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The cottage
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Santa Engracia
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The Rough Guide to the Pyrenees describes Santa Engracia as ‘surely the most spectacularly set village in Catalunya’. It is impressively situated on a rocky outcrop above the town of Tremp, providing magnificent views of mountains and lakes. Casa Mauri has been renovated to provide modern facilities whilst retaining the original farmhouse character of exposed beams and contrasting stone and white-plastered walls. The region is a wildlife paradise with a wide range of birds, wild flowers and butterflies. Casa Mauri was featured in Ed Docx's full page article in the Sunday Express travel section of 20 August 2000 and in a 3 page article in Issue 2 (Feb/March 2004) of the magazine 'Spanish Magazine' describing the range of walks in the area around Santa Engracia and featuring a number of colour photos.
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The nearby lake
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Bedroom with balcony
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 Rental periods |
 Farmhouse
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 Cottage
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 Combined properties (Sleeps 10) |
 Incl. extra room (Sleeps 12) |
| 2 January - 14 March 2008 |
£210 |
£175 |
£355 |
£420 |
| 15 March - 31 May 2008 |
£390 |
£325 |
£680 |
£775 |
| 1 June - 25 July 2008 |
£440 |
£365 |
£760 |
£905 |
| 26 July - 29 August 2008 |
£580 |
£490 |
£1055 |
£1210 |
| 30 August - 31 October 2008 |
£400 |
£335 |
£695 |
£780 |
| 1 November - 19 December 2008 |
£210 |
£175 |
£350 |
£420 |
| 20 December - 5 January 2009 |
£400 |
£335 |
£700 |
£800 |
Notes on prices
Prices are for the property per week in UK pounds. For prices in euros and other currencies click on the currency converter. There is a 5% discount on bookings of two weeks and further discounts given for longer lets. Cost of heating in winter is additional. We request a 20% deposit to confirm a reservation with the balance due 6 weeks before arrival.
Changeover day
Flexible.
Farmhouse:
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-3 bedrooms (2 doubles, 1 twin - although a double bed can be exchanged for two singles on request). 1 bedroom has a balcony. -2 attractive shower rooms. Note: A further double room with own large bathroom can be rented in addition to the farmhouse facilities. -Large farmhouse kitchen with fitted units, well equipped, 4 ring cooker with oven, fridge/freezer, microwave and toaster. The owners enjoy cooking and serving food and the kitchen equipment reflects this. It is well equipped with matching crockery, a good range of glasses, a variety of pans, serving dishes and implements. -Large lounge/diner with magnificent views. TV (programmes in English available), stereo, video, DVD and video library. -Private terrace with terrace furniture. The door to the entrance hall is the left hand door in the photograph. If the farmhouse is not available, the cottage plus an extra bedroom and large bathroom provides accommodation for a group of 6.
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Cottage:
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-2 spacious and attractive bedrooms (1 double, 1 twin) -Large shower room. NOTE: An additional bedroom with own large bathroom can be rented along with the cottage. Well equipped kitchen with 4 ring cooker plus oven, fridge, microwave, toaster and coffee maker. The owners enjoy cooking and serving food and the kitchen equipment reflects this providing matching crockery, a good range of glasses, and a variety of pans, serving dishes and implements. -The living room has a picture window overlooking the courtyard and village church (no bells) and door to private, half-roofed terrace. TV with English channels, video, DVD, stereo. The owners have a library of video tapes to borrow on request. If the cottage is already reserved we do have another in another village that sleeps 2-4.
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Farmhouse & Cottage Together (sleeps up to 14)
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Casa Mauri can also be rented as one complete unit. The individual farmhouse and cottage are already described. The two are situated at right angles around a courtyard and are also linked by an additional dining/ sitting room on the top floor adjacent to the main house. The sixth bedroom is one floor below this extra sitting room and has its own bathroom. A door from the sitting room leads out onto a top floor terrace with the magnificent views of the Tremp valley below and the Montsec mountains to the south. (This extra bedroom can also be rented to add onto either the cottage or the farmhouse, creating accommodation for 8 or an additional 6 person property). A final bedroom with two single beds and en-suite shower room is situated adjacent to the additional sitting/ dining room and kitchen. The double room with large bathroom, twin room with en-suite and the roof-level sitting room, kitchen and terrace can be rented in their own right as a separate 4 person 'penthouse' apartment.
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Notes on accommodation
Santa Engracia is situated 10km from the main road and is reached via a tarmaced country road that climbs up to the village. Once the village is reached, access to the houses is on foot, 300m up the route of original mule track. The owners live adjacent to the properties and will help you with your luggage on arrival and will be available to give help and advice at any time. The properties were specifically renovated and equipped for holiday rentals and are lovingly cleaned and maintained by the owners. They are registered with and approved by the Catalan authorities. Pets are accepted. Although the 2 properties are situated around the same courtyard they are completely independent. The farmhouse faces away from the cottage and no noise is transmitted between the two. All the properties have access to WiFi broadband internet.
Outside
Picturesque walled courtyard as shared access to both properties with flowers, grapevine and bench. Barbecue available. The village church (no bells) is adjacent to the courtyard and from here, near the pinnacle of the outcrop, is a magnificent 360° view. On the rock is a Romanesque tower and a series of dinosaur footprints.
Skiing
The nearest ski resort of Port Aine is around 1 hour from Santa Engracia. At a distance of around 20 minutes further there are two further resorts of Super Espot and Boi Taull. A little further away still are the resorts of Baqueira-Beret and Port de Bonaigua.
Special interest holidays
Guided walking holidays are offered out of season.
Travel
Barcelona airport is 2.5 hours drive, Reus airport 2.5 hours and Gerona 3 hrs 15 mins. Car hire is essential if you haven't arrived in your own car. As it is not available in Tremp, it is best to arrange car hire in England before leaving, to collect at the airport.
Further details
The lakes below the village offer swimming and water sports. The small town of Sort (Catalan for luck), to the north of Tremp, is a centre for a range of outdoor sports including white water rafting, quad bikes, riding.
The region is ideal walking country. The owners are keen walkers and have written a guide to walks from the village and around the Tremp valley for the use of guests. The region is home to a wide variety of birds and butterflies, and the wild flowers here and in the pyrenees are a beauty to behold in the spring time and through to early summer. The Aiguestortes National Park is 1.5 hours drive from the village and the duty free principality of Andorra 2 hours away. The local scenery is stunning with a number of spectacular gorges and dramatic escarpments.The area is a well-known Mecca for rock climbers. Catalonia is famous for its Romanesque architecture, churches, castles and towers. In cretaceous times the region bordered the Atlantic and dinosaurs have left their mark in the shores with footprints and large finds of fossilised eggs.
The Catalan people are friendly, helpful and welcoming. Full shopping facilities can be found in Tremp which has a pedestrianised old town with traces of the old town walls and towers and a newer section with a tree lined rambla where cafe tables and chairs are shaded from the sun from spring through to autumn. Market day in Tremp is Monday, with a market in Sort on Tuesday and in La Pobla de Segur on Wednesday. Eating out in the region is very reasonably priced. Typically, a 3 course meal of Catalan specialities including wine costs around 12 euros (£7.50), though there are places where you can eat very well for 9 euros per head. A selection of local tapas also makes a very tasty and filling lunch.
Booking notes
Mr & Mrs M Harrison, Casa Mauri, 25636 Santa Engracia, Tremp, Lerida, Spain. We as Note: 2 extra people can be accommodated with either the farmhouse or the cottage if you have a larger group. The additional double room comes with large bathroom, living room and roof top terrace. If both properties are unavailable we have a small property in another village newly available. Please ask.
These properties are registered with the Catalan tourist authorities as Apartaments Turistics no. EL00083.
Guest comments
Crispin Blunt MP and family: "We have had the most wonderful time in this beautiful and peaceful place. What is so amazing is Mike and Anne's ability to spoil you with their endless kindness without in any way being intrusive- a remarkable gift." "An excellent week in superb accommodation. We have been impressed everywhere we have visited by the scenery, wildlife and tranquility. Time for action (white-water rafting, swimming, walking etc.) as well as 'chill-out' relaxation time- great!" "A wonderful week in a wonderful place. Perfect weather, fantastic walks (whatever you do don't miss the Parc Nacional de Aiguestortes) and - silence! We hope you enjoy the setting and countryside as much as we did. We have still only scratched the surface which hopefully means a return visit."
For booking and further information
Mike and Anne Harrison Tel: (Spain) + 34 973 252076 Mobile: (Spain) + 34 696 197404
Email: Click here
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This advertiser joined Owners Direct in March 2000,
and has advertised this property with us since March 2000.
Property Ref S3
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