Las Encinillas

We have just returned from a lovely relaxing 18 day holiday at Las Encinillas in Comares. We were picked up by David from the airport and he stopped at the supermarket so we could stock up on essentials. The cost was £70 which we thought was very reasonable. When we arrived at the villa it was clean and tidy. As the villa can sleep up to 8 people and there were only 3 of us there was plenty of room. We chose to not hire a car and we managed very well without one. There are 2 bar/restaurants across the road from the villa and they were both very friendly and served good food at very reasonable prices. Comares village is approx a 15 min scenic walk up the hill. There are a few more bar/restaurants there and a well stocked supermarket which had everything we needed for our stay. We were a bit apprehensive about the fact there was no air con, but there was a cool breeze at night with the windows open and the fans on which sufficed. Unfortunately the last few days were really hot 40c and it was uncomfortable sleeping at night. Even the locals were saying how hot it was compared to normal.The pool and pool area were in good order and clean. The owner came once a week to clean the pool, surrounding areas and to water his plants. David was very helpful and on hand at all times. All in all we had a great relaxing time and would visit again.

This is a fabulous villa and as there were only 4 of us it was very spacious! The pool area is very private, not overlooked at all and gets the sun all day. There were 8 sunbeds and 2 parasols along with 8 chairs in a separate shaded seating area. Pool is a decent size for a villa and was clean - the owner stopped by mid week to clean it properly and in between we only needed to scoop dead wasps etc. out of the water, check the water level and replace the chlorine tablets when necessary.
The property has wifi and you can get the Disney channel on in English on the TV. Although there is no air con, there are fans which were more than adequate and there was generally a good breeze if you opened a door / window anyway. My husband really feels the heat and he thought having a fan next to the bed was better than air con we have had in a number of properties so don't let this put you off!! The only downside for us was that the villa had no dishwasher but we ate out most of the time and bought paper plates / plastic cups which meant this wasn't really an issue. Plastic cups are also useful to have for drinks by the pool as when we stayed there were only glasses. We struggled to get hot water if the washing machine was on but this may just have been us and was easy to work around!
David and Jacqui who took our booking were extremely helpful and couldn't do enough to help. They were always available on e-mail to assist with any questions we had both before we travelled and during our stay. On our arrival at the villa you could smell (and see) it was clean and David and Jacqui had also gone to the trouble of getting us a few groceries to get us started (milk, orange juice, eggs, water, wine etc!!) which was brilliant and really appreciated. The owner also left us an abundance of freshly picked grapes (from out the back of the villa) to keep us going throughout our stay!
David organised our transfers and he was prompt, reliable and friendly. Even when my son was vomiting into a plastic bag in the back of the car on the way to the airport, he didn't complain!!! Beware, the roads to the villa are winding and can make even the best traveller feel a bit queasy but it is well worth it when you get there!!!
Finally, it is about a 15 minute stroll up into the town centre and 10 minutes back (downhill!!) where we found 3 restaurant / bars (in addition to the 2 next to the villa). The supermarket is also in the centre and is very well stocked for its size, including a fresh meat and produce counter. As is the norm in these Spanish villages, be aware that they only take cash and close on a Sunday. We didn't have a car and if you just want to stay local, it easily manageable.