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Review 2556: Owner, Casa del Obispo

www.casaruraldelobispo.com

Recommended. Review by Giulia da Urbino from Italy

2bed/2bath house near Montánchez, Extremadura

When

Easter 2004, 4 days

Location

The house stands in Torre de Santa María, a tiny village near Montánchez, between the towns of Cáceres, Mérida and Trujillo. It has similar houses on the two sides and along the whole tiny road.

Nearby Amenities

The village is very small but like any Spanish village has its bar and a couple of groceries. Both are just a short walk away from the house.

The House/Apartment

From the outside the house looks just like ... well an old house, well mantained. Step inside (through the old wooden door with amazing old keys and mechanism) and you'll find yourself in front of a beautiful stone arch. The dining room stands just across the arch and it opens to the sitting room and kitchen. The kitchen is quite big (and there's a table with chairs and a bench to have breakfast or eat) and it opens to the sitting room even if it has its own windows.

There are two bedrooms, one with en-suite bathroom and the other one with a bathroom next door (this bedroom has two double beds in it, so the house can accommodate up to six people, but probably not three couples). The bedrooms are very secluded so that two couples can easily share this house.

Garden

Step outside the sitting room and you'll find yourself in a big private walled patio/garden, full of flowers and plants. There are chairs and deckchairs on the patio (no pool).

Furnishings/Cleanliness/Living Areas

The furniture was in very good shape even if most of it was antique (probably belonging to the house for a long time). The sitting room is not big but we found it perfect and cozy and there's a chimney that was great during the chilly early spring nights. There was enough (free) wood for our four days but I didn't enquire if more could have been supplied. There was plenty of place to sit: kitchen, dining room and sitting room.

The house is well heated and you can choose your own temperature (even if the person showing us the house tended to suggest a lowish temperature, just suggest, though!).

Bedrooms/Bathrooms

The en-suite bedroom is not very big, the other one is bigger but there are two double beds in it. The furniture of the bedrooms was old but very well kept and clean just like the rest as the house. The beds are good, a bit on the soft-side, maybe, and not huge (a normal double bed in Spain is rather smaller than a queensize). Clean and crisp bed linens.

The bathrooms are modern but warm, one of them (the one that is not en-suite) with bath-tub/shower, I'm sorry but I don't remember if the other one had a shower only or a tub too.

Kitchen

The kitchen is good, with large fridge (European standards) and tiny freezer, microwave, gas stove.

The pots and pans were OK, enough to cook a full meal, but not for very serious cooking. There's plenty of dishes, cutlery, glasses and wine glasses (average knives).

There are some local cooking books in the kitchen (Spanish only though). The best about the kitchen is the huge window looking out to the patio: a kitchen with a view!

Problems or Bonuses

We found a tiny bunch of fresh violets in the kitchen and a good supply of wood for the chimney.

Just a minor problem, there are plenty of photos and things on the chest of drawers in one of the bedrooms and it's hard to find room for your own things.

Agency and Representatives (and price)

We were welcomed by a neighbour and were given a phone number for emergencies (we had none). I'm sorry I don't know if they speak English, I think that I was one of just few foreigners visiting the place, but I speak Spanish. The reality of the place is better then the published information.

Do you recommend this vacation rental to others?

I would surely recommend this place!

Things to do in this area

The area is really beautiful, great for gastronomic and walking holidays. Montánchez is well known for its outstanding jamón (ham) and the area is rich with walking paths in an unspoilt nature. Trujillo, Cáceres and Mérida are beautiful towns (all of them around 40 minutes drive away) rich in history and monuments (inclulding the amazing Mérida roman theatre).

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

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