Opposite the church on the edge of Pinos del Valle stands Casa de los Espada, the façade of which gives little hint of the grandeur and sophistication that lies behind its double wooden doors. The entrance inside is a three-storey Moorish courtyard dominated by a fountain and water channel carved into inlaid marble floors. Casa de los Espada, which has underfloor heating and satellite television, is a world away from Pinos del Valle, some of whose inhabitants are more likely to share their homes with donkeys than dishwashers.
On the ground floor, leading directly off the galleried courtyard, is a large modern kitchen, walk-in larder, and formal dining and living rooms furnished with contemporary classics including Italian leather sofas. There is a smaller, more rustic living room on the first floor with beamed ceilings, an open fireplace and terracotta floors. Five of the six bedrooms are accessed from the first-floor gallery that wraps around the courtyard (the master bathroom is up a private set of stairs at the back of the house); all are large and airy, with shuttered windows or doors, although two are interconnected and share a shower room. The top floor is an open-sided mirador used as a games room.
As with most townhouses, the garden at Casa de los Espada is simply a walled patio albeit one with a decent-sized swimming pool, an ornamental fountain, mature trees and shrubs and a private 'piazza' with inlaid paving and teak tables and chairs.
SLEEPS
12
PRICE
€2,500-€3,950 per week, including maid service
CONTACT
Elysian Holidays (01580 766 599; www.elysianholidays.co.uk)
FLY
easyJet (0870 600 000; www.easyjet.com) to Málaga (120km away)
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