If you are looking for a real taste of rural Spain, with a touch of warm British hospitality, then La Casa Vieja in Valencia will delight you. Maris Watson has created a small haven in rustic Spain where it is possible to relax, eat well, sleep peacefully and recharge batteries in a house more than 450 years old. The surrounding scenery, comfort, service and food all surpassed our expectations. This hotel receives a wholehearted recommendation from Euroresidentes.

La Casa Vieja is in the village of Rugat (290 inhabitants), a charming village where peace and relax are guaranteed. The village is surprisingly fertile, and visitors can explore the surroundings on the small paths leading towards the river bank and into the orchards around the village. The village church chimes each hour (twice!), and a building just next to the church houses the local pigeon population.

The hotel La Casa Vieja itself is a wonderful old house with six unique rooms: Las Tejas, Aldea, Las Naranjas, Arco, Mollinet y Collado. We stayed in Aldea, a delightful room overlooking the swimming pool set in the patio and surrounded by jasmin and other climbing plants. The deliberate absence of television and telephone in the rooms encourages visitors to appreciate and share in the atmosphere offered by a house with 460 years history which has been renovated with taste and style. The rooms have air conditioning and heating. They also have tea-making facilities which is a plus for British guests who like a morning cup of tea in bed. The rooms are even provided with anti-mosquito machines.

The small pool in one of the interior patios and the restaurant in another, during the Summer months, add to the charm of this special hotel.

The food served in Hotel La Casa Vieja deserves special mention. The quality and imagination of the menu went far beyond what we expected, and the breakfast with its selection of fresh breads and fresh fruit salad, provides a delicious start to the day. The coffee served at breakfast is better than coffee served at many five star hotels in Madrid and Barcelona.

Rugat is in the province of Valencia. See our
Visitor's Guide to the Province of Valencia

• Photos of La Casa Vieja
• Photos of Rugat
• Photos of the area surrounding Rugat