Casita Janine

Super apartment, which caters for nearly every need. The views were fantastic and my 4 year old daughter loved watching the horse carriages travelling to and fro to the village each day.

The pool was excellent for our children (7 & 4 yrs) to swim in safely, meaning we could look on from a sun lounger at the side if we didn't feel like being in the water with them and the inflatables available were an added bonus to keep them amused. We also enjoyed the spa bath and the kids loved the night time dip with the disco lights activated.

Joan and Maurice were extremely helpful and gave us directions to good beaches and the lakes, where we had some fantastic days out.

We thoroughly enjoyed our break. Not having had a holiday abroad for 2 years, our time away was certainly not a disappointment. After a few days when we suggested to the children about returning next year, their immediate response was yes. So we have booked to return again already.

The Villa was perfect. The views were spectacular & there was so much attention to details in the Villa. We all in particular enjoyed the Pool, as we had it to ourselves the whole week. The centre of Mijas is only a 5 minute walk away with lovely shops & restaurants.

Both Joan & Maurice were very good and were there for you if you needed any information. They told us about Ronda, which was a great day out. We hired a Car which we found very useful.

I would most certainly recommend this property to both couples & families.

A Big 'Thank You' to Joan & Maurice - Hopefully we will be back!

We stayed with Joan & Maurice in August 2006 it was perfect. The apartment was very clean and well furnished with air con. We went with our two daughters then 16 and 13. The situation is lovely, a short stroll into town or a short bus ride to Fuengirola or Benalmadena. Joan & Maurice were really helpful and friendly giving us many tips on restaurants and places of interest. The pool area and adjacent shade area with spa was fantastic, waking in the morning and just taking your coffee around the pool (no need to do the early morning towel run) makes for a totally relaxing holiday in luxury. I have recommended Joans property to friends who have also had a great time. So why has it taken me 3 years to write the review - because we are going again in six weeks time (August 2009) and can't wait. Looking forwad to seing Joan & Maurice again - lovely people.

Gary, Carol & Joe - we had a fantastic time here - the apartment was wonderful - the views were amazing. The location was perfect. The apartment was clean and very welcoming. Joan and Maurice were perfect hosts being able to advise us on places to go and see, and places to eat. We didn't have a car, but didn't feel the need for one - the village was in walking distance and when we decided to venture a bit further we jumped on the bus which stops at the bottom of the hill. It is a steep hill to climb, as are the steps, but if you are of reasonable health it isnt a problem. The pool was great - our son was in it so much he was moreorless a prune at the end of each day! The hot tub was bliss! Thank you so much Joan and Maurice, we will be back!

How can we add to what has already been said ? We have our own holiday home in Italy so it was very interesting to stay at Joan and Maurice's.
We were knocked out by THE VIEW, of course, for the whole two weeks and just didn't want to leave it on the last day. From all our windows and the balcony it was like permanently being 3 minutes from touchdown on a ;plane, day or night. At 400-odd metres up Mijas Mountain we could see everything, the beautiful white village, the coastal development and the sea (with oh those sunrises and moonlight on the water).
Then we were amazed at what Joan and Maurice had done to turn an ordinary pool-less apartment into this beautiful mansion.
Then we were stunned by the care taken over the property, whether it was decor, furniture, fittings or utensils. With two growing girls and an awful exchange rate, we ate in quite a lot, but we were impressed with the standard of cooking facilities and equipment.....really no different to being at home (and that IS rare in a rented apartment!). Every room was spotless and carefully oriented to the guest's every need.Security too was excellent, even a stray dog once setting off the alarm!
Our pre-teenage girls loved the pool and sunbathing deck, of course....who wouldn't?
Our hosts were superbly friendly and helpful, and most importantly being ever on hand but never intrusive. A mine of local information, if you needed it, too.
Their restaurant recommendations were also spot-on....Vagabonds 3 course dinner for E6.90 was amazing value, and even in the village E7.00 bought nearly as good in better decor.
Joan and Maurice really made us feel as if we were friends not guests and we will be ever grateful. I am sure we will return to such an outstanding holiday apartment. Thank you so much!

I came across this holiday accommodation quite by accident but what a happy accident.The apartments are located in a breathtakingly beautiful area in the hills above Fuengirola. They are very pretty to look at from the outside and extremely well equipped,very clean and tastefully furnished inside. Everything you need while on holiday is provided. The little welcome pack is perfect for tiding you over until you get to the supermarket. Nice bottle of Rioja included! Joan and Maurice the owners are very welcoming and helpful but not in your face. They are there if you need them but otherwise you tend to see them occasionally in passing. If you are just there to chill out and relax by the pool or in the lovely spa you probably don't need a car. As everyone else has mentioned the attractive little town of Mijas is on the doorstep. There are plenty of things to do in the town like visit the bullring etc.Plenty of restaurants to choose from too. We particularly liked La Fuente which is the first restaurant you come to once you get down the hill from the apartments. We were on holiday with our daughter and her best pal, both aged twelve. They had a ball. Even although there was a chill breeze blowing across from the surrounding hills they were in the pool at some point every day come rain hail or shine.The bedroom and shower room for the girls was almost like a separate little unit so they felt very grown up and independent. The spa is a very nice touch and we all made use of that from time to time. Another feature I want to mention is just how quiet and peaceful it is in this location. We live in a very quiet location in Ayr and it is very rare to find holiday accommodation that is equally quiet and peaceful.So getting a good night's sleep is not a problem. Being able to have Sky TV (to keep up with the news) and a built in DVD player (we watched a movie every night) is an additional bonus. Joan and Maurice are rightly very keen to impress upon you the need to take security seriously.Even when at the pool it is necessary to lock the apartment door and the adjoining gate.We got used to this pretty quickly and managed not to lock ourselves out thank goodness. If I had one little suggestion to make it would be for Joan and Maurice to include in the apartment booklet (which contains the fascinating story of how they restored and redesigned the original apartments) an A4 sheet with some key points/apartment information on it. We very much hope to stay here again.

Reading through the existing reviews, I'm not sure what else I can add but I'm just too enthused not to say anything.

The view. That's what attracted us to this villa when we were looking online and it didn't disappoint. From the pool area and the rooftop terrace you can look out onto the village of Mijas below, all the way down to the coastal towns and the Med several miles away and behind to the majestic mountains that the village is nestled in on. It's just wonderful and even more pretty once the sun has set. Sitting on the terrace in the evening and watching the sky change colour and seeing the towns and villages on view turn into a sea of twinkling lights or the moon reflecting on the sea...ah, it is so beautiful.

However, because of the mountains, you do lose a good hour of direct sunlight but when it comes to the trade off between the view and the extra hour of sun, you'll choose the view every time.

The other price to pay for this view is when walking from the village to get to the villa there is hill to climb. It's not big but it's quite steep so might be worth taking into consideration if you don't have a car. But it's a trade off for that view...and we already talked about that.

Everything else about the villa is just as good as it sounds in the description and more. The pool and spa are both great, the kitchen is full with every appliance you could ever want and the living areas are very well maintained and cleaned. You will be very comfortable and feeling at home in no time.

Getting around...well, Mijas is comfortably within walking distance. 5 minutes and you'll have come across the 24 hour BP garage and a few resturants. 10 minutes and you're right in the centre so you'll have no problem getting to anywhere in the village. Going further a field than Mijas, you'll will need either a car or to take one of the frequent and cheap local buses (from right next to the BP garage).

The owners, who stay in the adjoining villa, were very friendly and helpful...such as when we locked ourselves out within an hour of arriving! We like to explore new places 'blind' and make our own mistakes but if you wanted advice, pointing in the right direction or just want to know somewhere good to eat, they are very approachable and happy to help.

I could go on and tell you what a fantastic place Mijas is but this isn't really the place but I can certainly say a big reason we enjoyed our trip so much was because of this villa. And that view.

Just returned from Castilta Julian. First of all can I say a big thank you to Joan and Maurice for such a wonderful stay and thank you for booking the restaurant for my birthday.This has got to be one of the best villas I have stayed in, very clean and comfortable even down to the heated towel rails in the bathrooms. Its really true what people say, you dont need a car once you are at the villa ( if you dont want to get a taxi Joan can give you a number for your transfer) everything is within easy reach, its true the hill down to the village is quite steap, but once down, the town is beautiful and if you want to go anywhere else the bus stop is right at the bottom of the hill.

The views are stunnings and the heated pool and jacuzzi (which you have full use of ) make this place a very specail place to stay.....Thanks again