Perfectly private Ronda villa on hillside above a turquoise lake

We stayed 2 weeks in Aug 2023 and have stayed many summers in various places in Andalucia. This villa is both rural and rustic. It’s great for undisturbed peace, relaxation and privacy. Nature lovers will enjoy early mornings watching various birds of prey, foxes and much else from the peace of the patio. Pack some binoculars! As you are very much in the countryside, expect to share the house with smaller wildlife - ants will come and eat any trace of food not cleared up ;-) The rural setting is a completely fabulous opportunity for stargazing- with no light pollution at all, you can spend hours looking at the night sky- download an app so you know what you’re seeing! We saw meteor showers, Starlink satellite trains, and countless shooting stars. We had great evenings in the large outdoor space by the pool lying on loungers looking at the sky! In terms of the villa itself, as our stay coincided with a heatwave where temperatures routinely exceeded 40 degrees on consecutive days, we found that without air con, (like a lot of people in the region I’m sure) we really suffered. The rooms have fans but at these temperatures this only produced a hairdryer effect and the house did not remain cool, even at night. That said, it is very hard to advocate for air con when the view from the villa is described as overlooking the turquoise waters of Lake Zahara. It should be noted that climate change and no rainfall means that there is in fact no view of the lake at all. From the villa, a very small triangle of water is visible and a drive to beautiful Zahara town itself reveals that devastatingly, there is little water remaining. The encroaching tree line down the banks of where water used to be is very apparent. The villa itself is rustic- traditional Spanish in terms of features and design, but we found a little ‘no frills’ in terms of comfort. The kitchen is well equipped but a little tired round the edges and some things are past their best and need replacing… a laundry basket and for a family of 4, more than 7 pegs to hang out washing would be handy. That said it was so hot by the time you got to peg the 7th item, the 1st was dry! Bed linen and towels were clean and changed after a week (though not all were replaced) We did our own washing in between anyway so it was not a problem. A 2 week stay was too long for our teenagers in the heat and they needed more civilisation - trips to Ronda (20 mins) and further afield to Cadiz and coast / beaches satisfied this on various days. Nearer trips to local villages for drinks and tapas provided breaks but temperatures curbed their enthusiasm! The TV was a great distraction for them during hot afternoons-we managed to login to our Amazon account etc. The pool was the saving grace of our stay and is the star of the show here - large, clean and well maintained, it provided respite from blistering sunshine by day and at all hours of the night when no one could sleep! The addition of a large sunshade canopy not in the photos was excellent. Not all lights around the pool area worked. There is plenty of room for Sun loungers and activities- we didn’t use the swings (kids too old) or the table tennis (too hot even at night!) but found this area where the BBQ is to be not very well maintained underfoot and therefore wouldn’t have used it anyway. You need something other than flip flops to walk on it as there are sharp thorny grasses- probably not for toddlers. Though you can’t BBQ in summer due to fire risk, I’m not sure we would have used it given its condition. We managed the road leading to the villa in a Seat Arona SUV with no trouble. The car went notably quicker up the hill when we had just us and no luggage in it ;-) Overall this villa is great for those wanting peace and privacy and is value for money, though we would now consider spending a little more on a villa for a bit more comfort next time. The lack of air con, the almost dried up lake and the August heatwave have made us rethink the sustainability of our holidays and what we will do differently next year. We thought this villa is a great location for nearby walking, hiking etc in a cooler season."

Rustical are very professional, extremely helpful and respond very quickly to any queries."

The property was disappointing. We stayed in two of your properties in 2019 and couldn't fault either of them. This one was very much inferior. Whilst the pool and immediate area around it were beautiful, the house and garden were not. The children's play area was not cared for and dangerous. The barbecue was filthy and a health risk. There was thick fat and oil left over from previous people. And the area immediately around it was un-cared for and full of weeds. It did not make a good impression. We arrived to a dark house that had not been aired for some time. Whilst it was mostly clean, there were places that weren’t including the cutlery draw and handles on the dresser. The first impression of the house was certainly not welcoming. The house smelt and we had to buy candles to improve the smell. Maria was helpful during our stay and when we had an issue with a dead rat in the pool. She did get this sorted for us. On that day we left, we said we would leave around 10. Maria was happy with this. At 0945 the cleaners arrived and tried to rush us out. They came into the house before we were ready to leave and emptied bins and moved things before we were actually ready. Whilst taking recycling was our responsibility and we did this every day, they also made us take our own rubbish away! Overall both the poor impression when we arrived and the last memories of being rushed off the premises made a very unwelcoming and poor last memory. ."

Brilliant property perfect location for all day sun round the pool . clean well equiped and private Host was fantastic made contact as soon as arrived respected our privacy but was on call if needed Overall fantastic place and villa would definitely return thank you for a great holiday"

Fantastic , marvellous, Just about sums up the whole experience Thank you"

The property itself was nice, rustic as its name suggests, private indeed with good views. But the road leading to it was not easy at all, not well maintained so this needs to be made clear so that people can take sound decisions before booking."

We had a wonderful time. Best bit was the pool which we all loved (even the non swimmer) and the views from the pool. Very well appointed house in splendid rural isolation. Thank you Rustical Travel."

House was immaculate on arrival, lovely views, pool and plants well maintained (and unintrusively) throughout. You need a robust vehicle to get up the track on the hill but it’s worth it! Not mentioned anywhere in the publicity is the fantastic stargazing because of very low light pollution and high altitude. Highly recommended"

Your organisation for our trip was very good and advise regarding the local area and directions to the property were excellent. The property was as good as we expected with a fantastic location, superb views and an excellent swimming pool."

Beautiful views, good sized pool, well equipped kitchen. Tricky white road to property. lovely"

the property was fantastic, the owner was most helpful and rustically travel were great in their customer service thank you"

A comfortable and spacious house with a good sized pool up in the hills and benefitting from a private location. We all enjoyed our stay and would recommend this property to others."

The house was perfectly situated for an ideal family holiday. We loved discovering the nearby villages, the complete solitude of the home, and the vultures that circled overhead. Our biggest concern in advance was the absence in the air conditioner - turned out there was no need to worry, the house was very well ventilated and the fans served us perfectly. We stayed for two weeks, but could have easily stayed another two and we would not have scratched the surface of things to do."

The service and web-site of Rustical Travel was simple and effective. We like and have stayed at the villa before but the views are better now that the vegetation has been lowered. We have stayed in El Gastor for six years on the trot and would gladly use Rustical Travel and this property again. Thank you, Martin."

We returned yesterday after an excellent holiday in RD30, which was one of the best properties we have ever stayed in."

We had a lovely time at RD30. Although, your pictures on the website of a artificial grassed area and play house are incorrect, as they are not there. The owner informed me that they have not been there for 5 years, which was a disappointment to our 2 young children. Also, the WIFI was terrible - you struggled to even access facebook. We felt slightly mislead about this also. "