Costa Brava - Pyrenees villas

Capsec de la Vila: Sleeps up to 12. A large independent restored farmhouse situated near the owners huge baronial mansion, overlooking the amazing new pool they put in in 2004. Its six bedrooms and three baths are distributed over two floors and a total of about 160m2. In front of the house is a wide lawn with a barbecue and two outdoor seating areas next to the picturesque remnants of a ruined barn. The lovely unspoilt countryside, and yes, there is a stream running through the property...,  the good selection of local restaurants, and the numerous stone villages and Romanesque churches make the Bianya Valley one of Catalonia's premiere mountain retreats. And if that weren´t enough, the unique and award-winning designer swimming pool the owners recently put in (measuring 6 by 15 meters) will make Capsec that much more attractive. Book early as it fills up for summer quickly.

El Molí de la Vila: sleeps up to 7 in 3 rooms, each with private bath. This is a house I escape to often!  Along with El Capsec, El Molí is one of two rental properties on a magnificent estate in the pre-Pyrenean Valley of la Bianya. Set far apart from the other houses, El Molí is a beautifully restored ancient millhouse straddling a stream and backed by a deep reservoir of fresh spring water where you can swim (but most of you will want to walk the 250 meters or so down to use the owners award-winning designer swimming pool).  The living quarters are somewhat small (except for the spacious master bedroom upstairs) but cozy and very atmospheric, with interior doors and floors and stairways are fashioned almost entirely of stained cherrywood and anchored into the stone walls on heavy wooden beams. I love this house but some guests have complained that it is just a bit too rustic. It is a house for romantic nature-lovers, so diehard city-slickers should refrain. See photos of the fancy new shared pool in the page for Capsec de la Vila.

sleeps up to 8 or so in 4 rooms, with 2 full baths, La Quintana is where my wife and kids and I have been renting for the past two summers.  An attractive four-bedroom independent stone masia set in one of my favorite spots in the low-Pre-Pyrenees, on the unspoiled backroad between Banyoles and Santa Pau, 5 winding kms from the lake. Pristine medieval villages, gorgeous farmhouses, pine and beech forests, and lush farmlands fill in the contours between the cones of this Volcanic Natural Park. A veritable hiker´s paradise. The house itself is comfortable without being big or fancy or pricey. But the location and views are priceless.

Mas de l'Om: sleeps up to 12. A large and somewhat ramshackle independent masia for those who really love the mountains. This rustic farmhouse is nestled astride a large cow pasture at the bottom of a deep valley, at 800 meters above sea-level. The nearest house is three kilometers away, the nearest village, at four kilometers. The sound of cowbells and rushing water from the trout-filled stream nearby fill the cool mountain air. A delightful place to commune with nature. The owners have just put in a small swimming pool (measuring 3 by 6 meters and not very deep) mostly for the kiddies, and in the summer months, you have free access to a pool 3.5 kms away in the town of Sant Pau de Seguries, and there is a stream of clean and cold mountain spring water just on the other side of the pasture, with wading pools year-round.