Hotel: Finca Cortesin, Andalucia
A five-minute drive from the sea, in the hills of Casares in Andalucia, Finca Cortesin is an imposing country house hotel that evokes the very best of Mediterranean lifestyle. Amid verdant gardens and a tranquillity that can only be achieved with an abundance of space, the 67 suites are arranged around two principal courtyards in traditional Andalucian style.
Everything is beautiful and on a grand scale; from the wooden doors salvaged from ancient castles and broad corridors with oil paintings of Spanish nobility to the wide terrace around the emerald green pool. This spacious property can be near capacity, yet it feels like you have the place pretty much to yourself.
Private terraces and pools set the Pool Suites apart and further exclusivity can be found in the Private Villas, which are large enough for families and parties. While everything has been put together on a grand scale, the late interior designer Duarte Pinto Coelho has created a comfortable space that feels like a private home. Walls covered with soft pastel toned fabrics, period furniture and antiques dot the public areas and contemporary lighting fixtures in the bedroom all come together to create an air of understated refinery.
Days are spent wafting between the two pools and Beach Club and eating in one of the three restaurants. El Jardin de Lutz in the garden serves up authentic Spanish cuisine, one Michelin Star holder Kabuki Raw has a traditional, authentic Japanese menu (think tiny morsels of sea bass sashimi and buttery Wagyu-beef) and Don Giovanni has award-winning Italian dishes.
For the more active is the 18-hole golf course, which occupies a stunning position on the coast. Don't forget to visit the spa too, which is far from an afterthought. Indeed you could spend a whole weekend enjoying Thai treatments, swimming in the indoor 25m salt-water pool, ducking into Spain's only snow cabin, and working out in the gym.
Although it opened eight years ago, Finca Cortesin feels like an undiscovered gem and the elegant combination of food, decor and quietly attentive service culminates into one of my favourite hotels in Europe.
Elegant Resorts offer seven nights at Finca Cortesin from £2,235 per person. Price is based on two persons sharing a Junior Suite, including breakfast, economy flights from London Stansted with British Airways, private transfers and UK lounge passes. Valid 18 Apr-13 Jul & 18 Sep-28 Oct 2017. 01244 897517; www.elegantresorts.co.uk
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