Tucked away in the gorgeous mountains of Ronda above Málaga in Southern Spain, Finca La Donaira is the boutique hotel lover’s holy grail: a rustic idyll that fuses beautiful natural surroundings with outstanding food and drink and uber-stylish decor. Such is its artful take on contemporary design, it’s as if a mini-Soho House has somehow been transported to Andalucía (but with epic mountain views instead of a city skyline – and minus the laptops and try-hards).
For Austrian owner Manfred Bodner, the restoration of this lovely old cortijo (farmhouse) has been a decade-long labour of love. His design team worked closely with local artisans to bring a simple authenticity to the project, combined with deep comfort. Beautiful stonework, exposed wooden beams, worn leather seats and sheepskins are set off against whitewashed plaster walls with injections of deep russet reds on floors and furnishings. Creamy Berber rugs, low sofas and chrome lamps add to the mood of laid-back glamour.
Finca La Donaira is the boutique hotel lover’s holy grail: a rustic idyll that fuses beautiful natural surroundings with outstanding food and drink and uber-stylish decor
La Donaira is a perfect example of the agriturismo model. Essentially a biodynamic farm with rooms, it sits in 1,700 acres of forest and organic land, which supplies the hotel with fruit and vegetables, honey, herbs, olive oil and wine. Each of the nine rooms is individually designed and there’s a hammam as stylish as the rest of the hotel, complete with wood-fired sauna and mountain-fed freshwater pool.
But Finca La Donaira’s greatest glory is its sublime location. Huge letterbox picture-windows frame the mountains: the ultimate view to revel in while nursing a drink and watching the sun go down.
For this and other holidays in Andalucía, call 020 8682 5080 or visit scottdunn.com/andalucia