The house is a traditional Spanish country home in a secluded, rural setting. Spacious enough for eight, Finca El Olivar is luxuriously furnished and beautifully decorated in a simple, contemporary style to create a large, welcoming and comfortable home with a layout that is ideal for families or groups of friends but is also suited to a romantic break for two.
The large, private pool takes centre stage in the enclosed garden bordering our organic olive grove. Three terraces link the house to the garden and encourage outdoor living. With stunning views of the surrounding mountains, you can spend your whole holiday outside, following the rhythm of the sun.
From the south terrace, antique double doors open onto the entrance hall with a beautifully decorated, separate wc (handily close to the pool). Double doors lead into the kitchen and beyond the wide staircase, double doors open into the sitting room.
The large, airy, open plan sitting room leads onto the dining area and kitchen and has views through the french doors onto the south terrace overlooking the pool and garden and double doors to the east terrace with its huge oak dining table looking towards the olive grove.
With a luxuriously proportioned linen sofa for total relaxation, a desk area for those that must catch up on a few things or write a postcard home and an open plan layout that is great for families, the sitting room is perfect for large groups. With wi-fi throughout, a Mu-so Naim audio wireless music system (Bluetooth, Spotify, Airplay etc.), Sony Bravia smart tv, dvd player and a wide selection of games for all ages, there is something to keep everyone happy. For the cooler months there is a large wood-burning stove - a real treat to come home to after a long winter’s hike.
The dining area seats up to ten and lies at the very centre of the house, connecting the kitchen and sitting room and inviting evening games and leisurely meals. Help yourself from the honesty bar in the dining area or from the wine chiller and enjoy your favourite tipple with friends. A door leads from the dining area to the shady north side of the house with lovely views of the hills. This is the ideal spot for a little solitude.
The kitchen is beautifully integrated into the open plan layout and equipped for the keenest cook. French doors lead onto the west terrace with fabulous mountain views, perfect for a relaxing drink at sunset. The kitchen has a dishwasher, dual zone wine chiller, Neff induction hob and oven and Gaggia bean to cup coffee maker, whilst the well stocked pantry houses a microwave, toaster, pin blender, washer dryer and American style fridge freezer with integrated ice maker.
All four double bedrooms have air-conditioning for the long, hot summers and heating for the short, frosty winters. Shutters ensure a good night’s sleep, as do the luxuriously comfortable, hotel standard, thick, pocket sprung mattresses and heavenly soft Egyptian cotton bed linen.
All bedding is hypoallergenic with lightweight duvets for the summer and thick, cosy duvets for the winter. Cool terracotta floors, high, sloping ceilings with whitewashed beams and natural materials create a very restful atmosphere. The bathrooms are luxuriously styled with beautiful tiles, hotel standard fittings and sumptuous Egyptian cotton towels.
The master bedroom is romantic and spacious with a super king size oak, four poster bed with luxurious mattress topper, muslin drape and views of the mountains to the west. The ensuite bathroom has a stone resin, freestanding bath with views over the garden and olive groves beyond that invites a leisurely soak. Limestone tiles and a stone sink create a rustic feel to this room. The master bedroom has soft, ambient light, a lovely seating area, full length mirror, fitted wardrobe, original artwork and is equipped with hairdryer and ghd straighteners.
Bedroom two is very spacious with gorgeously comfortable zip and link beds that can be arranged as either twin beds or as a luxurious super king size bed with soft as down mattress topper. Spacious and comfortable, in the style of a boutique hotel, this room features a statement headboard, full length mirror, fitted wardrobe and original photographic prints of the local area. There is also a gorgeous day bed that can be used as a full sized single bed making this room comfortably sleep up to three.
Bedroom three is light, bright and has fabulous views to the south, a luxuriously comfortable double bed and fitted wardrobe. Decorated in a pared back style, in a soothing, neutral palette, bedroom three has original artwork, etchings by a local artist and several, carefully selected antique and vintage finds.
Bedroom four also has stunning views, a superbly comfortable double bed with cotton mosquito net (this is fully functional but there are no mosquitoes in the area) a vintage school desk and quirky little features. This room tidily houses a range of books, indoor and outdoor toys and art materials but is also suitable for adults.
The main bathroom has a fabulous walk in shower, double sinks and views to the south and is decorated in clean white with matt white tiles and hotel standard fittings.
Set within two acres of olive groves, the grounds of Finca El Olivar have been designed for outdoor living and making the very most of time spent with family and friends. The large, enclosed, totally private and well-equipped garden has ample furniture and a large lawn surrounding the 10m x 5m private pool. Slender young cypress trees and gnarled olives cast a little shade while fragrant lavender, rosemary, salvia, agapanthus and irises soak up the sun and white oleanders line the driveway.
With views in every direction, there are terraces on three sides of the house offering plenty of choice for both sun and shade and seamlessly connecting the inside and outside spaces. Facing south, the largest, vine covered terrace, has a solid oak coffee table, two large sofas and two armchairs looking towards the pool, over olive groves and farmland to the city of Ronda. This is the perfect place to sit and read or enjoy a well-earned snooze in the shade. Help yourself to the abundance of sweet white grapes that ripen in late summer.
To the east is the main dining terrace with a handcrafted oak table that comfortably seats ten and invites long, relaxing mealtimes at the edge of the olive grove. With a barbeque, outdoor paella burner and herbs within picking distance, this is the ideal setting for family and friends to gather. Anyone for table tennis? On the north side, just outside the kitchen door, is a small bistro table for a quiet coffee. With lovely views to the hills behind the house, this uncovered, but often shady patio, has a fantastic new table tennis table and a large flat area, perfect for a spot of pétanque.
The west terrace has double doors that lead directly into the kitchen with a sofa and armchair from which to watch the sun set and soak up the glorious views of the mountains of the Serranía de Ronda.
The generous, bamboo covered pergola at the pool’s shallow end has two comfortable Fermob lounge chairs with footstools and views towards the mountains in the west. Canvas parasols and six comfortable wooden loungers surround the pool and encourage lazy afternoons. There is an outdoor shower right by the pool. The pool itself is 5m x 10m with steps into the shallow end and is perfect for a cooling dip and large enough for more serious exercise, a variety of pool toys and large, sumptuously soft pool towels are provided.
The garden is gently sloping, open and surrounds the house on all sides, to the east it borders the olive grove and on all other sides it is surrounded by honeysuckle hedging. Approached via a single track road, the finca sits in an unspoilt area of outstanding beauty in a lush valley known as Llano de la Cruz.
Throughout the day there is ample shade to keep cool and perhaps have a siesta and of course, there is plenty of sun. Balmy evenings encourage candlelit gatherings on one of the terraces or a romantic walk under the stars.
As climate breakdown continues apace, and biodiversity declines at an alarming rate, we wanted to offer a holiday destination that was mindful of these crises and of the social injustice that goes hand in hand with damage to Mother Earth….