night clubs, shopping and banks are all here, not forgetting the village’s famous and extraordinary underground grotto.


Tennis and golf are available locally and day-trips include the Rio Tinto mines, the former mosque in Almonaster, and once-Roman Merida.

There are a plethora of fiestas during the Aracena year, don’t be surprised if your stay coincides with some celebration or other!


Facilities
Very large private pool (12 m x 8 m; 1.20 m - 3 m deep) with sunloungers; gardens; barbecue area; underfloor heating; broadband internet facility; dishwasher; games room with pool table, DVD and TV screen; open fireplace; washing machine; all linen provided.

Distribution
Main house (sleeps 8): large kitchen through to sitting room with French windows opening to large balcony / summer dining room; 4 bedrooms, each of whcih can be made up double or twin-bedded: of these four bedrooms, two have en suite showerrooms and one also has a balcony; an additional bathroom (shower) serves the other two bedrooms.
Downstairs: large playroom area; shower room.

Self-contained apartment (sleeps 2): small double bed, sitting area, shower room, kitchen.

Pool house (sleeps 4 to bring capacity to 14 people): open plan living area / kitchen; 2 bedrooms; shower room. Facilities include dishwasher, TV and woodburning stove.

Notes:
-Subject to weather conditions, the swimming pool will be open from 07 May through to 01 October 2010.

Location and Distances
In open countryside, about 1 km from the market town of Aracena.



A short Aracena video

Aracena market town (most facilities, famous grotto)	10 mins walk
Seville (city and Airport)	1 hr 30 mins
Atlantic Coast (beautiful beaches)	1 hr 30 mins
Jerez Airport	2 hrs

NOTES ON AVAILABILITY FOR THIS PROPERTY:

Changeover day: Saturday in High Season. Security deposit: Not required. The Pool House is only rented as an add-on to the Main House, not separately.