Cortijo las Rosas — Hotel in Algarinejo

Absolutely exquisite from the tiny jars of perfect marmalade to the absolutely pitch black bedroom shutters. A little piece of heaven that makes me not want to write a review in case it is not available when we return...!||||The location is breathtaking - high in the hills, reachable through (excellent) special instructions on a very scenic route, whilst looking at the most stunning reservoir, to find a secret hideaway - nay, a paradise - where there is not a house or person to view from the eternity pool looking over the hills and olive groves. A place to genuinely unwind and spend oodles of time with the one you love, uninterrupted, with a private romantic courtyard.||||Attention to detail is so hard to articulate when done so absolutely beautifully. It is like the house you would love to live in with parfait jars in the welcome basket containing selections of beautiful Spanish fare, to gingham cloths covering the bread, and baskets of fresh local vegetables. Fabulously comfortable bed and completely blackout shutters - we've never slept so well! Luxuriously hot and full showers. Beautiful lighting throughout, and lots of lovely candles in our private courtyard.||||The sisters who own the three houses have the balance perfectly arranged, from an incredibly warm welcome, to a very discreet presence, offering guidance when asked, and being around but barely noticeable, just perfect.||||Yet, despite this idyllic remote location, so proximate to all the places you would like to see. We visited Mezquita de Córdoba and Granada city including the Alhambra a couple of times, and both journeys were around an hour or two. Malaga was a couple of hours away.||||Truly a special find. Hope you have a magical and memorable time.||||||Oh yes, and ....||||We were in the Casita Perdiz, which is much larger than the photos suggest - in fact was quite a surprise at how large and well equipped the accommodation was.||||Free wifi is available in a special location on the site and downloading is discouraged. A proper work switch off!||||Mobile reception is excellent across...

The perfect getaway place.

We first stayed at Las Rosas in 2010, and have been back about 5 times. Every visit has been magical, with lots of sun to go with the amazing views. There are 3 casitas which share a pool and a sun terrace, but there is plenty of room and it doesn't seem crowded. We've stayed in 2 of the 3 casitas, which are beautifully kitted out in a way that reflects the traditional style of rural Spain, but with large comfy sofas! There is an optional welcome pack which is excellent value for money, and is just the thing when arriving from the airport with no enthusiasm for a supermarket trip. There is a small supermarket within walking distance, but a car is pretty much essential, both for the bigger supermarket at Rute and exploring the countryside and surrounding towns, Cordoba, Malaga etc. The owners, Marylynne and Gilly, live on site and are splendid hosts, with lots of advice and tips, and on one early spring stay when the nights were somewhat chilly, the loan of a hot water bottle. It's probably my favourite holiday destination, and we're looking forward to returning! - Bridget

Peter adds: Las Rosas is the perfect antidote to urban stress and email addiction. I absolutely love going there! I feel as if I've got younger each time. Favourite things include: early morning swims, a glass of wine at sunset, watching the swallows dip down to the pool, beautifully clean and comfortable bedrooms, lovely and dark at night, incredible starry skies, and so quiet that you can easily oversleep! One late spring visit, it was cold at night..so we fired up the wood stove and transformed the evening in minutes..more usually it's blissfully warm, so T-shirt and shorts all the time. In summer, we'd often light the barbecue on our private patio. Hilly walks with grand views. The narrow, steep road up to the cortijo from Iznajar is less scary now than when we first visited, but the views and the holiday experience are truly worth every second of the drive. Highly...

We booked Casita Galgo (one double room apartment) for a rest at the end of a two week tour of Andalusia and so glad we did. The accommodation is spotlessly clean and really well equipped with lots of thoughtful touches such as cooking essentials, communal washing machine and local information. Casita Galgo has a lovely private enclosed courtyard with a small table for outdoor dining.||||Gillian and Marylynne live next door in the house and are fantastic hosts getting the balance between helpful attentiveness and privacy just right. The directions to the house were accurate and necessary, it is off a very windy mountain road down a dirt track but this adds to the sense of peace and away from it all. The views are spectacular over the olive groves. The welcome pack was excellent value and contained enough for our three night stay (with the odd excursion to buy more wine!). ||||Be aware that the accommodation is remote, there is a small village for essentials about 30 minutes walk away and Iznajar is a lovely town about 25 minutes drive down the hill. There are a few bars and cafes as well as small supermarkets. The reservoir is spectacular and there is a beach and beach bar on the outskirts of Iznajar. ||||We can highly recommend a stay at Cortijo Las Rosas if you are looking for peace and quiet, we certainly hope to pay a return...