La Cazalla
Having stayed in in-town hotels all of the last 2 weeks, we thought a little taste of the Spanish countryside would not be out of place: La Cazalla certainly met our expectations!
Nestled in the fold of a valley in the highlands of Andalusia near Ronda, la Cazalla is a home more than a hotel that owner Maria Ruiz and her son Rodrigo have built on the remaining of a secondary building dating back to the Romans. That really was a pretext to build a stylish “finca” or country residence, with all the modern necessities without its annoying trappings (TV, phone, internet – yes even the freak that I am about proper communications means will admit to enjoying the respite…although my BlackBerry still had coverage but I did not abuse!) Five or six rooms upstairs, and downstairs, with its sunken lounge (the old roman ruin!), the living room and the dining area, felt like your private home.
Done in local style, with a Moorish touch in the décor and dispersed objets d’art here and there – even a Buddha discretely nested in a corner – the interior tells of a great attention to details in creating this relaxing space. An equal amount of work of love was invested in the exterior, with a brick terrace that leads out of the living room towards green surroundings, the sound of fountains and the warming sun much appreciated in these early days of October.
Then the pool: no, not the resort-type one, but a roman-like construction, no more than 10-foot wide by 40-foot long, with a wall at one end from which gushes a stream of water that breaks the surrounding silence and induces ripples on the water. To complement, a series of small private patios, isolated from each other by tall hedges and covered by sheets of blue and green canvas supported by discreet blue- painted poles – we spent a whole afternoon in the bliss of sun and water, reading, munching on Maria’s picnic, well lubricated with a cool, fresh local white (Vino Mantel, it was called).
And you are far away from anything else. There is a neighbor somewhere half a mile away; his dogs remind you of his existence. We walked along a path that follows the contours of the valley, for a good hour, before we decided to turn around. Not a soul, but lots of birds singing – almost biblical. At night, being the mating season, you hear the wanting howling of the male deer and the feeble moaning of the female in the morning (Cynthia objects to my characterization!)
There would be much to say about Maria; the little we learned about her left us with the deep impression of a woman, probably in her fifties (or prime sixties!), who has lived, well traveled and cultured, who by choice decided to leave it all, the big city – Madrid – and all its constraints and, yes, delights, although she professed that she hated it! To come and find peace and the passion of her life in building that little piece of paradise for the enjoyment of passing-by foreigners, coming from all walks of life, who for a moment share a common experience of “ravissement”.
A wonderful interlude in our city-pack tour of Andalusia!
October 7, 2007
Here are a few pictures that will tell you far more that my failing words, and a link that will give you more details if you are ever tempted by a quiet and comfortable sojourn in Andalusian country surroundings…
http://i-escape.com/hotel.php?hotel_key=SP014
Having stayed in in-town hotels all of the last 2 weeks, we thought a little taste of the Spanish countryside would not be out of place: La Cazalla certainly met our expectations!
Nestled in the fold of a valley in the highlands of Andalusia near Ronda, la Cazalla is a home more than a hotel that owner Maria Ruiz and her son Rodrigo have built on the remaining of a secondary building dating back to the Romans. That really was a pretext to build a stylish “finca” or country residence, with all the modern necessities without its annoying trappings (TV, phone, internet – yes even the freak that I am about proper communications means will admit to enjoying the respite…although my BlackBerry still had coverage but I did not abuse!) Five or six rooms upstairs, and downstairs, with its sunken lounge (the old roman ruin!), the living room and the dining area, felt like your private home.
Done in local style, with a Moorish touch in the décor and dispersed objets d’art here and there – even a Buddha discretely nested in a corner – the interior tells of a great attention to details in creating this relaxing space. An equal amount of work of love was invested in the exterior, with a brick terrace that leads out of the living room towards green surroundings, the sound of fountains and the warming sun much appreciated in these early days of October.
Then the pool: no, not the resort-type one, but a roman-like construction, no more than 10-foot wide by 40-foot long, with a wall at one end from which gushes a stream of water that breaks the surrounding silence and induces ripples on the water. To complement, a series of small private patios, isolated from each other by tall hedges and covered by sheets of blue and green canvas supported by discreet blue- painted poles – we spent a whole afternoon in the bliss of sun and water, reading, munching on Maria’s picnic, well lubricated with a cool, fresh local white (Vino Mantel, it was called).
And you are far away from anything else. There is a neighbor somewhere half a mile away; his dogs remind you of his existence. We walked along a path that follows the contours of the valley, for a good hour, before we decided to turn around. Not a soul, but lots of birds singing – almost biblical. At night, being the mating season, you hear the wanting howling of the male deer and the feeble moaning of the female in the morning (Cynthia objects to my characterization!)
There would be much to say about Maria; the little we learned about her left us with the deep impression of a woman, probably in her fifties (or prime sixties!), who has lived, well traveled and cultured, who by choice decided to leave it all, the big city – Madrid – and all its constraints and, yes, delights, although she professed that she hated it! To come and find peace and the passion of her life in building that little piece of paradise for the enjoyment of passing-by foreigners, coming from all walks of life, who for a moment share a common experience of “ravissement”.
A wonderful interlude in our city-pack tour of Andalusia!
October 7, 2007
Here are a few pictures that will tell you far more that my failing words, and a link that will give you more details if you are ever tempted by a quiet and comfortable sojourn in Andalusian country surroundings…
http://i-escape.com/hotel.php?hotel_key=SP014
