Hacienda de San Rafael, Las Cabezas de San Juan, Spain

Having negotiated the wormy mass of roads that make up Seville’s ring-road, you can sail quickly down the motorway before performing one last daredevil task; the hair-raising crossing both lanes of a main road, to reach the innocuous beginnings of the dusty drive which winds its way up to the Hacienda de San Rafael. It is well worth the effort.

Half way between Seville and Jerez, the boutique hotel is a magnificent building lying in the middle of a large, flat plain. The flower-bedecked white and yellow façade is typical of the region, and entering through the heavy arched wooden door you find yourself in an entrance hall facing a cobbled patio. One of the Reids or their charming young staff appears from nowhere to carry your bags and welcome you to their home. Tim Reid is an Englishman married to local Kuky, in whose family the Hacienda has been for many years, and the fact that it is also their home is evident throughout. The inviting sitting room on the right has an open fire (not often lit as the Hacienda is closed through the winter months), plump sofas, a high beamed ceiling and walls decorated with riding accessories. Staying at this boutique hotel is like being at home, only somebody else refills your drink and cooks dinner for you, and there are no children to look after (under 12’s are not encouraged).

The facilities

As well as the sitting room and another very comfortable library/TV room/meeting room on the patio, there are many shady gathering points around the boutique hotel’s garden. The numerous honesty bars on the property mean you’re never far from a G&T, the most popular being the ‘sunset bar’ by the main pool. There’s a paddleball court for the actively inclined and the boutique hotel can also arrange horse riding. The grounds are a riot of colour, with climbing plants, rosemary, olives and quince bushes providing cover against the winds that can run up the valley. The restaurant is dimly lit, with rustic décor and wonderful food cooked up by the young English chef. The staff here at the boutique hotel is young, very friendly, absolutely professional and able to advise you on all aspects of your stay in Andalucía. You can get involved with other guests, or keep yourselves to yourselves – breakfast and dinner can be served anywhere in the gardens. This romantic, elegant and informal hideaway is a great treat, and the Reids’ have just brought a new property nearby which will be happy news for the many guests who wrote ‘we will definitely be back’ in the guestbook.

The rooms

The eleven guestrooms at the boutique hotel are arranged around the central bougainvillaea-filled patio, under the tile-roofed loggia which shelters wicker armchairs and yellow & blue checked breakfast tables. The bedrooms are large, with very high thatched ceilings, white walls, antiques and well-chosen art (which all came from the Reids’ private collections). Each is slightly different, but most have a spacious sleeping and open bathroom area downstairs, with a small mezzanine sitting room for midday relaxation. Little touches include electric blankets lit at turn-down and proper hairdryers. The boutique hotel has three bi-level units (9, 10 and 11) that feature romantic sleeping areas on the upper platform; best is 10 which has an overhead walkway from bedroom to bathroom and a beautiful carved wooden headboard. Eleven is like having your own casita for half the price, with its private entrance hall and large, rather austere lounge downstairs, opening out onto a separate patio good for those looking for a bit of privacy. If you really want seclusion, however, go for one of the three newly-built casitas down in the garden. These adobe bungalows are very expensive, but they are the ultimate in rustic chic with touches of Eastern and African décor, large bedroom and living areas, your own kitchen (fridge for champagne and nibbles) and a private pool for the casita guests’ use only.