Not only did I leave a criminally long gap of 9 years since my last holiday to mainland Spain, but all my life I have been sleeping on what an incredible region Andalusia is.
This soulful region of southern Spain has whitewashed villages, Moorish architecture, dazzling patios, purse-friendly tapas and golden beaches.
It was a struggle to narrow down the itinerary but eventually we settled on flying into Seville from London Gatwick (thanks to a decent deal with Vueling) and home from Malaga 9 nights later. (Thanks to a very, very good deal as we scored reward flights with BA and paid a grand total of £1 per person!)
From getting lost in the orange tree-lined streets of Seville to following the sound of a flamenco beat to a mirador in Granada, I loved every minute of our 10-day Andalusia road trip.
I will eventually write up the full itinerary, including all the amazing stops and must-sees, but I wanted to start by bringing your attention to the very incredible Casa La Loma where we spent the last 5 nights of our trip.
Before checking into Casa La Loma we spent 2 nights in Seville at the affordable and family-friendly Ibis Styles Santa Justa and we also spent 2 nights in the whitewashed village of Casares at Casa Copera.
Casa La Loma review
Casa La Loma is a beautifully designed 2-bedroom villa overlooking Lake Iznajar with spellbinding views from every angle.
The very definition of a hidden gem, the villa is surrounded by nothing but olive trees; there is only the merest hint of a whitewashed village perched on a hillside in the distance.
The property
The property has been designed to maximise its precious position; the living room window frames a view that could hang in a gallery and even the shower in the main bedroom has a view that on clear days reveals the Sierra Nevada mountains.
I feel like I could wax lyrical about how beautiful the view is for hours but I hope instead these pictures do it a little justice.
The interiors of Casa La Loma are just as eye-catching as the surroundings. Someone with a very talented eye for design (namely Pascale at La Maison Andaluz) has used a mix of organic materials that feel modern, rustic and authentic to the region.
The bedrooms have beautiful exposed beams and tactile tiles. The kitchen has an incredible concrete island and open shelves filled with ceramics. I loved every strategically placed lamp, bowl and cushion – if I was designing my dream home in Spain it would look like this.
For all its good looks it is a practical place to stay too. (With a little disclaimer re young children that I’ll get to later.)
The linen bedding was incredibly cosy. There’s air con in every room and a fire for chillier times of year. Downstairs there’s a very handy cloakroom and toilet with pool access, and there’s even a separate laundry room fully equipped with everything you need to pop a quick wash on.
We stayed here with our 6-year-old son and it was perfect for the 3 of us.
I would say the 2 double bedrooms are a bit light on floor space so it helped that we could unpack completely and store the suitcases out the way.
I had a DM from someone asking if the villa is suitable for babies and toddlers and personally I would be a little apprehensive staying here with children aged 4 and under. There is a lot of concrete steps and delicate décor that I personally would not have wanted my toddler to be around.
You have to pay a 350 Euro deposit before renting this property in case of breakages so that’s worth bearing in mind if travelling with children too. Our house is similarly decorated with lots of neutral soft furnishings and antique pots so our son is used to being careful indoors!
The location
There is no denying this holiday home is in a very remote location. There is nothing within walking distance so you’ll need a car for everything. The nearest supermarkets and restaurants are approx. 10/15 mins drive away. (We used the supermarket in Rute for self-catering supplies and ate meals on our day trips to the destinations listed below.)
The villa provides a very detailed guide with recommendations of tapas bars, weekly markets and wineries in the local area. They also offer some really handy services including a stocked fridge upon arrival, daily breakfast delivery and even homemade paella if you don’t want to cook dinner. (Booked in advance and charged separately.)
During our stay we used the villa to do several day trips with some wonderful rest days at the pool in-between.
Some of the highlights were:
Granada (1hr 10) – we loved exploring the Alhambra, Mirador de San Nicolas & Albaicin.
Cordoba (1hr 30) – must-sees include the Mosque-Cathedral, Roman Bridge & patio festival.
Iznajar (25 mins) – a peaceful hilltop village with a beautifully decorated patio at its centre.
Malaga (1hr 10) – we only had a short time here before flying home but checked out the Roman Theatre, Alcazaba, Picasso Museum, Mango & Zara!
There is more to do closer to Casa La Loma, including incredible hikes and renting kayaks on Lake Iznajar, but we only had 5 nights and wanted to see the big ticket items on this trip.
Key info
- The nearest airports are Granada (1 hour away) and Malaga (1 hour 15).
- We paid 220 Euro/ £187 per night, which I thought was incredibly good value for somewhere so beautiful in the school holidays. (Note: There is an additional cleaning fee of 150 Euro upon check out.)
- The pool isn’t heated. I’m sure it’s wonderfully refreshing in the heat of summer but was far too fresh for me in April. My husband and son gamely went in though.
- The surrounding land is a working farm and we did often see a tractor or van going past the pool area early in the morning. The farm workers were all really friendly, gamely waving to Miles who was delighted each time they passed us, but I made sure not to be out there in my pjs after the first morning!
- It’s also worth noting the listing says the villa has a BBQ but open flames are not allowed in this region so an electric plancha is provided instead. It worked perfectly fine but isn’t huge so you might need a bit of patience to get all your meat cooked.
How to book Casa La Loma
We booked Casa La Loma through Nice2Stay who offer a carefully curated collection of unique holiday homes. This was the first time we’d used them and I’d definitely book with them again. The booking process was very simple and the team were always on hand to deal with any questions.
During check in we were met at the property by Pascale who manages Casa La Loma for the owners. It was reassuring to have someone waiting to welcome us, especially someone who knows the villa so well.
Note: We paid in full for our holiday and I have no affiliation with Nice2Stay. We’re just happy customers passing on a recommendation.
We always book our car hire through Discover Cars and this time they got us a good deal with Alamo who were great with pick up and drop off at both Seville and Malaga Airports.
Please feel free to ask any questions about our stay in the comments. You can also check out my Andalusia highlights on Instagram for more details.
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