Tim Murray-Walker used to work for Journey Latin America, a competitor to our own Sunvil Latin America programme. He and Clare, his wife, were brave enough to put their dream into practice by creating a boutique hotel immersed in nature, in a stunning location and abiding by the sustainable standards which will preserve both the quality of a destination and, as a result, the future of travel.
It is always difficult to find a hotelier who understands what Sunvil is trying to do, a hotelier who appreciates the Sunvil philosophy in travel. That understanding comes from personal experience of having worked for a like minded tour operator, of having visited and experienced the best and worst in accommodation and, as a result, creating a property which is perfectly in tune with the expectations of our clients – and in tune with its surroundings.
Casa Olea is a charming, six-bedroom boutique hotel, lovingly converted from an olive oil farmhouse, immersed in an ocean of olive groves and yet only a twenty-minute drive from Priego de Cordoba, a jewel of a town and the centre of the little-known mountainous region of Subbetica. Here was the border between Moorish and Christian Spain and it is now a unique, protected and undiscovered region of Andalucia. The fascinating blend of the two cultures is everywhere to be seen.
If you can tear yourselves away from the many walks and bike rides on offer locally (they have a good range of self-guide routes with notes and maps), from the birdwatching or from just relaxing, dreaming and appreciating the views from the Casa - then Granada and Cordoba are both just over an hour´s drive away for easy day trips (Malaga Airport is just 1 hour 40 minutes away).
At a distance of just 70 miles, the Renaissance picture-perfect towns of Baeza and Úbeda are also close at hand.
The Casa Olea is lovingly furnished, one of the best luxury B&Bs in Andalucia, and the perfect base for exploring – perhaps with a tailor-made two-country, four-centre self-drive holiday twinned with Extremadura in Spain and the Algarve and Alentejo in Portugal. Our expert team will be glad to discuss options.
Accommodation:
Amenities/Leisure:
- Tasty home-cooked evening meals served 6 nights a week, with a "set menu" changed daily based on fresh, locally-sourced produce. Dinner on the terrace under the stars from April-October
- Fully-stocked bar, personally-sourced range of wines from all over Spain, including many small, family-run bodegas in Andalucia
- Swimming pool (5m x 10m /up to 2m depth) and terraces with panoramic views of olive groves, hills and river forest. Sun loungers, comfy chairs and hammock to laze in under a shady pergola
- Cosy lounge with log fires in winter. Under-floor heating and hot water provided by an olive-pellet biomass boiler and solar panels
- High chair and cot available on request
- Free WiFi throughout the house
- This eco-friendly guesthouse uses 6 solar panels for all of their hot water needs. A biomass boiler is used for all under-floor heating and fired by burning olive pips/pellets created from the recycled waste at their local co-operative olive mill. And all ingredients used in their kitchen are sourced fresh and in season from local suppliers within a 15-mile radius
- Helpful advice, guidebooks and maps available for planning local excursions and day-trips to the Moorish wonders of the Alhambra in Granada and the unique Mosque-Cathedral ‘Mesquita’ in Córdoba.
- Olive groves and river woodland to explore with abundant wildlife, including wild boar, hare, eagles & bee-eaters. Books on wild flowers and birds at the house for guests to borrow
- There is a good range of self-guided hiking routes in the area - both from the house and from villages nearby, a short drive away. The owners offer very detailed walking notes and they usually come with a map or QR code download option to Wikiloc for navigation
- There are six hybrid bikes for rent locally (15 euros per day), which are ideal for exploring the quiet backroads around the area – suitable for all ages and abilities. The owners are happy to suggest routes in the area, ranging from 10km to 100km
- Approximately once a week, the owners run informal olive-oil tasting sessions at Casa Olea before dinner, where they explain all about the "olive to oil" process, from the harvest to the mill. You will be able to taste three different oils and delve into a lot of background about the olive oil heritage of this area and what to look for in quality oils. Price is 10 euros per person payable locally
- Casa Olea can also be rented as a private villa for groups who want to use the place exclusively. This works really well for multi-generational groups, family get-togethers or groups of friends with young children. This would include all the cooking and daily cleaning like a hotel, but it is just for the group so everyone has a real holiday. Three extra single beds and 2 extra child beds can be added if required. Three of the rooms can be set up as a triple room, so maximum capacity is 15. Minimum stay of 3 nights required
- Explore ancient olive groves, limestone peaks and river valleys of the Sierras Subbeticas, one of the least-known National Parks in Spain and a UNESCO Geopark
- Discover UNESCO World Heritage sites of Baeza and Úbeda; the white villages of Almedinilla and Zuheros; and the Fortaleza La Mota hill-top castle in Alcala La Real
- Visit a local bodega to sample the local Montilla-Moriles sherry wines in Montilla
- Casa Olea is a Starlight Hotel which means that it is one of the best places for stargazing in Spain
Board Basis: Bed & Breakfast
Almendro
Standard room with air-conditioning, super-king large bed or twin single beds, en-suite bathroom (bath tub, shower and hairdryer) and wrought-iron balcony with views either across the Salado River and the medieval Moorish watchtower (Atalaya) high on the hill or olive groves and Sierras Subbeticas hills. Almendro can accommodate an extra bed for a child
Olivio
Standard room with air-conditioning, super-king large bed or twin single beds, en-suite bathroom (walk-in rain-head shower and hairdryer) and private terrace overlooking the olive groves and mountains
Membrillo
Standard room with air-conditioning, super-king large bed or twin single beds, en-suite bathroom (walk-in rain-head shower and hairdryer) and wrought-iron balcony with views either across the Salado River and the medieval Moorish watchtower (Atalaya) high on the hill or olive groves and Sierras Subbeticas hills. Membrillo can accommodate an extra bed for a child
Granado
Standard room with air-conditioning, super-king large bed or twin single beds, en-suite bathroom (walk-in rain-head shower and hairdryer) and balcony overlooking the olive groves and the hills of the Sierras Subbeticas
Nogal
Standard room with air-conditioning, super-king large bed or twin single beds, en-suite bathroom (walk-in rain-head shower and hairdryer) and a beamed ceiling and round window framing the old walnut tree ‘Nogal’ at the front. Nogal can accommodate an extra bed for a child.
Higuera
Standard room with air-conditioning, super-king large bed or twin single beds, en-suite bathroom (walk-in rain-head shower and hairdryer) and views out over the olive groves and Taraje (river forest) to the Sierras Subbeticas