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Review 1463: Just Casares, Finca el Mirlo

www.justcasares.com

Recommended. Review by sandiegokim from CA

3 bed/2 bath house near Casares, Andalusia

outdoor eating area and view, photo by san diego kim

When

2001, 1 week

Location

This rental is outside the whitewashed town of Casares, which is perched on a mountainside. Villa has stunning views of the Mediterranean, Gibralter, the town, mountains, and even Morocco on a very clear day.

Nearby Amenities

You can walk into the town but it is a bit far and it is a very steep descent and, therefore, a very steep climb back up to the villa. In town you can shop for all you need but you must lug your goods back up at least to the parking lot. Easiest (though not as fun) to drive toward the coast to a supermarket and maybe stop at the fruit/olive oil/vegetable stand on the way (stop by the ceramics shop across the street too).

The House/Apartment

The house was extremely peaceful and quiet. We noticed that there was a lot of building of holiday homes going on around, so I'm not sure if this is still the case but given the steep nature of the terrain above and below I don't think neighbors could get too close! The villa itself is not huge but it was clean and in good repair.

Garden

This is the truly amazing thing about this rental. The views are gorgeous. The gardens are well maintained and beautiful. There is a gardener who comes by to take care of garbage, grounds, and the pool. We spent most of our time here outside just lounging and feeling very, very, very lucky to be there.

Furnishings/Cleanliness/Living Areas

All the furniture is comfortable and in good shape. The house was very clean, a little bit musty (house probably just hadn't been opened up in a while since we went at the end of the slow season) so we opened all the windows and doors and ended up with a huge fly problem. There was plenty of seating and really does sleep 6 comfortably (no-one sleeping on fold-out couches or such as can happen with some rentals).

Bedrooms/Bathrooms

1 large bedroom and 2 smaller. Beds were comfortable, bathrooms were clean and in good working order. Nothing delux but all in good order. This agency represents several properties that look to be much more posh if you are looking for that.

Kitchen

Very usable small but not too small kitchen outfitted with all the pots, pans and dishes you could want. We cooked several full meals and thoroughly enjoyed it. Former guests had left some essentials (spices, etc).

Problems or Bonuses

Basket of treats left by rental agent (Terri) was a lovely touch. Drive up to this villa was harrowing but that is partly out own fault. We rented a Mercedes Vito van which is something like renting an RV in the US to visit cities. The road to the villa is small with a vertiginous dropoff on one side with absolutely no physical barrier to keep you from plummeting down the hillside and taking out a good deal of goats as you go. The road is pretty well used and it was a real challenge to pass other cars even in the pullout areas. The driveway is even steeper. So much so that we had to all get out of the van for it to make it to the top! The pavement is ridged for traction so it's a bit like driving down railroad tracks. Straight down.

That said - we ended up renting a little car from a company called Sol cars that was very nice and that car was much easier to drive up and down the road and driveway. Perhaps the lesson is just to get an appropriate sized car for Europe!

I also forgot that supermarkets in Spain are often closed on Sunday so when we checked in we had only the food in the gift basket and ended up buying milk and other provisions at a gas station closer to the coast. I suggest shopping on Saturday for non-perishables.

Agency and Representatives (and price)

Terri is English and is a dream. He was very helpful in getting the rental together. Website has many photos so you know what you are getting (although no photo could quite capture the views).

Do you recommend this vacation rental to others?

Absolutely. Particularly good for a family - for 6 adults it's a bit small but functional. This agency offers larger rentals in the same area that aren't much more if split between 6 adults.

Things to do in this area

Loads of adorable towns in easy driving distance. Sevilla is about a 5 hour drive, a good overnight trip if you'll be staying for a while. Beaches (although we ended up preferring our pool with the outstanding view). Casares itself is quite picturesque with several good restaurants and (as of our last visit) it was not overrun with tourists. There is some hiking as well. We most enjoyed stopping into small local shops and restaurants and dreaming of becoming ex-patriots ourselves.

This review is the opinion of a Slow Travel member and not of slowtrav.com.

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