Orgiva holiday villa

What a fantastic stay in Andalusia!! The surroundings of this villa have such a strong impact - we did feel that all our cares had gone away, and when we returned home we felt so refreshed, it was like having a new start - new strength, new outlook on our everyday, new person almost. The villa itself is beautiful, cool, white marble floors, immaculate decor and kitchen, bathroom and kitchen ware. The owner has a feel for the spiritual things of life. He's also getting his garden going, with local trees and plants like palm trees and bird of paradise flowers. There are also olive, pomegranate and fig trees, although they weren't in season.

But the main feature for the daytime is the huge pool with its' crystal clear water. So cool and refreshing in the hot sun. We went in several times a day, and a few evenings too!

Local food is fantastic too. We made our own meals, euro being a bit high at the moment, so we shopped for fruit & veg, Rioja, olives, oranges, almonds, cheeses, honey etc locally - it's all so tasty! It just reminded us of how things should taste! The Taray restaurant is worth going to, out of Orgiva to the left. Most of the town's bars give free tapas around meal times. there's some good bakers in town too.

We visited the coast, some small tourist seaside resorts and Malaga which is smart. Swimming in the Med is my all-time summer favourite activity and I always feel privileged if I can do that. Granada is interesting culturally with the Alhambra and the old city centre. Plenty of history and culture and tapas there. Flamenco evenings for example. and smart shops if you want them.

Orgiva has a euro-hippy population, but also a proper market, some good restaurants, essential shops, banks and internet. It's a fair old walk into town, maybe an hour, but very pleasant providing you've got a sunhat and water or fruit. The drive up to house was a bit scary at first, but our driver got used to it. We had the owner's mobile but didn't need to ring him as everything went fine. He's a helpful chap.

I had a sneak preview into what to expect - local colour - reading Chris Stewart's Driving Over Lemons, but everyone in my party was as bowled over as I was.

This rental gets my strong recommendation for a holiday with grown-up family or friends. Me gusta! Mui bien.

We enjoyed many fantastic evenings sat eating dinner on the top balcony admiring the stunning views. We saw 9 shooting stars in the clear night sky. Every day around the pool has been so much fun, we feel so lucky to have had such an incredible week. This villa is perfection, we don't want to leave. Thank you for such a lovely experience.