Rancho el Patio

Rancho el Patio is a fabulous Andalucian home decorated & furnished to a high standard, as you enter the front door you know that you have arrived somewhere special.

The entrance leads to a charming central patio with a fountain and shady palm trees, lit in the evening this is simply beautiful. Surrounding the patio are 2 of the 5 bedrooms, the spacious lounge and the dining room.

The lounge is just spectacular, an eclectic mix of old and modern - the owner of Rancho el Patio certainly has flair!

At the far end of the lounge is a comfortable seating area with a large flat screen TV, Astra & Hotbird satellite (see our FAQ for channel info) and a DVD player. In the central part of the lounge is a cosy area surrounding the working log fireplace.

The dining area & kitchen have direct access to a large shaded terrace for dining al fresco. The kitchen is fully equipped with ceramic hobs (stove tops), electric oven, microwave, american style fridge freezer with ice dispenser, coffee machine, dishwasher etc. There is a separate utility room with a washer/dryer and an extra fridge (ideal for drinks).

Master Bedroom GRANADA: This spacious air conditioned bedroom is located in it's own wing has a super king size bed and TV. In this wing is an adjacent large bathroom which has a bath, a walk-in shower, twin basins and a wc. There is also a SMEG mini fridge to save you going down to the kitchen to get a cold drink.

The 2nd Bedroom on this level is called SEVILLA: this lovely air conditioned bedroom has twin beds and an en suite bathroom with a bath that has a shower-over-the-bath, twin basins and a wc.

Down a flight of stairs leads to 2 further bedrooms, these are ideally suited to a family:

Bedroom No.3 CADIZ: another spacious air conditioned bedroom with a super king size bed and direct access to the pool areas.
Bedroom No.4 MALAGA: air-conditioned, twin beds and again direct access to the pool areas.
Both these bedrooms share a family bathroom which has a bath with a shower-over-the-bath, double basins and a wc.

Up a flight of stairs from the lounge area leads to the 5th bedroom CORDOBA: a spacious air conditioned twin bedded room with an en suite bathroom which has a bath with a shower-over-the-bath, double basins and a wc. This bedroom has an adjacent lounge with an antique Indian day-bed and windows that open out onto a private terrace with a swing hammock.

What makes Rancho el Patio that extra bit special are the outside areas. Overlooking the pool is a large covered terrace which acts as an alfresco living room with a dining area, sofas, a chill bed and a log fire + infrared lamps for cool winter evenings.

This is a lovely area to all sit down, relax & enjoy time together sharing a BBQ'ed lunch. There is a built-in Andalucian style charcoal BBQ. Iberico pork is particularly good here and ribs in BBQ sauce is a particular favourite of mine. Fish is also plentiful and fresh, the fish & sea food counter in the supermarket at Corte Ingles has a fabulous choice. The wines of Spain are fantastic, what a better way to spend an evening than to sample different Riojas and Cavas with friends & family.

If cooking is too much like hard work there are many excellent restaurants in the area to try. Try the Venta Morena (see our guide to restaurants in Mijas) located near the entrance to Mijas golf. If I had to pick one place that I love eating at more than any other, then this is it. It is not smart or stylish but noisy and bustling and to top it all the food is fantastic and reasonably priced. On the menu my choice to start is usually either an excellent gambas pil-pil (prawns in a very, very hot garlic and chilli oil) or boquerones fritos (whitebait to you and me), followed by something from the barbacoa ... the pork ribs are to die for!