Smart 3 bed holiday cottage with bicycles on Galicia organic farm

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Rustical´s Review              See prices

Latest news: a large swimming pool is planned as an interesting addition here from Spring 2012: we're waiting until it's completed before confirming it as a facility.

Rural tourism in Spain started off as simple lodging on small, family-run farms, where children could run free and learn about animals. Your holiday home here continues in that tradition, but with a standard of accommodation that is second to none. The house is of superior quality and so spick-and-span it is hard to believe it belongs to a working farm of grazing cattle.

It’s quiet and relaxing, the only rental property on the farm, with the owners’ house to the rear. You are at the geographical centre of Galicia and just 25 minutes from Galicia’s most celebrated destination of Santiago de Compostela (see on Galicia map).

The house has elements of typical local design such as the use of wood, yet the overall impression is of rustic modernity. It’s spacious, beautifully finished and well-kept. The living & dining room is especially large and light, with large windows looking out to the green fields, where plump black-and-white cows munch peacefully on their healthy grass (the farm is certified as an organic establishment).

Upstairs are three lovely bedrooms that virtually guarantee a good night’s sleep. There are two doubles and a twin, each with its own bathroom. The other bedroom, a single, is downstairs. It is also en suite.

In front of the property is a sitting area with sunshade and there’s a barbecue area, also. Children may be intrigued by two constructions in the gardens that are now under a preservation order. One is the ancient hórreo, a stone grain store on short stilts to keep it dry and to foil hungry mice. The other is a unique octagonal dovecote that has been adopted by a family of barn owls as their home.

The house comes with four bicycles to explore the local area of Arzua, where there are two well-preserved villages. They are also ideal for riding down the famous Camino de Santiago (Way of St James), trod by the pilgrims on their way to historic Santiago de Compostela. This emblematic path is just 50 metres from the house. As you go along it, you will see chapels, forests, hamlets and a river. Would-be pilgrims can go the whole 10 km to the superb old city of Santiago and the cathedral that purportedly holds the bones of St James the Apostle.

Another curiosity in the area is a living museum of honey, where you can see the entire honey-making process.

Five minutes’ walk from your holiday home is a small river, nice for a picnic although not deep enough for swimming in. For that you need to go 5 km to the River Iso, or 10 km to the Portodemouros reservoir.

The area is ideal for people who want to avoid tourist towns and have an experience of real country Spain, characterized by field and forest. Amongst other things, this means good food. After all, this is Galicia and there is nowhere better to eat than here!

To begin with there’s the fresh organic milk that the farmer will bring to you in the morning (as a free offering, if you wish). It’s creamy but not heavy, with a hint of sweetness to it. She’ll make butter for you, too, if you like. There are local restaurants whose specialities include excellent charcoal-grilled beef and empanadas (pasties: try the delicious vieiras or scallop variety). The dairy cattle naturally give rise to good cheeses, too.

Trips to the sea mean a full hour in the car, but the location allows you the choice of reaching either the Rias Baixas or the Rias Altas in that time. The Baixas are dryer and milder, with pretty coves and bays; the Altas more craggy and dramatic with the Atlantic breaking on the rocks.

Facilities
4-ring vitroceramic hob; microwave; toaster; coffee maker; fryer; fridge freezer; central heating; glass-fronted fireplace; washing machine; WiFi internet; TV; terrace garden with outdoor furniture; shaded barbecue area; bicycles; cot on request; all linen provided; parking on premises.

Distribution
On two floors
Ground floor: entrance lobby; open plan living/dining room opening to terrace; single bedroom with shower room; kitchen
First floor: small sitting room; 3 bedrooms (1 double-bedded with bathroom and balcony, 1 double-bedded with bathroom, 1 twin-bedded with shower room)
Exterior: garden and outdoor areas reserved for sole use of guests

Location & Distances
On an eco-farm surrounded by fields and forests.

Burres (bar/restaurant)	2 km
Arzua (mist facilities)	4 km
Portodemouros Reservoir (swimming, non-motor watersports)	10 mins
Santiago de Compostela (historic city)	35 mins
Beaches (Rias Baixas or Altas)	1 hr
A Coruña Airport	1 hr 15 mins
Porto Airport	2 hrs 30 mins
Santiago de Compostela airport	25 mins

Booking information for this property
Start and finish day: has some flexibility.
Short breaks of 3 days are available at this property at 175 euros per night in Low Season.

Prices and dates