It’s officially Autumn in Spain. In Andalucia pupils start school on 15 September, public swimming pools close and the temperature starts to drop. Parents are back at work after the August holiday and life gets back to normal, with shops opening for more hours and businesses and companies working longer hours. On 27 October the clocks go back one hour.
Autumn in the Serranía de Ronda
It’s now an ideal time for those who are retired, have no children in school and who enjoy walking, cycling, bird-watching and other country pursuits.
So, why not come to Montejaque?
There is lots of accommodation available: some small for two people, others larger sleeping six or more; some at the top of the village where no car can reach, others well-located; some pretty basic, others well-renovated and well-equipped; some without adequate heating, some with pellet stoves and open fires; some accommodation is cheap, other places are more expensive; some with no outside space, others with patios and terraces; some noisy, others peaceful and quiet.
Casa Real
This recently completed village house meets the second of all the above criteria.
Casa Real sleeps six plus a child in three double bedrooms.
Casa Real is well-located, half a minute from the village square, yet with stunning views all round.
Casa Real has been renovated and equipped to a high standard, with all new beds, new towels and bedding, etc. The kitchen and laundry room have all new appliances.
Casa Real has a new pellet burner plus several oil-filled electric radiators.
Casa Real’s prices reflect what is offered and the quality of the accommodation. HOWEVER, autumn discounts are available if you book directly with the owner (see below).
Casa Real has an internal patio and a huge roof terrace. There is also a sitting area to the side of the house.
Casa Real is very tranquil. There is no noisy bar nearby and the main house is double-glazed.
Guest Reviews
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 from various parts of Spain, including Alicante, Bilbao, Extremadura, Jimera de Libar, Madrid and Ubrique.
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Our first guests at Casa Real back in September 2021 are 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 properties. 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.”
"Hovis" and Jacqui (Sheffield) and Richard (Belfast)
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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.”
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Oliver, Lily, Leyla, Amy, Alice and Cailan (Germany)
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”!”
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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.”
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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.”
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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.”
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September 2022
Tom, Su and Wilb
ur 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.]
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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.”
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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.”
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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
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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.”
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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.”
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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.”
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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.”
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July 2024
Paul Darwent, 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.
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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]
[Footnote: Rumour has it that Gustavo and Marlene paid the deposit on a house in Montejaque during their stay. ¡Fantástico! ¡Bienvenidos!]
Autumn 2024
I am able to offer a generous discount of 10 per cent per night, if you book direct with me. With booking.com, AirBnb, VRBO and the rest you will pay even more than my normal price, to allow for the fees I have to pay them.
As of today my prices are as follows:
Up to 6 nights 90€ per night.
At least 7 nights, one night is free.
Over 14 nights, two nights free.
All prices are fully inclusive. There are no extra charges for electricity, gas, and water; pellets; cleaning; welcome pack.
Breakages are chargeable if significant.
Coming events:
5 – 8 September Feria de Pedro Romero Ronda
27 - 30 September Batalla de la Puente Montejaque
How to book:
By phone: (+34) 636 52 75 16
By email: paulwhitelock@hotmail.com
Via WhatsApp: (+34) 636 52 75 16
Further information:
www.help-me-ronda.com
www.simplyowners.net
Photos:
AirBnb
Ayuntamiento de Montejaque
Facebook
Paul Whitelock
Secret Serrania
thinkSPAIN
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