Casa in the Campo, 10 Mins from Antequera
Large Private Pool, Walled Garden in Peaceful Location in National Park
Sleeps 4 (2 Bedrooms)
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Situated at the base of the Chimenea mountain with views across to El Torcal and the Sierra Nevadas towards Granada, Casa Esme is approached by a good track and is the perfect location for a peaceful holiday amongst the evergreen holm oak trees, ideal for skinny dipping and naturists in the walled garden completely secluded from the outside world and yet only 10 minutes from the buzzing medieval town of Antequera with all its amenities. A complete 'get away from it all', yet close to the spectacular El Torcal ancient rock formation, the turquoise lakes of Ardales for swimming, canoeing etc and the spectacular El Chorro gorge with its hair-raising walkway. There are eagles and vultures on the top of Chimenea and El Torcal which give wonderful airborne displays as well as an abundance of wild birds including the Hoopou and the Bee catcher. The sound of the goats with their bells waft across the valley as well as the bray of the odd donkey and neigh of the neighbouring horses. Paradise!
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| Rental Period | Per Night | Per Week | Per Month | Min. Stay (Nights) |
| 1 May 2012 - 30 June 2012 | £750 | 7 | ||
| 1 July 2012 - 3 September 2012 | £850 | 7 | ||
| 3 September 2012 - 31 October 2012 | £750 | 7 |
Notes on prices
Not suitable for children under 10 years OLD. Prices shown are for the property per week in UK pounds.
Not available in Nov, Dec, Jan, Feb, March and April
Changeover day
Thursday to take advantage of cheaper flights
Accommodation
| Bedrooms: | Bedroom 1 with double bed and large built-in cupboards. Bedroom 2 with twin beds and large built-in cupboards. Plenty of storage in cupboards and chests of drawers. Wonderful views from all the beds! |
| Bathrooms: | Bathroom 1 with bath, shower, bidet, basin and WC. Bathroom 2 with shower, bidet, basin and WC and stocked medicine cupboard. |
| Kitchen: | Rangemaster range cooker with 2 ovens, grill, 4 burner + wok hob, hot plate and griddle, magimix, bread maker, coffee machine, icecream maker, deep fat fryer, electric whisk, juicer and slicer. Ample work surface, double stainless steel sink. |
| Utility Room: | American fridge/freezer with icemaker, Bosch fullsize dishwasher, Bosch washing machine, tumble dryer,iron and ironing board. Large sliding window with conveniently placed washing line. Cool bags for picnics and shopping. Ice bucket, cheese dish. |
| Living Rooms: | Light, airy sitting room with digital freeview flat screen TV, DVD, video, Stereo. 3 seater sofa bed, 2 armchairs, coffee table, dining table and bureau full of books and guides. Large stone fireplace. A really comfortable cool, homely room. |
| Other: | Large airy sun room off the sitting room with cane suite and coffee table one end and large dining table and chairs overlooking the pool, the mountain and the green holm oaks. Wonderful for breakfast watching the sunrise and entertaining friends for lunch |
| Cleaning/towels/ linen/maid service: |
Crisp white Egyptian cotton linen and towelling dressing gowns. Towels and swimming towels. House cleaned before and after your visit to a high standard. Pool cleaned by Ron twice a week. Hair dryer and straighteners. House overseen by professionals. |
| Amenities/Facilities: | hob/stove oven fridge/freezer dishwasher washing machine tumble dryer iron/ironing board satellite tv room fans barbecue private pool (for sole use of guests) |
| Suitability: | pets accepted |
| Location Type: |
Notes on accommodation
No children under 10 as the pool is deep and near the pergola. The house is built up above a cellar so it is extremely cool in the hot summer months. The sun room with its pretty pictures is double glazed and again is cool and is ideal for entertaining with its drinks trolley etc. The house is all on one level with a door off the sitting room to the bedrooms. The kitchen is probably one of the best equipped with just about everything in it for entertaining and picnicking with many cupboards filled with lovely white china. The whole house is light, airy and cool with sliding patio doors and blinds. All furnished to a high standard with some antiques. A house that is a home rather than a holiday rental property with many touching features. There is a badminton set and boules set for the energetic and many toys/lilos etc for use in the pool. Watch the jubilee and the olympics in high definition in the sun!
Outside
Within 3/4 acre of walled garden, the large swimming pool (13x7m) with tiled steps is surrounded by a tiled area with 2 magnificent pergolas and the spectacular holm oak tree for shade. There are large teak tables and chairs under the pergolas and love seats and sunloungers all with terracotta cushions placed strategically around the pool area.The garden itself has an abundance of Mediterranean plants including roses, bottlebrushes, oranges, lilac and honeysuckle and begonias spread over the pergolas and archways, as well as planters and pots ablaze with bright geraniums and herbs. Outside the wall there is an olive grove of about 3 acres in which to stroll with views of El Torcal and the surrounding mountains. The evening sunset is spectacular as the whole of the Chimenea mountain goes a dark shade of pink. The only sound is the dong of the goats' bells wafting up the valley and the odd bray or neigh from the neighbouring donkey and horses. Completely secluded from the outside worl
Coast/Beach
The nearest coast is Malaga. To the east of Malaga is the Costa Tropical offering a varying coastline to Nerja To the west of Malaga are the well known coastal resorts such as Torremolinos and Fuengirola. Marbella is further west as is Puerta Banus for the brave and rich! All the resorts can be simply reached by duel carriage way/motorway, or for a very pleasant trip take the good mountain roads for stunning scenery and peace. ( I do have a couple of secret beaches which are very special!!!)
Golf
The Antequera golf course is now only 5 minutes away with the new road at the bottom of the track. A full 18 hole course with its fantastic views over Antequera is reasonably priced for anyone to play on. There is an al fresco bar which serves good breakfasts and all day substantial snacks as well as a magnificent restaurant with a 360 degree panoramic view over the mountains and plains. Golf clubs can be hired from the club house. The new 5 star hotel has just opened at Hacienda la Magdalena just a few minutes from the end of the track which is a spectacular building from the 14th century previously being a convent.
Special interest holidays
The area is ideal for activity sports such as walking, hiking, cycling, rock climbing, paragliding at Valle de Abdalajis and canoeing, kayaking at the Ardales lakes, all of which can be arranged, as well as sunbathing by the pool! The Chimenea mountain can be climbed from a nearby old footpath as well as going up the old donkey track to the other side to El Torcal. There are numerous walks from the track. Riding can be arranged at a nearby stables who specialise in Natural Horsemanship.
Travel
Malaga airport is approx 1 hour. Granada is 11/2 hours. Santa Ana station is about 5 miles and the new AVE takes you to Malaga in 20 minutes and Madrid in 21/2 hours. Alternatively there is the old line at Bobadilla station which takes you through the winding countryside and through El Chorro Gorge to Malaga, or take the train from Antequera to Granada - so much mire exciting than driving! There is a bus route at the bottom of the track to Antequera and Alora, although a car is essential.
Distances
Antequera 10 mins, lakes and El Chorro 25 mins, Granada 1 hr, Cordoba 2 hrs. Seville 2 hrs, Marbella, Puerto Banus and Ronda 1½ hrs. (I can advice you on a day out to Granada, by train and the local buses - if you book!!!!)
Further details
Antequera is a lovely old Moorish city with an abundance of churches, a museum, an olive oil museum and a tourist office. There are many supermarkets, restaurants and bars as well as some good designer shops. For activities there is walking from Casa Esme. Canoeing, kayaking and picnicking can be done at the Lakes near El Chorro with its famous gorge and derelict walkway, (Embalses de Galdahorce). Near there overlooking the lakes is a wonderful rustic restaurant, built over a tunnel hewn out from the rock. There you can drink, lunch or dine very well and very reasonably. There are many stables for riding including Natural Hosemanship stables which offer courses or just a one day hack. There is a wolf park down the road (Lobo Park) where Daniel and his team show you the four breeds of wolves as well as having a 'Howl Night' which starts with a BBQ and then a tour of the wolves which howl with him. (Sometimes you can them howling from Casa Esme!) The ancient rock formations of El Torcal is a must to visit although a small part of it can be seen from the villa. All the white villages in the neighbourhood are fascinating to visit and still very Spanish. Iznajar is one of the prettiest being on another lake only 1/2 an hour away. There are many good restaurants around all the villages which serve very Spanish dishes (unlike the coast with the smell of chips!) Fuenta de Piedra is a blue lagoon nearby with many flamingoes. Valle de Abdalajis (20 mins) is the flight capital of Andalucia for rock climbing etc. as well as being a quaint village with narrow streets, so there is plenty to see and do if you can tear yourself away from the pool and the BBQ and the peace at Casa Esme. There is a tourist office in Antequera in the San Sebastien Square which gives information about the area. There are many banks and ATM's in Antequera, as well as a Barclays Bank in the main street. All the shops and banks close at 2pm but the supermarkets are open from 9.15 to 9.15
Booking notes
A deposit of 25% is required on reservation and the balance 8 weeks before arrival. A returnable breakages deposit of £150 to be paid with deposit.
Guest comments
Thank you Sally for letting us stay at Casa Esme, and we will never forget the day we rolled back the big door to reveal your pretty home with its pool and gardens. Richard and Helen
We know the area well and this is the best place we have been to in Andalucia. Anna and Ian
Thank you Sally for sharing with us your enchanting home. the pool, views and surrounding area are spectacular. John and Sue
Sally, your home is lovely, the view spectacular. We were not prepared for such a setting. I would thoroughly recommend this house as a perfect holiday base. We hope to return soon. the Helliars.
The villa is lovely and in a fantastic setting, we very much hope to return. The Kelsells.
To sit by the pool and watch the mountains at breakfast was magical. The villa and its location are superb. Going home tomorrow - sorry to go!! The Damms
We came to Casa Esme to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary and everything was perfect! Sue and Mark.
Owner profile
About the owner
In 2002 I inherited some money from my late mother and so my husband and I decided to fulfill our dream and buy a holiday home. We have some friends who live on the coast near Marbella and they found Casa Esme for us (from someone in Pedro's Bar!) So we met the agent and the owner (a Spanish headmaster)at the Mirador and proceeded to the house. As we went up the track we knew it was in the right position for us and then when the big gate slid back we were mesmerised by the whole setting, ambience and mainly the enormous pool set off with the amazing 500 year holm oak tree. Juan showed us the garden where he and Maria had planted it with many wonderful plants around the wall and then we entered the house which was just perfect for us. We shook hands and did the deal there and then!
Year purchased: 2002
Why the owner chose a home in this location
We made a few alterations to the house and updated the kitchen appliances and from then on we just loved to go to our house in the mountain for our many holidays. We have met some wonderful people, both English and Spanish, especially our neighbours scattered remotely up the track! We love the view of the mountains and put in an extra gate so we can now see across to the Sierra Nevadas 22 miles away and yet we can just nip down to the little shops in one of the hamlets on the outskirts of Antequera and yet be only 10 minutes from the centre of town. We have taken friends out and they all rave about it, so we decided that we should share it with other people when we are stuck in Blighty, so a friend told us about Owners Direct and we love having guests who always write glowing reports.
Unique benefits of the property
And so we have two lives!! Our Spanish life and our English life. We love the Alps and here in Spain we have the Alps in Spain with the ever changing colours of the Chimenea Mountain with its abundance of wildlife right next to El Torcal which can be seen from the sun room. The Eagles, the Vultures, the goats tinkling their bells, the amazing flora in the spring, the neighbours' horses and donkeys, the friendliness of the Spanish. We love tending the garden albeit a few disasters! We love entertaining our friends in Spain and I love going out with my girlfriends for 'wild women week' - a completely relaxing fun time with no ties or schedules! And it is such a joy that I can share this paradise without leaving my lovely house shut up. All so different from our farm in Tunbridge Wells!
For booking and further information
Property Ref S3751
Contact Name:
sally symmons
(UNITED KINGDOM) +44 01892890285
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Property Ref S3751
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