Reviews of Property: Beautiful Family Villa with Pool, Big Garden, Privacy & Short Walk into Village

This was a late booking and so the reviews of others were important when deciding where to stay, and I am now in a position to agree with everything that has been said. The specification of the villa is beyond superb, and Doug and Barbara have obviously worked very hard to create a villa that is clearly head and shoulders above anything we have ever stayed at before.
In line with this standard, the supplied visitor information covers just about everything you'd want to do, and we used one of the 'step by step' guides help us to travel into Barcelona by train. We particularly liked the hand written feedback sheets from previous guests which provided useful pointers on where to both visit and eat.

The location is fabulous with open views in almost every direction and is far enough from the village to ensure peace (memories of sitting next to the pool on Sunday afternoon with the only noise being the sound of he breeze should keep us going over winter!), but close enough to be able to walk in to be able to enjoy local amenities.
We visited several nearby local villages and beaches, but a trip into the mountains is certainly worth it for some stunning scenery.

Would I recommend? definitely.

Would I use this villa again if I was in this area? absolutely. Both the high standards set by Doug and Barbara and the local scenery have made this a villa well worth a second visit.

Just wanted to say a big thankyou for a great holiday. The villa was simply perfect. There is everything you possibly could wish for and more in the villa. The gardens are beautiful and the pool was just what you need to cool down from the heat!
The location is great with shops within walking distance and the local port of Palamos a short drive away.

Overall we had such a lovely relaing time in a fab villa!
Want to rebook soon!!!!!

Our first contact with Doug was to enquire regarding dates for the villa and he responded very quickly, giving details of the villa, surrounding area and facilities. He also provided lots of photographs so you could see exactly what the interior of the villa looked like. No photographs could actually do it justice though. The kitchen and bathrooms were very clean and well equipped. The lounge area was really comfortable and you could really feel at home.

We travelled around the coastline rather alot and found the scenery stunning. There are lots of lovely coves to visit along with all the other bigger family resorts which provide everything you could wish for. We also went to Barcelona on the train, again Doug could not have been more helpful with this and provided directions to the train station and also which web sites to use to obtain the train times and prices.
We like to eat out whilst on holiday and found several nice restaurants within a short drive in san antonio a frenchman making pizzas!!
We also found a lovely restaurant at the Trias hotel in Palamos and would recommend eating there for a special meal. There are a couple of restaurants in Calonges itself.

We would recommend this villa to friends and family who were thinking of visiting the area.

This villa and the service provided not only lives up to the descriptions but exceeds all expectations. I would happily book again if visiting this area.

Well done Doug and Barbara - you aim to provide a good service and you certainly do. Many thanks .

The information provided to us before arrival was extremely helpful and accurate. Douglas and Barbara went out of their way to answer our questions and would always respond promptly. On arrival, we were met by the agent Sam, who again was very helpful and friendly. The villa itself was perfect - well equipped, clean and with a superb pool and beautiful garden. We had so many plans for the week, places to visit etc. However, we felt so comfortable that we hardly moved from the poolside. We had one day out at a small, secluded beach, recommended to us by Rob (who came twice during the week to maintain the pool but was extremely friendly and knowledgeable about the area). The area offers many opportunities for excursions and Barcelona is within easy reach.
We have three children aged 5, 9 and 111 and they were so happy that they did not want to leave. There are pool toys galore, badminton, bat & ball, boules and many other resources to keep children occupied. Our youngest also enjoyed hunting for geckos in the garden! We were accompanied by my mother-in-law, who is in her late 70s and recovering from a knee operation. She had no problems at all getting around the place and we had to force her to leave too!
Inside the villa, there is a variety of board games and books in case of a bad weather day, but fortunately we had none of those. There is a good wireless connection for those of us who wanted to do a minimal amount of work and keep up with events, and also cable TV. The kitchen has every conceivable appliance and the bedrooms were very comfortable.
We only ate out once, at a restaurant called Can Tia, which was 5 minutes walk from the villa. The food and service was very good but remember, this is Spain and dinner starts at 8.00pm! The local supermarkets were well stocked.
All in all, we had such an excellent holiday that we will be returning next year. Many many thanks to Douglas and Barbara, agent Sam (her father even helped us unpack), Rob for his tips and information and the ladies who came to clean the villa on our departure.

We had a wonderful and relaxing week at Doug & Barbara’s Calonge villa after a busy week in Barcelona.

Our positive experiences started with Doug and Barbara’s prompt and helpful responses to our initial requests. If like us you have spent a few hours searching for a hard to locate holiday property you will appreciate the easy to follow directions to the villa. All the way from Barcelona without a single wrong turn is something of a record for us.

The villa itself is excellent with a beautifully landscaped and large garden. The website does not do justice to the quality of the villa and its furnishings and fittings. You will find everything you need to make this a home from home; the bathrooms are spotless and spacious with first class fittings; the kitchen is fully equipped and you will have what you need to prepare even the most sumptuous feast.

We preferred to eat outdoors and enjoy the peaceful garden and the uninterrupted view of the hills around Calonge. Again the villa has everything required to prepare a BBQ including a vital BBQ apron!

Our party consisted of grandparents, parents and Ben, aged 5. The garden and pool are very safe and secure and Ben made the most of the pool and all the garden games provided. He will need more lessons before he becomes a confident hammock sleeper and I’m afraid one granddad will not be trying again!

Calonge is also a good base for visiting some beautiful Costa Brava towns such as Pals, Begur and Empuries.

We have no hesitation in recommending this villa. Read the website and the other sincerely expressed views of other guests and be assured that the villa will more than live up to all the descriptions and comments.

Keith and Gill, Emma and John. Weymouth Dorset.

My family and I had a fantastic holiday at Casa Oriol it far outweighed our expectations from the information provided on the internet and the extra information provided by Douglas. Douglas made the booking process so easy and smooth responding promptly to any question I had.
The directions supplied on how to find the villa were clear and precise and on Douglas’s recommendation we used the meet and greet option, this is well worth taking as Samantha not only shows you to the villa and gives a thorough guided tour on how and were everything is, but also provided a lot more information about the area, shops, markets and restaurants which you would not have without this personal touch.
The villa is very well equipped, I cannot think of anything that was missing. The outside is spacious with plenty of area to spread out around the Pool which has the sun from early morning to dusk.
We enjoyed getting out and exploring the area from the Friday Market in Platja d’or , my wife enjoyed the bartering over leather goods, to the coves of Aguabrava and restaurants if a bit on the expensive side. Colonge and the surrounding areas have everything you need for a relaxing holiday.

We arrived at the villa in the dark so had to wait until the next morning to really appreciate how beautiful and spacious the grounds were. We were met by Sam who did a great job of showing us around the villa and ensuring we knew where everything was.

Next morning arrived and we threw open the doors and windows to a beautiful oasis which was completely private and not overlooked.

The pool area is large with a great brick built BBQ and although it was too cold to swim (it was March), we kept dipping our toes in the pool - ever hopeful that we would be brave enough to jump in.

There are plenty of seating areas and the boules/badminton area is great and one we made use of regularly.

The villa is set on a very quiet private estate easy to reach from Girona aiport and close to Calonge. If you do venture into the town at night do remember to take the torches provided by Doug and Barbara as there is a small stretch of unlit road.

Calonge has a great bakers and deli and many good supermarkets where you can stock up on wine.

The dining and lounge area are spacious and would certainly accomodate 6 people easily.

This was our first villa holiday and we really appreciated the peace and quite and ability to do our own thing.

I don't think anyone could possibly be disappointed when booking the villa.

The information given by Doug and Barbara for this holiday was really clear concise and helpful. They were prompt and helpful in their response to our enquiry regarding the use of the villa and provided very detailed information about how to find the villa which made the start of our holiday so much easier and with their locally based 'meet and greet team' of Sam and Jim to ease the way in regarding any on the spot issues and help The holiday was off to a great start.
When we arrived, the quality of the villa regarding its layout and facilities really impressed us, as it was also really well maintained and clean.
The layout of the Villa was on the whole very user friendly for children and families, although you would have to be careful with babies and toddlers regarding steps and the swimming pool.
For the rest of our family, who traveled with us on their first holiday abroad, this was a really great place to 'break them in gently' to the pleasures of Spain with the beach just 10 mins away and many other facilities within a reasonable distance, including a water park (which was unfortunately closed when we had our holiday at the end of September). The locals are really friendly and if you are prepared to try using spanish when shopping or using other facilities, they will go the extra mile to help you in getting what you want.
Would we go again? Yes we would!
Dave and Jules