Rural cottage with private pool within a quiet, wooded organic farm

The location is idyllic for anyone wanting to get away from it all, and we found the owner of the casa, Pepe, a friendly and helpful host together with his daughter, Sylvia, who's studying to be a doctor. Pepe very kindly gave us some eggs and strawberries on our arrival, produce of his smallholding. The casa is very peaceful apart from the noise of the cazadores (hunters) who seemed to be at it from dawn to dusk, shooting wild pigs. Pepe actually speaks good English but appreciated our attempts at Spanish so all was well. The house was designed to keep out the sun's heat, and during our first week it was cold at nights, but Pepe kindly gave us some extra wood for the wood burner which warmed the house up a treat. The second week the weather was so hot we couldn't spend long in the sun so welcomed the shade of the verandah. The house was a little basic in some respects and the lighting in the bathroom was a bit dim, but no real complaints. Warning - there are no egg cups and although we normally take a couple of flat plastic ones with us, we forgot this time but we bought a pair in a ceramics shop in a nearby village, and they doubled up as souvenirs! Maybe it was too early in the season but we found very few places to eat in Galaroza, although the Bar Serrano had excellent food and was really good value for money. We also liked the Mill restaurant in nearby Alajar, great food and really friendly, although it's tucked away up a side street near the town centre. They have a garden for al fresco dining, and the waitress, Pilar, is always cheerful. There are some lovely walks in the area but we weren't going to attempt them in 33 degree heat! Virtually no Brits in this area which is a big plus. The track from the main road to the casa is in good condition although a little uneven and narrow in places, but quite accessible even by large vehicles. We don't think Pepe's guard geese are vicious but we didn't get close enough to find out, they do strut around as if they own the place! He's also got a couple of dogs, Blanca and Socky, and although we're not dog lovers, these are both as daft as brushes and would probably lick you to death! We didn't use the swimming pool as the weather hadn't warmed it up enough but it'll be OK later in the year.Thanks Pepe, we had an enjoyable and relaxing time, sorry we never had a chance to say goodbye but there was nobody around at the time we left"

I really enjoyed staying at the property it was just what I was looking for. Very peaceful place to stay, not everyone's choice possibly but for me it was what I expected, Wonderful walking with my dog in this beautiful part of Spain. Marvellous weather a little cool at night but a great wood burning stove to make it cosy.Just perfect! The owner, Pepe was so helpful so relaxed, nothing was a problem.I would love to go back one day!"

We stayed in this property for the second week of our holiday in Andalusia.The area was wonderful with fantastic walks,including one from the book Walking in Andalusia by Guy Hunter-Watts passing very close to this property. The villages and towns of the area are very pretty, we enjoyed taking the bus from Aracena to Seville and there was a great selection of restaurants in the area. The property is situated in a wooded area where birds and butterflies were regularly seen.It is so peaceful, quiet and relaxing,especially when lying in the hammock,reading with a glass of wine. The property is well laid out and we enjoyed the upstairs sitting area in the evenings.The owner Pepe was the perfect host, very helpful but unobtrusive. His gifts of delicious organic tomatoes, figs and honey were very appreciated.The property is rustic and we feel that perhaps some upgrading of kitchen utensils, furnishings and lighting would command a higher letting fee and enhance a lovely holiday experience even further. Thank you to Rustic Travel for all their help and advise and best wishes to our host Pepe and we hope to be back."

We had a wonderful holiday in Pepe's rural cottage in Sierra de Aracena. Pepe gave us an extremely warm welcome with a bottle of wine and a jar of his homemade honey. I would highly recommend this cottage to anyone visiting the area. There are amazing treks around the countryside. I would definitely go back. The cottage is like something out of a fairy tale."

Sierra de Aracena is a beautiful area. We loved the walking along the caminos. The views were fantastic and the wild flowers were stunning. Aracena is a lovely town and everything you need is there, especially a good Mercadona for self-caterers. The cottage is in a beautiful secluded location. The owner, Pepe, is very friendly and very kind - he gave us some honey and asparagus from his farm and he gave us firewood for the cold nights. The cottage is quite basic but it has a lovely fairy tale feel about it. One criticism is that it wasn't very clean - some attention needs to be paid to this. Also, the cracked plates should be replaced."

Just a quick note to say that we really enjoyed our stay at the cottage. It was a perfect place to ""get away from it all"" and a perfect base for exploring the country around Aracena. The cottage was great and Pepe provided us with a nice selection of organic vegetables and eggs throughout the week which was a real treat to cook with. I would be grateful if you could pass on our thanks to him. Thanks also to all at Rustical Travel for making transaction easy and providing us with extra information. "

I wanted to let you know that we had a wonderful time on our holiday - the HA11 property was incredibly charming and comfortable, and the owner, Pepe, was most accommodating and helpful. There's one thing I need to mention to you, and that is about the directions to the property you sent . You'll need to amend them slightly..."

We would like to say a big thank you for all the help Rustical Travel gave us for our recent trip. We loved the location and the local villages and Pepe was just so friendly and helpful whilst discreet enough for us to enjoy the seclusion. The directions worked ok except for the numerous roundabouts on the outskirts of Seville - maybe it would be good just to include a note to that effect as it was quite stressful searching for the appropriate sign. We did use the sat nav as back up too but would certainly NOT have found the casa if Pepe had not come to meet us in the village! We will most certainly recommend your services to our friends and family and we may be back soon! With our best wishes"

We had a wonderful holiday. The service from Rustical Travel was excellent, very personal. The cottage was very rustic and exactly what we wanted. Pepe the owner very kind and helpful and he had left wine and honey as welcome gifts. He even came with a wonderful basket of organic vegetables from his farm. We will definitely book with you again ps After we had booked the holiday and then some weeks later talking to a work colleague about where we were going and who with ... ... she too has a house with you guys .. what a small world!"

We had a fabulous time and Pepe was very helpful. We did have a bit of a problem finding the house and had to phone Pepe who came and took us to the property. We discovered that we had actually found it ourselves but as the name on the sign of the property wasn't the same as on your map and directions we were not sure we have found the right place. Nevertheless we all had a wonderful time and thoroughly enjoyed the house and area. Many thanks for all your help and information."

A big thankyou from us both, we had a wonderful time (despite Easyjet leaving our bags in the UK). The accomodation was excellent and more than exceeded our expectations. the directions provided were perfect, as was the information for the surrounding area. We will definitely use Rustical Travel again when we next visit Spain, and have recommended you to numerous people. Again, many thanks Peter/Sharon"