Totally brilliant!

We have stayed in many villas in Europe and The United States but have never experienced a warmer welcome than that given to us by Alun and Tish!
The villa far exceeded our expectations - not only for its beautiful setting but for the thoughtful and comprehensive way that it was equipped. The villa was immaculate and there were so many personal touches around the place, including Tish's art work,that set it apart from other villas that we have stayed in.
Its mountain location is stunning There is a wonderful spacious terrace at the front of the house, where we ate and relaxed and enjoyed the views. The pool area also provided a place to eat, sunbathe and unwind.
Alun ensures that the pool is always crystal clear and wonderfully inviting. Where else could you swim comfortably outdoors every day in October?
We found it very reassuring to have Tish and Alun near at hand to suggest places of interests, great mountain walks and good local restaurants.Nothing was ever too much trouble for them and their warm personalities were an integral part of our holiday experience.It is very important to them that their guests are able to relax and enjoy their stay.
Another unique feature of the property was the chance to play boules/petanque on a specially made court at the bottom of the garden.
Eating out was always a delight as there was very little light pollution. We loved lying on the sunbeds and gazing at the incredible display of stars - our very own planetarium!

Our only regret is that we couldn't have stayed longer ... but there is always next year!

We have just returned from a truly wonderful relaxing 2 week holiday in Villa Barbaro. We were greeted warmly by Tish and Alun on arrival who showed us around and gave us some very useful local information and then left us to enjoy the remainder of our afternoon. This was our first villa holiday and we will now find it very hard to ever return to a hotel holiday. The villa was immaculate and the descriptions on the website were very accurate. Having meals out on the very spacious terrace with beautiful mountain views was just brilliant. The pool was also very well maintained and we made good use of that. It was nice having the facilities to be able to eat in if you wanted and the BBQ was again used a couple of times.
Tish and Alun were a lovely friendly couple and it was good having them living close by with all their local knowledge (like being able to buy some fresh milk in the bigger supermarket in Competa as we couldn't find any en route in Lidl or the Estoril in Torrox.) Alun pointed out where we could get straight into the National Park to go for walks and then they even took us walking one day and afterwards to a lovely Cafe Bar in Canillas called Cafe Bar Curezo which did lovely, very good value meals.
The walks we did around the area were spectacular especially up near Casa La Mina (just ask Alun to point you in the right direction). We can also highly recommend a trip to Ronda which was a 2 hour drive but well worth a visit as the setiing of the town high up on a gorge was just spectacular. The caves at Nerja were also impressive. Then how lovely to return from these trips or a long walk to the wonderful, peaceful Villa and not have to fight for a sun lounger by the pool!
We would highly recommend this villa if you are after a superb place to stay in a very peaceful mountain setting. Also a great area if you enjoy walking. We will definitely return here soon as had a great holiday.

we were met with a very wam welcome by Tish&Alun the owners.The villa was immaculate and well equipped one of the best we've stayed at. The owners were able to give us comprehensive tourist information about the local and surrounding areas which was a great help. They even provided extra fans when we were experiencing a heatwave! In fact nothing was too much trouble.The caves at Nerja are spectacular-well worth a visit. Nerja at night had lots going on and numerous good restaurants.If you like seafood you must visit Torre del Mar although it is very spanish.We went to Granada on a sunday not a good idea everything closed and you need to book online for the palace beforehand.

My family and I recently spent three weeks at this stunning villa and cannot recommend it more highly. First of all, the villa was everything the photos spoke of, which often is not the case. It was immaculate and clearly very well taken care of and loved by Tish and Alan the owners. Personal art work and handiwork created by Tish is in every room and adds a lovely warmth to the decor. We spent our days lounging by the crystal blue pool, reading, BBQing and snoozing - very literally the perfect vacation spot and one we will definately return to.

Arrived as family of 4 including 2 teenagers to find wonderfully clean and well maintained villa with all home comforts - couldn't ask for more. Wireless internet very useful for keeping in touch with reality.Weather very hot and sunny so pool very welcome - how nice to have the heating, made swimming a joy. Enjoyed visiting the local villages for morning refreshments then returned to enjoy the comfort of the villa for sun bathing and swimming etc. Outside areas cater for all times of the day with a good mixture of sun and shade available. Enjoyed evenings outside playing Scrabble even lying on sun beds as a family looking at stars and talking (even found that teenagers can still communicate!). Alun and Tish excellent hosts allowing privacy whilst ensuring that we enjoyed our stay. Alun thanks for the guided tour to the view point in the mountains above Competa - spectacular views. Came home very relaxed from a fantastic holiday in lovely location. We have rented holiday villas for many years - this has definitely been one of the best. Would like to come back to explore the walking at a cooler time of the year. Thanks Alun and Tish for a great stay.

The villa nestles in the hillside about 16 km (20mins) from the coast town of Torrox and approximately 8 minutes from the lovely unspoilt town of Competa. The road up from Torrox has recently been resurfaced and puts UK roads to shame.
We have been renting villas for the past 6 years and this is the best so far. The Villa is very clean and immaculately presented and the pool is spotless and maintained at a constant 90deg - perfect. Numerous good restaurants can be found in Competa and the prices are very reasonable. Several Beach resorts are within easy driving distance. We loved it.

Had a wonderful 2 week stay here in April 09. The heated pool was a hit with our children and the owners kept it in top shape. The terrace offered shaded outdoor eating and also felt very safe as one can limit access to the pool simply by locking the front door of the house. The whole property is very clean, well equipped and benefits from lots of TLC.
Alun and Tish are very friendly and helpful with plenty of local knowledge and ideas for things to do. Some of the books in the house led us along some great walks. We hope to return sometime and will definately be recommending the house to friends in the meantime.

Looking at Alun & Tish's guest book & reading these reviews, you get the impression that they are outstanding hosts, & having just spent a fortnight at the villa we can see why. On arrival, we had a warm & friendly welcome & a guided tour of the very impressive house. We had complete privacy but Alun & Tish were always ready to give help & advice when needed. We were more interested in using the villa as a base to explore the area, rather than a pool-side holiday, & took in Malaga, Granada, Cordoba & Seville - plus a lot of the smaller towns & villages. It is certainly a beautiful & interesting area. Coming back in the evening, we enjoyed sitting on the terrace, a glass in hand, & looking at the stunning view. The owners came to seem like old friends & our final night was spent in their house, over nibbles & wine; a most enjoyable way to wind up our visit. We would recommend Alun & Tish, & the Villa Barbaro to anyone seeking a great holiday in this part of Spain.