A bit of background :-
The 700 m2 house is set in the middle of stunning grounds of a 7,500 m2 plot and is not overlooked by anyone.... a secluded paradise.
We purchased the house in August 2018, and have spent the last 9 months extensively refurbishing it, including totally new bedrooms and bathrooms, fitted kitchen and attentive touches to detail to bring back this impressive property to its former glory
The house is one of the oldest houses in El Cuarton, having been constructed in early 1980, with a significant extension some 10 years later. It commands one of the most impressive views in El Cuarton, if not the whole of Andalusia - it feels that you can almost touch Africa!
The house itself :-
The house consists of one main block, with lots of nooks and crannies that keep you guessing and that ultimately lead to various different bed rooms and casual areas.
Having driven through the gate into the private grounds and parking up, there is then an inviting wooden double door entrance behind which holds the magic of this property.
Stepping through this entrance, and to the left brings you into a fantastic courtyard with a covered walkway all complemented by a three tier fountain, pillars and painted Andalusian pictorial tiles all softened with vivid green plants against the tiled walls
Looking straight ahead, framed through an archway is Gibralmussa, the African half of the pillar of Hercules, dominates the view. Turning to the right sits two of the largest stand-alone rocks that you can imagine, between which is set a patio area with bbq and the kidney shaped pool (more on that later).
Walking diagonally through the courtyard brings you to the understated front door of the house.
Family lounge area
The door opens into a large, very high ceilinged family lounged area decorated with Spanish wooden antique furniture. Central to the room is a large natural fireplace surrounded by comfy settees, ideal for watching a movie on the large screen TV, or more likely just relaxing and discussing the days activites and the next day’s plans over a glass of red wine or two.
Opposite the main door is a patio door that leads to a further large patio on the “ African side”of the house..... perfect for watching the sunset or playing on the lawn in front of the house.
There are three stairways that lead off from the lounge, two down and one up. The one going upstairs leads to the upstairs bedrooms ( Vista bedrooms).
Dining area
Taking the main short staircase (7 steps) down brings you to the open plan dining room, which looks out on to the lawn and across the straits via two patio doors. The table comfortably seats 16 people, with an easy extension to increase to up to 24 people if more people are eating at the same time. The room is airy and has a high ceiling made of terra-cotta held up by wooden beams. The back of the room leads into the kitchen preparation room and then onto the kitchen .....but we will come back to that later.
Of course, assuming that it is one of the 250+ days of Andalusian sunshine then it is likely that you will forgo the indoor dining option, and step through the patio doors onto the covered patio that has two large outdoor tables - perfect for long lazy summer lunches or indeed a long lazy evening meal, if deciding that it is not a BBQ night.
At the other end of the dining room there is an impressive double door just waiting to be opened .....and it will not disappoint!
Formal lounge / function room
This room is just unexpected in a country house in southern Spain, its shape and elegance was created by the previous owner and was just too good to change. The 300 year old tile floor was apparently from a Convent in Córdoba, and the far wall of the room is completely covered by a beautiful Belgium tapestry.
Comfy chairs are dotted around the room and it is the perfect place to relax and just chat, read or play board games.
The patio doors in the middle of the room open on to another decorative marbled terrace, which has a comfy set of patio furniture on it. A few steps off the patio and you are on the front lawn.
The door at the far corner of the room leads off to two bedrooms, the Master Suite andThe Garden bedroom.
The kitchen and prep room - wandering back into the dining room from the function room, the door next to the serving hatch leads into the food prep room - a must for decluttering the kitchen when cooking for a large group of friends or family.
The prep room holds all the crockery, glasses and cutlery needed and has a handy dishwasher for cleaning all the dirty plates after the meal without needing to go all the way back into the kitchen. It also has a sink and plenty of work surfaces for preparation of cold foods.
From the prep room you can take a short staircase back up to the casual lounge near the door entrance, but more likely you walk through the arch in to the kitchen.
The kitchen is fully fitted and newly installed. Importantly, it has two ovens and two ceramic hob surfaces for up to 8 saucepans making cooking for large numbers a doddle ....well, easier anyway. The kitchen has a a large American style fridge that has both refrigerator and freezer space. Under the butchers block working surface is a double wine cooler storage area so that the fridge does not become cluttered with the chilled cava and white wine. Within the kitchen area, there is an additional dishwasher for the pots and pans, as well as another double sink. Adjoining the kitchen is a utility / machine room that contains a washing machine, tumble drier and an industrial sized fridge (an essential for keeping food fresh for 20 or so people).
The kitchen leads out to a small charming patio, and overlooks a small part of the garden with newly planted fruit trees. The patio also leads onto the Patio Rooms