Andalucia courtyard villa in luxurious seclusion, views of Africa

Cortijo La Hoya was the most ideal property for our family party of 15. Laid out around a charming courtyard, the rooms were cool, attractively furnished and comfortable. This property is more than a holiday villa, it feels like a home. There is a delightful little upstairs sitting room which is a great place for a quiet time. The views are beautiful and the pool is excellent. A delightful garden full of flowering shrubs and many shady terraces and shade also round the pool, which is important in August. The kitchen is very well equipped and we made use of the very good cook, Natalia, famous for her paella, but also many other delicious meals, which was a great help. It is well positioned, near Gaucin,where there is a good supermarket and where we also had a delicious meal out at La Fructuosa. It is within easy reach of Rhonda, which is well worth a visit and the grandchildren loved swimming in the freezing lake at Cueva del Gato! We highly recommend this property and Ines, the caretaker was very helpful, as were Rustical Travel with all our dealings."

We're a group of childhood friends, spouses and (now) children who've been renting vacation properties together for the past 15 years. We've taken homes everywhere from the Catskills to the French Riviera, and we all agree that... This – house – is – the – BEST! The views are spectacular. The grounds are extensive, filled with flowers and fruit trees. (Wake up to the scent of jasmine, then take your kids on a nature walk through the orchard to show them where their food comes from.) The gourmand groundskeeper, Paco, makes amazing paella and helped source our very own leg of jamon de bellota. The house manager, Ines, will go out of her way to answer your questions and get what you need or assist you in any way. The house itself is beautiful, tastefully decorated without feeling too precious. The kitchen is well equipped, with two ovens and two dishwashers, which makes clean up so much easier. The cooktop/hob can be a bit finicky, but you’ll figure it out or just cook the whole time on the built-in BBQ outside. The rooms are arranged around the courtyard, so everyone has their own private space. The pool is large, has a platform where younger kids can play and a shelf along the edge of the deeper part so you can stand all the way around….and, wow, the view. Nearby “white villages,” like Gaucin and Jimena de la Frontera, are charming and have castles where you can climb on 2000 years of history without any supervision. A little further afield, cities like Ronda, Cadiz and Gibraltar are also worth a visit (though you may want to bring some Dramamine for the winding roads) or go to Africa for a day – ferries to Morocco leave every couple of hours from Tarifa. That said, once you’re at the house, you may never want to leave. And when you must, you’ll be counting the days until you can return. I know I am."

I wanted to drop you a note to say that we had a absolutely lovely time at the villa. Thank you very much for all your help. "

Tanks for the opportunity to provide feedback. Our holiday was split into two groups. Week 1 a family gathering of 15 and week 2 our son / daughter friends. Both groups had a fantastic time. La Hoya is a great place which felt like home (ie not too pristine which meant no need to worry) and we settled in immediately. Location was perfect and with no immediate neighbours we could relax completely and other than shopping trips - hardly left the place!! We enjoyed Jimena De la Frontera as an alternative to Gaucin. An amazing pool was the relaxed focus of both weeks and Table tennis provided a more competitive alternative! There were however a couple of problems which we feel should be addressed: Our biggest single problem was the children's wing". Whilst we had 2 x 7 year olds upstairs (with parents) the two rooms downstairs occupied by 3 adults were substandard compared to the other rooms in the main house which were all en-suite. This meant 7 people having to share the smallest shower in the house. The bathroom facilities were totally inadequate for a potential 8 people. There needs to be at least another toilet / shower - bath possibly upstairs to spread the load. Of lesser importance - but worth considering would be another fridge. With 15 people in the house - the kitchen and outside fridges were completely full after every shopping trip and it would have been good to have another one, especially for the water!! Just about everything else was perfect and we would all definitely love to return.

This was our second holiday with Rustical Travel and another fabulous villa. Really friendly local guides, the villa was beautiful and the views stunning. We'll definitely be back."

It is such a little paradise - having been there twice now I feel it is a very special place and I'm already thinking about when I will return. We had a fantastic time there, all our friends were in awe how beautiful it is and it really worked well for our group (13 adults, 7 kids). The kids loved it, they played in the gardens all day long, we had long, lazy breakfasts and yummy barbecues in the evenings. We were so lucky with the weather, we were able to swim in the pool and sit outside and listen to the nightingales at night! We were looked after very well by Ines, who arranged for an excellent yoga teacher and a manicurist to come, and Paco, who cooked a fabulous paella for us. We couldn't have wished for anything more. The property itself is clearly a well-loved and treasured family home, you immediately get the feeling you're arriving at a home from home - my personal favourite feature is the beautiful courtyard with its citrus trees and fragrant jasmine. All rooms are clean and well maintained and decorated beautifully. We left the property only once in our week there - to go to the pretty village of Gaucin, where we witnessed a traditional Easter procession - a very special treat in a perfect holiday!

We want to say how much we all enjoyed our recent holiday in RD55. We found nothing we did not like there and appreciated the way the whole place was entrusted to us as it is so clearly a much cherished home. We do hope to come again. We should also like to thank you for your clear instructions and service which all worked very smoothly. Please would you to extend our appreciation to the owners of this property for their wonderfully open approach to their visitors."