Archival
10/10 Excellent
Tom R.
11 Jun 2017
A week of secluded luxury at Casa Abuela
We spent a week in April at the Casa Abuela near Ronda. It is a spacious, purpose-built self-catering holiday cottage with a lovely open-plan kitchen and sitting room area, and two large double bedrooms (one with an en-suite shower). It was just the two of us but the cottage has plenty of room for a family of four.
The swimming pool is a standout feature, large and secluded. We spent an hour or two each day lounging beside it or doing some lengths to build up our appetites for the next meal.
The owners, Nick and Julia, are a very friendly couple with two equally gregarious children. Based in the house next to our cottage, they were invisible most of the time and gave us the privacy we wanted while being just a door knock away from giving advice and assistance -
on everything from local walks and bike rides to good restaurants and where to park in Ronda.
The rustic location is to-die-for, with a middle-of-nowhere feel to it but still only a 10-minute drive to Ronda, one of Spain's most enticing 'ciudads'; and with a smattering of fine restaurants (the rabbit at El Pelistre is divine) just a mile or two away. Combine these factors with the distinctive ambience Nick and Julia have created - upmarket, laid-back, warm and friendly - and for us it has provided one of the best self-catering holidays we've ever had.