My wife and I spent months looking for the perfect place to celebrate both my 50th birthday and our 10-year wedding anniversary with a large group of friends. We wanted to stay somewhere in southern Spain, and were hoping to find a unique property that could accommodate 10-12 people. After a long search, we finally came across Lagar de Pilones. Even the photos don’t do it justice! We could see by reading the information that the place was historic and unique, and that the host, Carmen, was a wonderful woman who was happy to share the property with groups who appreciated it. The only concern we had was the property’s remote-ness (a somewhat rough, 15-minute drive up a dirt road off the main highway), but after reading the reviews it appeared this wouldn’t be a major obstacle. So after considering everything, we booked our stay. Long story short, Lagar de Pilones ended up being more special, more wonderful, and more beautiful than we ever could’ve imagined! Both houses, the pool, all the other little “nooks” everywhere provided plenty of locations for people to ether spend time together or do their own thing. The amenities all worked perfectly, and any minor issues were addressed promptly by Carmen. One of the highlights was that Carmen offered the services of Frank and Paqui to both pre-stock the property with food & drinks and also to cook a large menu of wonderful Andalucian dishes during our stay. The cooking service was optional (and at our expense), but we ended up using it almost every night and were never disappointed. Frank and Paqui were both wonderful, incredibly friendly people, and it was delightful to see the love and effort they put into every meal. The nearby town of Casabermeja was great for making daily runs for groceries and other essentials. The CEPSA gas station also worked very well as a pick-up spot for the group tours we took to Cordoba, Granada, and Malaga. I’d be negligent not to briefly discuss the road situation. The dirt road between the highway the property is in poor repair, requires fairly slow driving, and requires additional caution when driving at night. That said, we had 3 separate 2-wheel drive cars with us, and everyone felt comfortable driving the road. We did have an issue arise with a local transport company, who originally agreed to make pick-ups from the property, but then (once they saw the road condition) refused to do so. But Carmen was extremely helpful in arranging a work-around. In short, the dirt road is not a “show-stopper”, but is something to be cognizant of. Aside from this minor inconvenience, Lagar de Pilones was even better than advertised. Carmen even arranged for a singer (hi Olga!) to come by the property on my birthday to serenade us, which made for an especially lovely evening. I had high hopes for the stay, and it consistently exceeded my expectations – so many wonderful memories. Thanks again Carmen!!

We had a lovely time at the house on the hill! It was easy to have a group of people stay as there is lots of outdoor and indoor space for people to have their own space. Considering the time of year it was wonderful that they provided us with wood for an indoor fire and also the bbq. When we arrived there were flowers in all of the rooms which was a thoughtful touch that went along with the nicely appointed house. There was nothing that we needed that wasn't provided. I would love to go back !

El lugar te desconecta de todo. Es como haber tenido dos vacaciones.

Had an amazing stay. The house is on a secluded hilltop but close to amenities and an easy drive to the coast. It's beautiful and well kept. Carmen is an amazing host and you cam see she loves the house

What can I say about this holiday. My family are 14 from age’s 1 being the grandchild to age 64 went on holiday to Carmen’s property. The only word that I can describe it would be idyllic. From start to finish Cameron was just excellent. The views were to die for. The property was everything that all the other reviews have said and more. Just perfect. The children and grandchildren and grandparents loved the experience, the pool, the grounds, the house and the Tranquility. Carmen will help you with everything you need from start to finish. Be a little careful with the last 10 minutes of the drive up but other than that there’s plenty more to say but I think I could go on all night if I spoke about the overall brilliant experience. One thing I would say, we hired cars at the airport and our flight was supposed to arrive midday but was changed to arrive at midnight. Carmen arranged a local taxi to meet us at the airport so that we could follow him to the house. Obviously we paid for the service but for the first time to go there we thought it was best not to be trying to find it at night. Money very well spent I would suggest to anyone.. Thank you again Carmen.

Excellent séjour en famille (10 personnes) maison accueillante avec une âme, panorama exceptionnel.calme repos et quiétude des lieux .Excellent départ pour visiter l'Andalousie ou rester au calme dans ce nid d aigle. Surtout vous apprécierez l'accueil de Mme Carmen, sa gentillesse. N’hésitez surtout pas à lui demander conseil sur le choix d'un jambon ibérico de belota,d'un queso de cabra. MERCI MME CARMEN

Very nice house with stunning views. Very clean and authentic. Carmen gave us all the help we needed.

Great house in the mountains. The house is even better than the pictures an very originally decorated. All modern facilties an Carmen is a great host. We stayed as a family with 3 generations with 5 adults and 4 children. The 2 houses are build together and offers both space and privacy. The pool area is great with shadow and stunning views. From the first communcation tll we left Carmen helped with questions and very quickly changed a broken fridge. The house is located at the end of a 2 km steep non-paved road but that only helped to feel very private. I had rented a road bike an had some great trips in the sorroundig mountains. Steep but beatiful.

La casa responde a las expectativas. Es agradable, puesta con gusto y bien equipada. Cálida y acogedora, buena calefacción en invierno. La anfitriona encantadora y educada. Bien comunicada, a sólo 15-20 minutos de Málaga

Wij hebben het hier zalig gehad. Lagar los Pilones is werkelijk een schitterend vakantiehuis. Dit is een geweldig huisje: zeer verzorgd interieur, met aandacht ingericht, is schoon en heeft een prachtig uitzicht van 360 graden. De bedden zijn perfect, de badkamers ruim en praktisch, overal zijn horren voor de ramen zodat je heerlijk met de ramen open kunt slapen. Bedden opgemaakt, handdoeken in de badkamers. De ligging is idyllisch, het avontuur begint al met de weg ernaartoe. Laatste 1,5 km over een onverharde bergweg, ondanks dat deze onverhard is, is deze prima te berijden, zelfs met een kleine huurauto! Eenmaal boven weet je niet wat je ziet, wat een huis en wat een uitzicht! De enige wezens in de omgeving waren geiten, een balkende ezel, een kraaiende haan en rondvliegende zwaluwtjes. Het zwembad (veilig omheind voor kinderen) ligt heerlijk in de zon, en het overdekte terras met ligbedden biedt een welkome verkoeling onder de warme Spaanse zon. Het huis ligt in de driehoek Sevilla, Granada, Cordoba, waardoor een uitstekende uitvalbasis voor het ontdekken van Andalusie. Ligt 10 minuten rijden van dorpje(Casabermeja) met verscheidene spaanse restaurantjes. Malaga slechts op 25 min met de auto. Eigenaars zeer vriendelijk: onze aankomst was vertraagd door vertraging vliegtuig, en zij hadden daarom brood, melk, fruit ed voor ons gekocht omdat bij onze aankomst de winkels gesloten waren Een absolute aanrader en we gaan zeker nog eens terug! Anne-Jose

We spent a week here in August, and had a wonderful time. We are are group of ten (8 adults and 2 children). The villa is located in a breathtaking position on top of a hill with unforgettable sunsets every evening. A particular highlight for us was the cooking - with a fantastic bbq, and also outdoor wood oven (great for pizzas and slow roasts). The local butcher in casabermeja was also excellent (Carmen told us about him). Day trips to the Alhambra, Malaga and a waterpark for the kids were very easy from the location. The only thing - the road up to the villa is quite steep to say the least and we were grateful we had hire cars with reasonable engines!!!!

Great experience

Nous avons été très sensibles à la très grande réactivité de notre hôte Carmen. cela a été précieux de pouvoir compter sur son aide efficace et rapide pour les questions que nous lui avons posées pendant notre séjour.

Carmen was a wonderful host, and her family's property in Spain is beautiful. You should know that to get to the villa, you drive for about 10 minutes up a mountain on a gravel road. Its a bit of an adventure, but that was part of what we loved about it. Once you get there you are staying in a historical villa in the mountains. It has modern amenities like AC and a pool, but the feel is rustic and authentic. It was very comfortable for two families of 4. The kids loved it as much as the adults. Takes about 30 minutes to drive to Malaga. A great experience.

Two beautiful houses in an amazing setting - the views are stunning. Spacious and warm, perfect for 10 of us to spend a lovely family Christmas. Mari Carmen was really helpful and informative. We can highly recommend for families or groups - close to Malaga and lots of other great places to visit like El Torcal and Antequera. We had a great time!

Notre séjour chez Ma Carmen a surpassé toutes nos attentes. La vue de la maison est à couper le souffle. Les odeurs de chèvre-feuille, anneth et de fleurs abondent le domicile. Nous avons séjourner une semaine en groupe de 8 et ce fut tout simplement magique. Ma Carmen est très réactive à nos demandes et fait des pieds et des mains pour que nous puissions passer des vacances parfaites. Merci pour tout!

Great experience

Vi havde et meget dejligt ophold i huset. Vejret var ikke godt i perioden omkring den 28. - 31. oktober. Det var ugen med Regn, torden og lyn, som jo blev en katastrofe for andre steder i Spanien - især Valencia. De første fem dage (22.-26. okt.) var vi i huset med vores 7 ansatte - studietur, hvor vi bl.a. besøgte Alhambra. Vi startede hver dag med yoga udendørs og sprang i poolen bagefter - skøn oplevelse for alle! Da familien tog over (uge 2) og vejret skiftede, sørgede Ma Carmen for, at varmen blev skruet op og vi fik brænde til pejsen. Vi havde det meget hyggeligt i huset med vores børn og børnebørn, til hvem vi havde alt, hvad vi havde brug for af børnesenge, - stole og legetøj - der manglede ikke noget! Der var dejligt sengetøj og tæpper til alle. Landskabet og huset er enormt smukt og næsten hver dag oplevede vi hyrden med sine geder, får og hunde på bjergsiden - meget fascinerende! Vejen op til huset kræver en god bil!! Det er en meget smal og snoet bjergvej!

Such an amazing place... even the great pictures doesn't make it justice! I would go back any day. Carmen and her friend Eva were lovely hosts and made us feel very welcome. The rooms are beautiful and the atmosphere is utterly relaxing, the only person we met was the shepherd passing with his sheep... (you can't believe you are just 30 minutes from downtown Malaga). The village below the hill (Casabermeja) is a 5 minutes drive and have some nice restaurants (one for meat and one for fish) and if you are into meat the local butcher shop would be worth a visit by its own. Just be prepared that the road to the house is a 2 km narrow dirt road climbing the hills – but we made it with our 2 wheel drive without problems.

We had the entire house for 5 nights for our group of 12 adults and 3 infants. We housed 2 of the adults on a sofa and trundle bed. We arrived in the wee hours of the morning, and Carmen was kind enough to source some breakfast foods for us so that we would not need to get up so early in the morning. This was a big help! The pictures online do give a beautiful view of the character of the property, but we were not prepared for the amazing views all around the house, and for the multitude of delightful outdoor spaces. We came in early June, and the weather was pleasantly cool at night and warm/hot during the day. Throughout our stay we left doors open to allow breezes to flow through the house. This became a problem only when we did some cooking- you need to keep the doors shut when cooking, or it will attract flies. The kitchen is well equipped for a smaller group, but for 15 was a bit of a challenge. We found enough glasses by getting some from the smaller kitchen next door. We used the outdoor wood grill one evening. 2 evenings, we had dinner prepared by Paqui and Fabbio, and we highly recommend them for meals- it was fabulous! The drive on the dirt road up the mountain was an adventure in the dark the first night, but was well worth the effort and time, to gain the beautiful views of the countryside. Our family hiked at El Torcal national park one of our days, which we highly recommend, and we went to the downtown Malaga market in the morning- loads of fun. All in all, a first-rate, first-class property, and we highly recommend it.