We stayed at El Olivo with family and friends for two weeks in August, four adults and four children altogether. We were a little concerned before our holiday as some recent reviews had not been good, but we found everything to be pretty much as we hoped. The house is spacious and decorated in traditional style, with lots of character. There are actually only three bedrooms, not four, but we moved one of the beds from the children’s room into the study for our oldest teenager, so everyone was happy. The wifi was ok, sometimes a little slow but not really a problem. The garden is beautiful, and huge, lots of space for children to play; we enjoyed treasure hunts and hide and seek among the trees. We enjoyed lunches cooked on the outdoor barbecue and eaten at the stone table in the shade of the trees. The hammock was particularly popular, a perfect place to relax. The pool is large enough and was a big hit with the children, and lovely to cool off in the heat of August. We used the bikes to get around locally, they were perfectly adequate and there are cycle lanes on all the local roads. There are plenty of bars and restaurants within a 20 minute walk. Plenty of supermarkets to choose from within a short drive. Nice beaches locally, with watersports at Playa de Sancti Petri. We had a few minor niggles about the house but honestly nothing worth complaining about. The kitchen could do with updating and a few more utensils, but it was adequate for our needs. The master bedroom and ensuite are lovely, but we found the best way to shower without soaking the floor was to sit on the ledge in the bath holding the shower. Not a problem once we got used to it! Lots of wardrobe and drawer space for your belongings, plenty of towels and clean sheets provided. Julia was very helpful and replied quickly when we had questions. The housekeeper Marco and his family were also on hand although we only saw them a couple of times. Overall we had a lovely stay at El Olivo and would recommend it for a relaxing holiday. Thank you Julia.

We had a wonderful holiday in Julia and Paco's house. 7 of us stayed, 4 adults and 3 children and there was enough space for us all to do our own thing if we wanted. The garden is huge and partly shaded, and the pool is it's crowning glory. I thought the house itself was lovely: quirky and loads of interesting bits to it. It was also very clean and comfortable - no sign of the grease, dust or detritus mentioned in other reviews. Given the hot weather we did spend most of our time outdoors. The wide sandy beach is a 15min walk away, as are nice bars and restaurants. There were a few mosquitoes about, but Julia forewarned us of this when she met us, so we were well armed by the time evening fell. Just one small thing - we were a bit short of some cutlery and glasses and found ourselves constantly fishing forks out of the diswasher between meals! This in no way detracted from the fantastic stay we had in El Olivio and I would definitely return. It is a charming house in a very unspoilt and beautiful part of Spain

First impressions - oh my goodness this doesn’t look like the photos on the website! Bitterly disappointed! Where to start ? Garden looked like it’s being used as a builders dumping ground, an old bath, car batteries, an old wheelbarrow, pallets, rusty tools! All in full view of our outside eating area. Bikes unusable, rusty chains and handlebars, they looked as though they’d been left outside for months! Broken ones inside the shed! Two usable sun loungers, the others were broken and dumped either inside the wooden shed or by the side or it! The patio area was very uneven and not at all suitable for anyone unsure of their footing. The pool hadn’t been cleaned, algae on the bottom and around the sides, unusable for 2 days! The house itself - totally neglected! All floors swept and mopped, all crockery, utensils, put through the dishwasher before we could use anything. That was our first day! Obviously not prepared for our stay apart from the beds made up and bathrooms/ toilets cleaned. There was a rather large red piece of “furniture” in the lounge area, when we checked it out, it was an old fridge, dirty and mouldy inside! Each time we used the showers, we had to mop the floors, no matter how careful we were. This property is ideally situated for a holiday in this lovely area of Spain, the beach at La Barrossa is fabulous, only 15mins. stroll, plenty of supermarkets, bars and restaurants within walking distance, but, unless it’s had a complete refurb since we were there, don’t even consider staying here. I notice that another reviewer has commented on the fact that the property is in need of some TLC, Owners obviously haven’t acted on it ! We have holidayed many times with Owners Direct/ HomeAway, in various countries, and I can honestly say that this is the worst property we’ve had the misfortune to stay in! Fortunately, we made the best of it, and had a lovely holiday.

The property was not up to standard, it was dirty we had to clean all the walls and beddings on arrival as they had loads of cacoons and spider webs, the outside also needs lots of TLC the grass not maintained and infested with mosquitos and the pool had green mould we also had to clean, this is just a quick summary there were loads more things i could write but ill leave it here, i emailed the owner explaining with pics and im yet to receive an apology or an offer of a refund!!! so as u may see instead of a relaxing holiday we had to clean the property ourselves!!!

Nice place.good location. Close to beach and shops and restaurants. Pool and garden lovely. Owner Julia very helpful as is Marco. House could do with some updating kitchen very dated and fridge very noisy. Jacuzzi jets need a clean but shower good. Overall.nice and had a good stay but place could do with some tlc

The villa is huge, the garden was very safe for our dogs and big enough for them to run round, the pool is lovely and very clean, but a bit too cold for us so we didn't use it much. The antique furniture and all the ornaments are amazing. The villa was mostly very clean apart from a couple of small niggles, we had to clean the fridge out before putting our stuff in it and there was a pan in the cupboard that had been put away unwashed, but we ran everything through the efficient dishwasher, no problema :-) Plenty of crockery, pots and pans and kitchen utensils but I missed having a jug to make salmorejo in and we could have done with some more serving and salad bowls. The internet was good and fast. Marco and his family are very pleasant and helpful, the one problem we had with the pool was sorted out quickly. It was lovely seeing Marco's young son go from being scared of our two big dogs to playing with them. The area is fantastic, we loved Chiclana, the Mercado de los Abastos is worth a daily visit for fish and veg. Cadiz is stunning, as is Vejer and around. Our UK, right hand drive car was a source of amusement to many and it was brilliant being in a place that, although touristy, not too much so and gave me a chance to practice my Spanish. The not so good - the beds creak, the springs have gone in the single beds and the memory foam double bed wasn't comfortable. The kitchen could do with some updating, the plate racks are greasy and veneer peeling off, the sink doesn't fit properly, nor does the electric hob. The oven, although it was clean inside and works well, looks awful with cooked on grease in between the glass on the door door. We looked up at the ceiling lights in the kitchen and there was a collection of dead bugs behind the glass. The jacuzzi works well but the jets are dirty inside. The veranda is lovely but the paving under the table is very uneven and impossible to keep clean. The villa is perfectly positioned, a 10 minute drive to Chiclana, 10 minute walk to the nearest bars, restaurants and the beautiful beach and 20 minutes to a strip with plenty of choice to eat and drink. If you have a meal here make sure you go to the Sabor a Mar, fantastic food! We did consider returning but the uncomfortable beds put us off. I wouldn't consider this a luxury villa, with a bit of updating and love and care it could be, but not as it is. Thanks, Julia, for letting us stay. Your place is lovely, just it could be better with some care.