10/10
We stayed here for two weeks at the end of August and really enjoyed our stay. The views from the property are stunning and the only noise you'll hear at night is the local farmer moving his sheep in the valley below.
It's certainly remote! Only a few other properties around but you're up in the hills and you'll definitely need a car to get around to supermarkets, restaurants, beaches, civilisation etc. This was fine for us as with 5 kids we were never worried about the noise!
You get a real authentic rustic feel from the property while still having modern things like dishwasher, coffee machine, TVs, bathrooms etc.
Outside the property, the kids loved the pool - it's a small pool but they're all under 7 so great for them; older kids might struggle. Big trampoline was a hit too.
Two things you'll miss:
1. An oven - there's a big BBQ and pizza oven outside which we used regularly, both need wood fires to heat (this was provided). If you're used to an electric fan oven like us then it takes a bit longer to heat up!
2. Wifi/phone signal - I did say it was remote. We had no 4G/5G and the wifi struggled to cope with even basic web pages; don't expect to be able to stream Netflix or YouTube. We made the most of free wifi at restaurants etc while out to download stuff for the kids.
When heading out for the day or for shopping you're about 25-30 minutes away from both Puerto de Mazarron or Cartagena. Recommend visiting both - restaurants, shopping, beaches at both places. Cartagena is larger and an ancient roman city with ruins to visit. My friend and I went to watch FC Cartagena play on a Friday night which was a brilliant experience if you're a football fan. Puerto de Mazarron felt like a local seaside resort for Spanish people, maybe 10% were British tourists, but everywhere could speak enough English to help you get what you want/need.
Last note is to Antonia, the property owner. She communicated brilliantly via what's app throughout our stay even though we both needed Google translate to get by. Nothing was too much trouble for her and one of the highlights of our holiday was when she came to cook everyone a traditional paella on the bbq outside.
If you're looking for somewhere to work remotely during the day and walk home from a few bars at night this is NOT the place for you! But if you're looking to escape in a little pocket of real rural Spain then we would definitely recommend it.
Thank you Antonia!
Jon J.
Estada de 14 nits (ag. 2022)