PLACES TO STAY
11 OF THE BEST VILLAS IN SPAIN
If you’re seeking space, privacy or the freedom to set your own schedule, taking over a private villa as your own is a hard-to-beat holiday experience. From a character-packed Mallorcan finca to a whizzed-up Ibizan hideout, we’ve rounded up the loveliest properties in Spain to rent this summer – each picked for their on-the-button locations, clever design and seal of approval from tried-and-trusted experts.
TRIED AND TESTED
CASA MANUEL
Formentera
Draped in bright sprays of blousy bougainvillaea, this simple one-storey whitewashed farmhouse is a true labour of love for its well-travelled, Barcelona-based owner. Built in the middle of thick, heathery scrub and angled just so to let the sea breeze and fig-scented air drift in, it’s a far cry from the big, brash luxury of Formentera’s neighbour Ibiza. Everything inside feels deliberately boho and homespun: each of the four bedrooms a sea of rattan and raffia; the sun-bleached sitting room filled with flea-market treasures and Provençal finds. There may be no swimming pool, but it’s just a 10-minute walk to the creamy white sands of Cala Saona, the most picture-perfect beach on this blissfully unhassled island.
Sleeps: eight
Price: from about £860 per night
BOOK YOUR STAYThe best villas in Ibiza and Formentera to rent this summer 
FINCA CORTESIN
Málaga, Andalucía
Finca Cortesin has long held the crown as the most spoiling place to stay in Spain. It’s a place of palatial proportions and painstaking attention to detail; a hotel first and foremost, but home to a clutch of hi-spec villas too. All are equally gorgeous and wildly modern – a mash-up of texture, zesty colour and contemporary style – so which one you rent is just a question of the size of your gang. But linger too long beside your private pool and you’ll miss out on what makes Finca Cortesin so special. Each villa comes with a babysitter on call, leaving grown-ups free to slink off to the spa, wallow in four enormous swimming pools, order rosé by the magnum at the glamorous beach club (the sea is a mile away) and dine in Kabuki Raw – just one of the five mind-blowingly delicious restaurants.
Sleeps: four- to eight-bedroom villas available
Price: from about £3,520 per night for a four-bedroom Green 10 Villa
BOOK YOUR STAYFinca Cortesín review: A palatial Andalusian hotel 
PLACES TO STAY
Finca Cortesín review: A palatial Andalusian hotel
LA QUINTA
Gaucin, Andalucía
Steep, wiggly backroads lead to this terracotta-pink, fairy-tale hacienda tucked away in the Andalucian hills. The owners rescued antique doors from crumbling estates, lined the walls with reclaimed Moorish tiles and added swishy curtains and floral-paisley flourishes to create the deliciously old-school, grand country-pile atmosphere. There’s more grounded grandeur outside: a lush courtyard garden filled with tumbling ivy and a tinkling fountain; emerald-green lawns and a pool, hidden from sight at the end of the garden path and flanked by a thoughtfully placed bar to keep the rosé cool. But our favourite thing about La Quinta is the mountain views: dramatic and omnipresent, framed by the villa’s string of terraces like a watercolour.
Sleeps: 10
Price: from £2,319 per week
BOOK YOUR STAYThe most romantic haciendas in Andalucía 
PLACES TO STAY
The most romantic haciendas in Andalucía
CASA DEL RIO
Benahavis, Andalucía
Sitting plum in the middle of the Goldsmith family’s vast private estate, Casa del Rio draws families looking for a week of slowing down and switching off. The sprawling grounds gently slope down to the banks of the Guadalmina river, criss-crossed by gin-clear streams for splashing about in, immaculate lawns for cartwheeling across and an organic farm – produce from which can be shuffled up to the kitchen on request. Inside, there’s Andalucian charm in spades: colourful Moorish tiles, cooling terracotta floors and calm, classical bedrooms, sound-tracked by the soft whirr of a ceiling fan. The supremely private pool – tucked away behind thick palms – is a peaceful spot to while away a hot summer’s afternoon.
Sleeps: 10
Price: from about £23,000 per week
BOOK YOUR STAYOTHER VILLAS WE LIKE THE LOOK OF
LA FINCA
Mallorca
There’s nothing off the peg at this head-turning Mallorcan finca, packed with interesting finds and one-off creations from independent craftspeople around the globe. There are flourishes of northern Africa in the bedrooms, dressed in cool cottons and earthy linens with hand-carved headboards and ceilings strung with rattan lampshades; touches of Greece in the chic but unfussy whitewashed sitting room; and whiffs of the tropics around the staggeringly lovely pool, flanked by palapa parasols for snoozing under in the afternoon heat. The surroundings are astonishingly quiet, with an organic garden for guests to dip into and no neighbours in sight except for the herd of white horses who share the estate. The unexpectedly charming small town of Llubí is a couple miles away; the beaches around Alcúdia a 25-minute drive further on.
Sleeps: 10
Price: from about £615 per night
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CASA GRANDE COUNTRY HOUSE
Mallorca
Ringed by farmland, gnarled olive groves and free-roaming sheep, this honey-hued finca cleverly walks the tightrope between modern smarts and reverence for history. Many of the original walls and features remain, with antique feeding troughs left untouched in the dining room and glass doors slotted in front of the estate’s ancient olive press. The five creamy, terracotta-tiled bedrooms are havens of cool minimalism, while outside there’s nothing to distract from wide-open views of the spiky-cacti-studded estate from the stone pool or sun-dappled terraces. If you fancy a change of scenery, this is the ideal jumping-off point for hikes into the foothills of the Serra de Tramuntana mountains and lazy days exploring the near-empty beaches along the island’s mellow north-east coast.
Sleeps: 10
Price: From £3,453 per week
BOOK YOUR STAYThe best beaches in Mallorca 
DESTINATIONS
The best beaches in Mallorca
ES BEC D’AGUILA
Menorca
Set on a hilltop overlooking thick Menorcan countryside with sweeping views out to the blue-green Balearic Sea, Es Bec d’Aguila is one of the most sought-after villas on the island – so book well ahead. Meticulously restored by a smart Parisian design firm, working in tandem with local craftsmen, the place is brilliantly geared up for a big, multi-generational brood. There’s a cosy bunk room, treehouse and cinema for the children, while grown-ups have the run of endless tucked-away corners, cosseting day beds angled around the pool and a stunning aquamarine bar for sneaky mid-afternoon cocktails. The farmer pops up each morning to leave fresh oranges, eggs and estate-made honey on the breakfast table, and there’s a chef on hand to rustle up farm-to-fork lunches under the pergola.
Sleeps: 28
Price: from £1,458 per night
BOOK YOUR STAYMenorca: the beat-free Balearic island 
ISLANDS
Menorca: the beat-free Balearic island
CASTILLO DE ARENA
Villajoyosa, Costa Blanca
Don’t let Castillo de Arena’s close-to-Benidorm location put you off. Set on a rocky outcrop jutting out over the glittering Mediterranean, this fortress-like white-stone villa sits on a significantly more authentic patch of the Costa Blanca than its boisterous neighbour. Perfect for a grown-up family looking for room to spread out, the outside space is the real star here, with a pretty pool flanked by umbrella-shaded nooks, low-slung hammocks to loll about in and direct access to the beach. Interiors have a rustic shabby-chicness to them: chunky wooden beams, cool terracotta floors and exposed brick, pepped up with patterned textiles and splashes of modern art. From here, it’s an easy potter into the colourful old town of Villajoyosa, a former fishing village best known for its glorious stretch of golden sand and cluster of laidback seafood restaurants.
Sleeps: six
Price: from £695 per night
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SA PUNTA DE S’AGUILA
Mallorca
There are three gorgeous villas on Richard Branson’s mega Mallorcan estate, and this is our favourite. Staying here feels a little like taking over your very own five-star hotel – you’ll arrive to find the poolside bar fully stocked – the concierge will have called ahead to scope out your favourite gin – and there’s a private chef ready and waiting to whip up three-course suppers each night, plus all but one of the bedrooms comes with its own suntrap terrace, with vertiginous views of the island’s rugged west coast. Outside, there’s a tennis court for afternoon knockabouts, plus plenty of quiet chill-out areas to hole up and hide away in. If you tire of the pool, pick through the olive groves fringing the estate to reach pebbly Son Bunyola beach – it’s so off the beaten track that you may well have it all to yourself.
Sleeps: 10
Price: POA
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CAN BONITA
Ibiza
Squirrelled away in the south’s thick, pin-drop-quiet pine forest yet just a 20-minute walk from the superyachts, thumping beats and hedonism of Cala Jondal, one of Ibiza’s liveliest stretches of sand, Can Bonita is a hot ticket for its location. The interiors are deliberately simple and immediately soothing, mixing original 18th-century beams with brushed concrete floors, woven-cane chairs and kilim rugs. Each of the four bedrooms in the main house spills out onto a pretty bougainvillaea-festooned porch, but for pure romance bag the thatched garden cabana – it comes with a Balinese-style outdoor bathroom and deep granite soaking tub. Outside, the crescent-shaped pool is a lovely spot to take in the beautiful views of the nearby coast.
Sleeps: 10
Price: from £8,538 per week
BOOK YOUR STAYVIDEO: A postcard from Ibiza TRAVELLER ORIGINALS
VIDEO: A postcard from Ibiza
CASA ANGEL
Sant Pere de Ribes, Catalonia
Perfectly pitched at large groups looking to blow off some post-lockdown steam, this turbo-smart hideaway combines elegant interiors with party-ready entertaining space. There’s a laidback-but-cool vibe throughout, with sunny ikat fabrics, rattan rugs and vaulted wooden beams in the bedrooms; twinkly chandeliers and fat squashy sofas in the lofty, light-filled hangout rooms; and a sociable semi-covered pool running along the edge of the outdoor courtyard. If you’re here for a full-bells-and-whistles week of pure luxury, staff are on hand to connect guests with chefs, masseurs and yoga instructors. But the real joy of this villa is its location: it’s just a 10-minute drive from the sandy beaches and drinking dens of Sitges, and an hour further to all the excitement of Barcelona – leaving you free to dip in and out of the action as you wish.
Sleeps: 28
Price: from about £2,150 per night
BOOK YOUR STAYKeep scrolling for more images of the loveliest villas in Spain…
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La Finca, Mallorca
Casa Grande Country House, Mallorca
Es Bec d’Aguilla, Menorca
Es Bec d’Aguilla, Menorca
Casa Grande Country House, Mallorca
Casa Manuel, Formentera
Es Bec d’Aguilla, Menorca
Finca Cortesin, Málaga
Casa Grande Country House, Mallorca
Casa Manuel, Formentera
Es Bec d’Aguilla, Menorca
Casa Manuel, Formentera
Casa Manuel, Formentera
Es Bec d’Aguilla, Menorca
La Finca, Mallorca
Es Bec d’Aguilla, Menorca
Es Bec d’Aguilla, Menorca
Es Bec d’Aguilla, Menorca
Es Bec d’Aguilla, Menorca
La Finca, Mallorca
Es Bec d’Aguilla, Menorca
La Finca, Mallorca
Es Bec d’Aguilla, Menorca
La Finca, Mallorca
La Finca, Mallorca
La Finca, Mallorca
La Finca, Mallorca
Finca Cortesin, Málaga
La Finca, Mallorca
Es Bec d’Aguilla, Menorca
La Finca, Mallorca
Es Bec d’Aguilla, Menorca
Source: cntraveller.com
