We have stayed at this splendid villa before but never at Christmas and New year. It was great and we were pleasantly surprised and how many sunny days we had. Nighttime can be cool but there is a wonderful Spanish style open fire which is really cosy - and heats the whole villa if needed. The sheer size of the villa and the grounds is impressive. Its always possible to find a quiet moment somewhere either in the villa or garden. The rooms are large and spacious and even with a full house it never feels cramped. The main road finishes in the village of Alcaucin so no car noise and the villa is beautifully quiet - especially at night. Its easy driving here with very little traffic. Being next to the national park the air quality is exceptional which is very appealing as we love a healthy lifestyle. There is a great circular walk that brings you back to the villa in about 45 mins - the views and air are great. The walk will certainly get your heart pumping. The villa has a great internet connection and a huge flat screen TV. At night standing on the balcony or patio with the lights off the night time vista of stars on a clear night is awesome. If you are looking for night life, loud music and the bright lights the villa may not be your best choice. This is very much the real Andalusian Spain and within very easy reach of Malaga airport. A hire car is a must.

The villa was excellent. It was clean, spacious and well equipped. The pool was a very good size and the kids loved it. The location was really good and the views were spectacular. The village of Alcaucin is really authentic. Overall a very relaxing holiday. I would recommend to anyone who wants a really relaxing holiday. Thank you.

Not an area of Spain that we'd been to before, and a bit of a hidden gem. Alcaucin is a small and picturesque hilltop village with a decent selection of bars and restaurants. Perfect for a wander in the evening for a bite to eat etc. The villa is set slightly down the hill from the village, meaning a bit of a steepish 10/15 min walk up to the village, but with the resultant benefit of a downhill return home in the evening. There is a small car park at the end of the village for those not wanting to walk. The villa itself and its setting are superb, a great vista from the patio of the surrounding hills and the valley. Olive who takes care of the villa was very friendly and welcoming, and is a mine of information regarding the village and local area. The accommodation is spacious and well finished. We were a party of 11 (6 adults & 5 children), and at no time felt like we were on top of each other.. The pool is large, and was a welcome relief when the temperature started soaring in the early afternoon. All bedrooms had A/C which was a blessing on a couple of very warm nights. There are plenty of poolside sun beds and tables and chairs dotted about the patio area. The shaded wooden veranda beside the pool was a lovely spot to laze and soak in the views. The outdoor BBQ worked well and is conveniently located close to the kitchen. All in all a marvellous location and a great holiday retreat. Many thanks to Catherine and Graeme for a friendly, very efficient rental booking. Would highly recommend.

Like many of the reviews on here mention, this is a truly beautiful villa set away in the Andalucian hills which offers great views and sunsets over the hills. The villa is laid out in spacious grounds and is very well presented - it's nicely decorated inside & out and comes with everything you need for a great stay. We loved the outdoor BBQ and easy access to the kitchen. The neighbour Olive who maintains the villa while the owners are away is great, she's incredibly helpful and friendly, but also does a great job cleaning and preparing the villa for guests. The pool is a nice size and very well maintained (Antonio cleaned it twice in a week), there's also plenty of inflatables to keep the kids (and adults) happy. It's a short drive to Nerja if you want the beach or Frigiliana for a day trip, it also passes the big supermarket on the way back if you need to stock up for the evening. The town itself is beautiful, a short walk helps work off the calories, then there's plenty of bars to enjoy a drink (€1 wine, €2 big beer) to put them back on. Sadly Carlos from el Rancho was away on his holidays so this place was closed, but it's just a reason for us to come back! We would absolutely recommend staying here and will be recommending to our friends/family who want a totally relaxing break. Although we were a fairly small group this place could handle 12 people + and still not feel squashed, there's so much space.

Great place at the road end and delightful Spanish village of Alcaucin, and then the start of the national park. Magnificent house with a large pool boasting 360deg open views which change colour until the sun sets. This was my third visit, could only manage Monday to Friday but felt like longer due to the relaxed pace. Visited a couple of the local restaurants and bars, and excursions to mountain villages and beach at Velez Malaga. Highly recommend a visit, you won't be disappointed.

This was our second visit to this superb villa in a magical location! Views are incredible with stunning sunsets!! Pool area is well equipped with comfortable loungers and tables and chair to allow and view of the 360 degree panorama. There is a fantastic area for outside dining and a large barbeque which makes for great al fresco evenings. Alcaucin is a very nice little typical village with a couple of nice restaurants and bars if you can tear yourself away from the villa. Could not recommend enough and would recommend anyone to enjoy this stunning villa and location.

The villa's location, garden and pool is fantastic, you couldn't better an inland view from the terraces anywhere. Pool is massive and there were plenty of pool inflatables available in the storage boxes. During our stay wild boar, foxes and goats were spotted from the terrace. We also had a daily bull run, with an ageing "bull man" moving his bulls from field to field. When we arrived the pergola had not yet had its bamboo roof covering refitted after the winter but a quick Email to Caroline and it was refitted within a day. The villa itself is large and spacious, with one large and one slightly smaller bedroom upstairs. All the other bedrooms are on the ground floor and of a good size. The living room had a massive TV with plenty of English channels. For a wheelchair user the bedroom and adapted bathroom were ideal, although the toilet didn't have a seat fitted, a raised plastic seat was available which had be bolted on. Unfortunately the fixings could not be tightened enough to secure the seat firmly to the pan, especially as the front fixing could not be used. For someone able to stand before sitting it would not be a problem, but for a side transfer it was unstable. We removed one of the fixed toilet seats from the cloakroom toilet and fitted this to use during our stay which overcame any problem. The toilet had two handrails fitted, one metal drop down one and one plastic fixed one, which is the one needed if you side transfer. Unfortunately the plastic one was somewhat loose, but did hold my weight transferring albeit not particularly confidence building. There is a slight raised surround of about 4cm into the shower area, a wheeled shower chair is provided. Around the pool there were 8 good quality sunbeds and plenty of tables and chairs to sit out in the evening sun to enjoy the view and a few drinks. Outside dining was also well catered for with two large tables and around 12 chairs. Unfortunately during our stay the water filter wasn't working in the kitchen, so we did need to buy water. Must do's are the national park accessible from Alcaucin and the free zoo in the mountains near Almunecar. The road up to the zoo is somewhat precarious but it has spectacular views and the zoo itself is unusual to say the least! We had a wonderful time at the villa and have no hesitation in recommending it, we would love to return again in the future.

Absolutely beautiful setting in a quaint village in the Costa del Sol. Why go to Tuscany when you can have the same quality of wine, olives, food in a mountain setting with perfect weather. The villa is located within close proximity to historic settings such as Alhambra (1.5 hours) Alcazar (40 minutes) Gibraltar (2 hours) beach (15 minutes). But why go anywhere when you have a gorgeous, large villa with a HUGE pool and outdoor BBQ, fruit trees (avocado, lemon, orange, cherimoya). In the event that you see a cloud there is HD TV and super fast wifi. Walk to village (good idea as drinking and driving allowances (.02) in Spain are much less than in US (.08). With 6 bedrooms, all but 1 ensuite, it is a great location for family reunions such as we held. Lovely spot in a great location. GO!

Villa Grande was the perfect place for us. Me and my husband stayed there with 6 children (all ages) as well as with our friends and their 3 children. We stayed there over Christmas, so not in the most typical Spanish summer weather, but still it was lovely! The villa is very spacious and accommodated all of us very well. The children just loved the pool, the pool area, the outdoor BBQ, the spacious back garden where you could kick a ball endlessly, the fruit trees in the garden and the nearby sports field with high fencing to prevent the ball disappearing down the hillside. Us adults loved to have the kids within reach but still not in our face :), the many terraces, the view, and again THE VIEW with its magnificent sunsets, the lovely mountain views, the outdoor BBQ, the village of Alcaucin with all its friendly inhabitants, the local market and all the fabulous surroundings! This is definitely a place worth visiting - Grahme and Cathryn - thank you so much for letting us stay!

This villa is absolutely beautiful. We took 10 adults and 1 baby away with some concerns but our fears were totally unfounded. The villa could not have been better in every way. The main living rooms are large and well equipped and the bedrooms are extremely comfortable with private bathroom facilities for each. The terraces are clean with plenty of sun loungers and seating for everyone. The pool is just FABULOUS and also has plenty of inflatables and toys for everyone to have fun. This was our first visit to Alcaucin and it has gone straight to number 1. The weather was high 30's everyday and the locals extremely friendly and accommodating. We will most certainly return to this wonderful town and magnificent villa.

The villa is amazing, large terrace area, plenty of room for all 11 us to sit and eat round the table at dinner overlooking the stunning views . Walk to the village is a bit tough on the legs but definitely worth it, recommend the hospitality of carlos at the grande. If you are looking for a large villa in an idyllic setting to relax and unwind I doubt you will find anything better.

Beautiful villa, loads of space, huge terraces, amazing views, sparkling large pool, quiet and peaceful. What more could you want. Thank you Catherine and Graham for letting us stay. Terry Rose and Richard

This place is amazing! The villa its self is lovely, really big, nice rooms and a really nice pool area. When we turned up there was a stack of fresh towels so we could jump straight in the pool , there was even some sun cream! The Location is great, up high in the mountain near a lovely village. Its a decent 30min drive to the coast but it never bothered us, there is some great roads to distract you on the drive. The local area has lots of nice bars and restaurants, even the local super market was great. Lastly I want to say thanks to the owners who were really nice through out and sorry I took so long getting this review up.

This villa is just an absolute gem. The first thing that hits you is the staggering view. It just keeps going on for miles and miles, and is just breathtaking. The next thing that hits is the sheer size of the villa. It is incredibly spacious and would quite happily accommodate several families, without you even noticing. We had an absolutely blissful stay here. Lazy afternoons soaking up the sun by the pool, followed by a glass of local wine as evening sets in, staring out across the rolling green mountains. Soul food! Some evenings we would explore local restaurants (especially the one by the lake). One evening we ventured to the local supermarket and butchers to get plenty of locally caught seafood and local meats and had the most amazing barbecue ever. It looked as though the BBQ was brand new. If you want a relaxing holiday, in a postcard perfect location, with room for the whole family and a taste of local life. This is the place for you. Im itching for my next visit already!!

This is a simply astounding villa in a stunning location. The views from the pool area over the surrounding countryside are absolutely gorgeous. To sit by the pool with a glass of wine and watch the sunsets are what dreams are made of. The location is peaceful and quiet just a short (uphill) walk to Alcaucin. The village is very pretty and traditional with a few nice restaurant small shops and a couple of local bars. The nature reserve is also stunning and a short drive into the hills allows for some lovely scenery and walks. A car is ideal to explore all the area has to offer. Only a short ride to some lovely villages or back to the coast. The villa has a lovely new large barbeque with makes for fantastic al fresco dining. Ideal for spending time relaxing with friends or family. We were fortunate to spend out time with special friends and had a wonderful time and would love to return soon. Cannot recommend the villa highly enough!

Second visit for our family & everything just as good as we remembered it from 2 years ago. Perfect location, wonderful village, great bars & great food. The village 3 miles down the road has superb butchers, bakery and greengrocers for all your needs if you don't want to travel to big supermarket. The villa itself is just brill for large group to stay with room a plenty for all. Superb holiday again!!!

Fantastic location combining idyllic views, zero traffic but shop/ bars 5 mins/ 15 mins walk away. Olive groves and cattle in the garden, air con and Sky TV inside. Excellent communicattion and flexibility from the owners. Do a "big" shop on the way in from the airport but after that the local butchers/ bakers/ grocers are cheap enough and far mor interesting. You would have to try very hard not to enjoy this villa!