www.villasbarcelona.com: Villa rentals in Barcelona and Costa Brava
La Quintana with Sant Miquelīs church in background

La Quintana is our home away from home, so very difficult to be dispassionate in describing this one... but let me put it this way: if you arenīt millionaires and you can make do with a small inflatable pool for the kids and you like breathtaking 360š views of unspoilt mountains, then maybe this little and very private house at the end of the road is for you. Talk about best-kept secrets!

  • attractive independent stone masia in an idyllic spot
  • sleeps 8 or 9 in four rooms, with two full bathrooms
  • central heating, washing machine, TV, CD/radio/cassette, BBQ, etc..
  • altitude: 217mtrs, 45kms to sea, 1 km to country store/restaurant, 5 kms to Banyoles
  • rental rates: high season: 1050 Euros/week, rest of year: 840 Euros/week


    • the view from the house from the fields above the cow pasture Click here for Comments on this house from past visitors

    Click here for travel information on this area

    This lovely stone masia is in the heart of the Parc Natural de la Zona Volcanica de la Garrotxa, the most important area of extinct volcanoes in Europe. The more than 40 volcanoes have been dormant for 11,500 years, during which time the ash and lava have weathered into fertile soil whose luxuriant vegetation masks the contours of the cones. This area is just plain gorgeous, and there are Romanesque churches and villages to explore, rivers and streams to swim in, and lots of flora and fauna to revel in. My 87-page guidebook is quite good on this area!

     

    the front of the houseLa Quintana is just outside of Sant Miquel de Campmajor, a tiny hamlet situated between Banyoles and Olot on the road through Mieres and Sannta Pau. The environmentally protected waters of Banyoles lake, site of the 1992 Olympic rowing events, offers great swimming, rowing, paddle boats, etc. and the town of Banyoles has a market, about a dozen supermarkets (Iīve never seen so many clumped together!) and an attactive old town with museums and monuments. Beyond Banyoles is the highway to Girona (15 minutes) and the coast (25 minutes). To the north lies the Medieval village of Santa Pau - which has appeared in numerous international TV comercials, same as nearly Besalú, as the mulinational look for places which ooze old-world charm but not want to film or photograph a village known and seen on souvenir postcards throughout the world. Iīll slip in a photo of Santa Pau here and tell me if it doesnīt look like someplace in Chiantishire!



    This part of the Garrotxa mountains is known for its many good (and mostly cheap) restaurants and for the many "nature" activities on offer here, which - aside from the fantastic and well-marked trials for hikers and bikers - includes hot-air ballooning, horseback riding, and trout fishing in the off-season. Beyond Santa Pau is Olot, with its old covered market and plenty of shopping, and beyond Olot, the higher-Pyrenees and into France. With the strict zoning laws here, new buildings are not permitted and so the price of an old ruin to refurbish in one of these valleys is simply astronomical!

     

    La Quintana sits amidst well-kept flower beds and wide grassy lawns on a relatively private hillside location overlooking a Benedictine church. The views are fantastic. You are almost completely surrounded by the valley peaks, all you can see are the church and some nice old farmhouses in the distance. A couple of times a day about a dozen cows stroll by, just below the house, their bells chiming softly, to drink at nearby trough. A short walk through fields and pastures leads a little hamlet of Sant Miquel with its small country store-cum-bar/restaurant. This is where guests at La Quintana first meet up with the friendly owners. The grilled meats at this café are excellent, and a huge entrecot will put you back about 10 Euros...

    there are all kinds for flora around the house, and the sound of cow bells fill the airThe house:
    From where you leave the cars, you have to walk up a small flagstone ramp lined with flowers and aromatic herbs to the front door. Upon entering the house there is a good-sized kitchen with a breakfast table seating 4 to 6 and few chairs about the fireplace - chairs that we always end up piling into a corner as there are just too many chairs in this room! The fireplace doubles as a BBQ in winter, but be careful not to drip grease on the terra cotta floor. Adjacent lies a dining room with dining room table seating up to 8, a not-too-comfy sofa(bed) seating 3 (I always put the extra pillows on the sofa to ease the pain!) and thereīs a TV and radio/cassette/CD player. (Iīve been trying to get owners to replace this sofa for years now but it is such a minor gripe and at these prices you can qvetch too much about things like this.) On this same level as the living room, there are two bedrooms (one of them a bit smallish) each with double beds, with just enough closet space, and there is a shared bath with skylight on the other side of the hallway.



    the walk up - sort of sad looking this photo taken in winter! A few steps down the hallway are the other two rooms, both with two single beds (and thereīs a crib too) set on either side of the second full bathroom. Both of these bedrooms have large built-in closets. Thereīs another skylight in the hallway - itīs always nice to have a much natural light as possibl. La Quintana was completely renovated in 1993. The furniture and decoration are aptly rustic for this sort of house (and price range), comfortable and functional enough, and the house (especially kitchen) is very well stocked with all you need (toaster, mixer, board games... I counted three cork screws in the kitchen cabinet). The feel of the house is generally pleasant without being fancy in any way. The wall decorations consist of photos of the areas many charming waterfalls and farmhouses. There is a huge collection of touristic info in the living room bottom-dresser drawer.



    My wife and I have fallen in love with this house and have rented it for ourselves during past summers (2004 and 2005 and 2007). With our two kids and a grandparent or another couple joinging us, this house is the perfect size (and price), but I think it would be cramped with 8 or 9 guests. I think the fewer guests you are the more comfortable you will be. The price/quality relationship here is second to none - but donīt tell the owners that!



    In short, aside from trying to "sell" La Quintana, I just canīt come up with words to describe the beauty of this area. All I can say is... even if you donīt rent La Quintana (and many of you reading this wonīt as it doesnīt have a private pool or a dishwasher and isnīt "expensive enough" for some people to consider renting it! - odd phenomena that one, people who think that if it is inexpensive it canīt be good! - at least try to make your way to visit this valley and see for yourself why is has become one of the most sought-after areas of inland Costa Brava. Self-explanatory photos of the interior below (kitchen, dining room, and bedrooms).























































    • free firewood (holm-oak)
    • 9km to Banyoles
    • 15 km to Olot
    • 10 km to municipal pool and tennis, but who needs a pool at Banyoles lake?
    • 8 km to riding club
    • excellent area for hikers
    • good restaurants nearby in Mieres, 3 kms away

    Why inland farmhouse rental?

    Not only is it simply nicer to stay in an old restored farmhouse, but also …

    • eco-tourism helps preserve traditional ways of life
    • agro-tourism revitalizes depopulated villages
    • sustainable tourism controls the environmental impact (of tourism)
    • package tour operators leave little to nothing in local economy
    • mass tourism is an abomination - just look at so much of our coasts!
    Catalan Tourism Authorities

    This sign indicates that the Catalan Tourism Authorities regularly inspect and license the property. We have also visited and recommend all the properties we have selected for our listings.