Dar Albaida. Cortijo junto al mar

Villa on the beach or a little cortijo? Ever been faced with this conundrum? Well, you now have the solution, for Dar Albaida is both, and more! Built only forty years ago, it is the perfect replica of an Andalus cortijo, yet it sits just 500m from one of Atlantic Spain’s most beautiful beaches. Throw in a local shop and bar and some tennis courts, and you have a unique combination. Sit in the courtyard and let the wafts of jasmine and the sound of running water lull you into a well-earned siesta; or try your luck in the Costa de la Luz’s famed surf before coming back for an even better-earned sherry by the pool (the barrel in the kitchen is for your use!)

If you are looking for a modern kitchen, home cinema, and wet room showers, Dar Abaída may not be for you. But if your thing is old terracotta floors (these are from the province of Toledo), original azulejos and roof tiles (the latter were reclaimed from and old convent in Arcos-de-la-Frontera), and family heirlooms that tell a tale (17th century travel chests, an extraordinary technical drawing of the Kaaba acquired in Mecca, and books galore), then this will probably be your place. You have your TV and optic fibre internet, but we think you will prefer to disconnect: long lunches in the courtyard; maybe even a long book under the pines, or in winter tucked up by the handsome fireplace; and then the moonlit nights with the sounds of owls and nightingales and breaking surf. This is a magical spot that we feel sure you will want to come back to.

Accommodation is virtually all on the ground floor, the tower bedroom being the only space on the first floor. In keeping with traditional design, the living area and kitchen make up one wing of the u-shaped construction, the bedrooms the other, and an entrance hall and corridor connect the two, everything wrapping around the central courtyard, or patio. The recently built pool and pergola sit to one side, along with a spectacular old millstone that came from an olive oil press in Cordoba (it is difficult to put a date on this, but a notary’s document from the 18th century said then that the oil factory had been there since time immemorial!) This is a property that oozes not only the love and care of the owners but also solera (tradition).

The main bedroom has a double bed and bathroom en suite, and the two other ground floor bedrooms have single beds and share a bathroom. The fourth bedroom is in the tower on the first floor, and here a top-of-the range sofa bed sleeps another two, surrounded by books and views on all four sides.The third (smaller) bathroom is on the ground floor just below.