Paul Whitelock bought the old village house in 2020 as a retirement project. Large and well-located near the village square, the house needed modernisation and upgrading. Paul, a retired teacher and then school inspector/adviser, who had significant experience of “doing up houses” in his spare time*, took it on and with the help of jobbing tradesmen, and despite the pandemic and lockdowns, all three phases of the renovation are now complete.
Casa Real is born
Casa Real, as Paul named the house in honour of the family who had owned it for generations – their surname is Real - has gone from a two-bedroom, one bathroom house with a tiny roof terrace to a three-bedroom, two bathroom house with a massive roof terrace?
How?
Read all about it here:
Casa Real: A building project in Montejaque - Part I (secretserrania.com)
Casa Real: A building project in Montejaque – Part II (secretserrania.com)
Casa Real: A building project in Montejaque – Part III (secretserrania.com)
The houses that Jack built! - Secret Serrania de Ronda
Completed and on the rental market
Casa Real went back on the rental market on 5 August 2024 after the completion of Phase 3 of the work. This charming house in Montejaque (Málaga) now sleeps 6 adults plus an infant.
Remarkably Casa Real has been fully booked from then onwards, which proves there is a demand for a large house in a prime location in one of the most beautiful pueblos blancos in Málaga province.
As we approach the end of August demand is dropping off, as children go back to school and their parents back to work.
However, for those able to travel out of season, ie retired people and the well-to-do, there are still bargains to be had if you book directly with the owner and not via a commercial website.
Enquiries direct to Paul Whitelock on (00 34) 636 52 75 16.
3 Bedroom (Sleeps 6) House in Montejaque, Málaga (P50774) - No Booking Fees (simplyowners.net)
www.help-me-ronda.com
International guests
Casa Real has proved popular with guests from many countries and nationalities. To date guests from Albania, Britain, Croatia, Denmark, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Netherlands, Northern Ireland, Paraguay, South Africa, Ukraine, USA and various parts of Spain, including Alicante, Bilbao, Extremadura, Jimera de Libar, Madrid and Ubrique.
Guest comments
Our first guests at Casa Real back in September 2021 are regular guests of ours at Casa Rita and have become good friends. I invited them to “test” Casa Real free-of-charge once Phase 1 was complete.
“This is our 13th visit to one of Paul and Rita’s proiperties. This time we had the honour of being the first guests in newly renovated Casa Real.
“Having seen the photos [beforehand] it was everything we had expected with a well-equipped kitchen and two excellent super modern bathrooms. A bonus was the delightful patio area downstairs and the roof terrace with lovely views.”
***
Joe King stayed in December 2021.
“Just checked out Casa Real for winter warmth as a favour to my pal Paul, the owner. The weather was really cold [at this time of year]. Nevertheless, this old house with its super-thick external walls proved easy to warm up. A gas heater was sufficient to take the chill off the L-shaped lounge, dining room and kitchen. The bedrooms just needed an electric oil-filled radiator to make them comfortable for sleeping and the wall heater in the bathroom warmed the room up quickly while you took a bath or a shower. Recommended.”
***
A family of two parents and four children from Montejaque’s twin town Knittlingen in Germany stayed rent-free in Casa Real for two months in the early part of 2022. In lieu of rent Oliver, a member of the Guild of Joiners, and mentor and friend of Johannes, my wife Rita’s elder son, also a joiner, carried out a number of carpentry and other jobs on Casa Real and in our other two houses in Montejaque and Ronda.
He also had time to carry out several paid commissions for local residents.
Lily, half-Scottish and a physiotherapist, earned a bit on the side treating locals with ailments, in between breast-feeding baby Cailan.
The three girls, Leyla, Amy and Alice, enrolled at the local primary school and loved it!
Leyla (10) wrote: “We loved going to school here….. Everybody was very friendly, we even called the teachers by their first names, which was strange for us ….. because in Germany the teachers are always Herr “This” and Frau “That”!”
***
Semana Santa (April) 2022
Juanjo, María and Juan from Mérida (Extremadura) wrote that they had had a great experience staying in Casa Real:
“Nos ha gustado mucho la casa, es muy típica, y muy cómoda. Nos hemos sentido como en casa. Todos los detalles están muy cuidados, limpia y confortable.”
***
May 2022
Marta and Juanma from Alicante
“[Nuestra visita] ha coincidido con las fiestas del pueblo y había mucho ambiente. Hemos estado muy a gusto. La casa es fresca para el calor que ha hecho estos días.
“Además tiene todos los servicios necesarios.”
***
July 2022
Hazel and Peter Terry from Derbyshire (England): “Fabulous location, so close to the main square. Very spacious house, with excellent outdoor terraces.”
Kevin and Carolyn Emmett from Montejaque, via England, Canada, Botswana and South Africa: “A fun, quirky house! Very spacious double bedrooms, two fabulous bathrooms, and a secluded patio and a roof terrace. Highly recommended as rental accommodation.”
***
September 2022
Tom, S
u and Wilbur from Hastings (East Sussex)
“We stayed here with our 3-year-old son. No problems – the house was perfectly safe for a toddler.
“We coincided with La Batalla de La Puente, which was great fun. Wilbur was fascinated!”
Author's note: Tom is Paul Whitelock's son and a chip-off-the-old-block. He is currently finishing off the renovation of their home, a large Victorian terraced house in Hastings.
***
November 2022
Miguel, Silvia, Curro and Jessica (from Ubrique):
“Querida Casa Real:
….. podíamos imaginar que eras una casa con mucho encanto. Entre tus paredes existen tantos detalles singulares que nuestras primeras horas dentro de ti fueron de total recreación y ensimismamiento.
“Tus muchos relojes marcaron segundos, minutos y horas llenos de momentos vividos que no podremos olvidar. Sin duda, una casa impregnada de la personalidad de su dueño y creador, una mezcla especial anglosajona y especial de la Serranía de Ronda.”
***
Semana Santa (April 2023)
“Hemos estado alojados en Casa Real en Semana Santa mi marido (Alfredo), mis tres hijos (Iker, Alicia y Nicolás) y yo (Beatriz) y ha sido estupendo.
“….. La situación del pueblo es ideal para visitar el parque natural con comodidad.
“En cuanto a la casa, todo perfecto. Tiene todo lo que puedas necesitar en cualquier momento, cualquier cosa. Nos ha gustado mucho ojear por las noches la gran biblioteca de Paul, [quien, como anfitrión] atento en todo momento, muy simpatico y amable.”
***
8 August 2023
La Familia Sánchez spent 4 nights in Casa Real:
“La casa es espectacular, con muchos detalles y habitaciones amplias, los baños grandes y limpios.
“La casa está equipada con muchas referencias a Andalucía (detalles que nos gustó mucho).”
Cristián, Gumersindo, Iker y Silvia Sánchez
***
15 August 2023
“La familia Lorenzo Sintoiu está muy satisfecha con la estancia en “Casa Real” y sobre todo con el trato del anfitrión “Paul”, un inglés que ama Andalucía y España.
“Y lo refleja en su casa donde hemos disfrutado mucho de la estancia. Su trato hacia nosotros ha sido espectacular.”
***
Visitors from France on 25 August 2023 were also very happy.
“Nous sommes très satisfaits d’avoir passé du temps à Montejaque qui est idealment place dans le secteur de Ronda. La maison <<Casa Real>> est de type andalouse et s’intègre bien.
“….. la maison est très spacieuse et les equipements de la maison sont complets.”
***
October 2023
Richard and Penny Rice from Woodbridge, Suffolk, UK enjoyed their visit to Andalucia where they spent three weeks in total.
“We enjoyed staying in Casa Real ….. Paul was very welcoming and provided most helpful information.
“This very quirky rental home is ideally placed in this beautiful limestone mountain pueblo ….. The roof terrace is a great feature of the house.”
***
May 2024
Marta and Juanma from Alicante made their second visit to Casa Real. Juanma, a guardia civil likes to take part in the 101 km race, the bicycle/running/walking event, organised by the Spanish Foreign Legion, based in Ronda. This time he brought his friend Roberto.
“Es nuestra segunda vez en Casa Real de Montejaque.
“En las dos ocasiones con motivo de realizar la carrera de los 101 km de la Legión.
“Una casa muy acogedora y sobre todo un anfitrión muy atento.”
***
July 2024
Paul, originally from Yorkshire, is married to Synnove from Denmark. They live in the Serrania de Ronda. Together with a Scottish couple, Elaine and Martin, from Gibraltar, and another English friend, Bev, they stayed in Casa Real for the third year running, to coincide with The Pueblos Blancos Music Festival, where Paul is the Emcee.
“As always Casa Real is ideal for us. Near to the square where the stage is set up and big enough for our group,” said Paul.
***
August 2024
Klodiana, a police detective from North London, and of Albanian heritage, wrote:
“Our first time in Montejaque has been absolutely fantastic. Thank you, Paul, for being so accommodating and for letting us stay in this beautiful house.”
Marlene is from Paraguay but has lived in London for more than 25 years, and is married to Gustavo, also paraguayo. They have two children: Esteban and Emily. All four of them are fluent in three languages – Spanish, guarani and English. Marlene commented:
“Gracias Paul en especial por ayudarnos esa primera noche. Lo pasamos muy bien. Hasta la próxima.”
Klodiana Geci (Albanian) [Photo courtesy of Facebook]
***
Conclusion
Paul reports that he is very happy with how Casa Real has turned out and he is delighted with the very positive reviews of the house and of him as host (anfitrión).
“The renovation of Casa Real was a bit like Topsy – it grew and grew – and I spent quite a bit more money than I had planned to.”
Nevertheless, Paul stuck to his two main principles: retain as many of the original features as possible; and make it an eco-house.
“I hope that Casa Real will rent well. The house is in a beautiful village, it is well-located with easy access, it is big (sleeps 6+), has Andalusian charm and boasts two modern bathrooms. And the price is right!”
© Pablo de Ronda
Links:
3 Bedroom (Sleeps 6) House in Montejaque, Málaga (P50774) - No Booking Fees (simplyowners.net)
Casa Real: A building project in Montejaque - Part I (secretserrania.com)
Casa Real: A building project in Montejaque – Part II (secretserrania.com)
Casa Real: A building project in Montejaque – Part III (secretserrania.com)
The houses that Jack built! - Secret Serrania de Ronda
www.help-me-ronda.com
Acknowledgements:
Facebook
Karl Smallman
Secret Serrania
Simply Owners
Travelnest
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