www.villasbarcelona.com: Villa rentals in Barcelona and Costa Brava
the village is just behind the Santa Creus monastery, to the left as you look down the valley. You can also make out the road going down to the beaches
  • independent house (157sq m)
  • sleeps up to 10 in 5 bedrooms
  • 2 wood burning stoves, electric radiators
  • garden 200m2 and terraces
  • altitude: 200mtrs, 1.5 kms to sea
  • Port de la Selva 4 kms
  • Cadaqués 12 kms
  • current rates: 1775 Euros/week in July and August, 1120 Euros/week in June and September, and 1000 Euros/week the rest of the year
  • local caretakers, owners live in the UK
  • Sunday changeover dates in high-season!

the village from the hillside aboveClick here for travel information on this area

Click here for comments on this house from past visitors.

The following is taken from a text sent to me by the owners of this house. I have visited the house twice now and agree with every word and couldn´t have put it better myself! Be sure to read the comments sent in by past guests by clicking on the Comments link above.

La Vall de Santa Creu is one of the very few villages in the whole of the Mediterranean that remain totally unspoilt yet only a mile from the sea. It lies at the head of a valley in a Natural Park set in the foothills of the Pyrenees, dominated by the famous Romanesque monastery, San Pedro de Roda, and the ruined castle on the skyline above it. The valley is green and fertile with terraces of olives, vines, lavender and abundant wild flowers. The road (recently tarred) leads only to the village, and the streets within it are stone flagged or cut from the rock. The walks, straight from the village into the park in all directions, are spectacular and the bird life and variety of flowers a revelation.

the view of the village - a bit closer nowA warning: we do not have a swimming pool! Once in the village I think anyone would understand why - no one has one and if anyone ever did it would stick out like a sore thumb. (And at least one less worry if you have small children). The sea is a ten minute walk away, or two minutes by car, and the water is clean and clear with wonderful snorkling, and a mass of rock pools ideal for shrimping and fishing - and keeping children occupied for hours. You can swim from the rocks or pebbly coves or, if you want sand, there is the Port de la Selva beach in one direction with all sorts of diversions for children, or a stunning arc of sand with dunes behind and a view across to France in front, five miles the other way.

the front entrance to the houseThis is the real Spain, not the Spain of the costas, and most of the houses still belong to descendants of the original village families who return for weekends and holidays. From mid June to mid September the bar/restaurant (with beer garden looking over the mountains) is open, only 200 metres from our house, and serves good local food. The owner looked after our house many years ago and her, sadly late, husband did all repairs to the dry stone walling in the village. Port de la Selva, five minutes away by car, is the most charming and picturesque fishing port (also still unspoilt), with many bars and restaurants - a couple of them seriously good. There are even discos. The shops are excellent - two 'stock everything' supermarkets but more importantly two butchers, two delis, two fishmongers and several greengrocers. All locally owned and everything really fresh and mostly home produced. There is also a great weekly market, and the fishing fleet unload their catch there every evening. Overwhelmingly it is the friendliest costa town I have been in with a life of its own and where you don't feel you are being treated as a 'tourist'.

the downstairs dining roomIf you feel this all sounds a bit rustic, only half an hour away, is Peralada, famous for its champagne, and also home of a renowned international music festival - opera in the castle garden, black swans on the lake, a magnificent outdoor seafood buffet and the most glittering of Spanish audiences. There are in fact any number of little local music festivals around in the summer, always in stunning, Romanesque churches and monasteries.

Also only half an hour away is Cadaques, the Spanish answer to St. Tropez and haunt of the Beautiful People. In fact,Alta Ampurdan, this top corner of Catalunya, is said to be Spain's best kept secret. And you can eat wonderfully well almost anywhere nowadays - Catalan cooking is a cuisine of its own.

the downstairs dining room table and sofasThe house

The white and ochre washed house, which is on three floors, stands on the edge of the village with views over the mountains from every room. Immediately below it is the village plaza and the spring from which the house gets its name. The plaza is grassy and shaded with plane trees and is a great place for a game of football or generally letting off steam, and, once a year the scene of the best village fiesta around.

Details of Accommodation

Lower level: Huge vaulted dining room and open plan kitchen (42sq m) converted from the old wine store and stables. Very atmospheric, local antiques, 2 great wrought iron chandeliers and a refectory table that seats 12 easily. Wood burning stove, two built in sofa beds. Well equipped kitchen with dishwasher, gas cooker (hob, oven and electric grill) and two door fridge/freezer. There is also a shower room with basin, shower and wc.

the mid-level living roomMiddle level (main entrance and garden)

Tiny kitchen with two burner hob and fridge - ideal for fixing drinks and lunch in the garden.

Sitting room with more more rustic regional furniture and two built in sofa beds. Small 'Juliet' balcony overlooking the valley and up to the monastery.

Two double bedrooms, one with views down the garden and the mountains and the other with the monastery view.

Bunk room with two full-sized bunks and travel cot if needed.

the mid-level living room other angleShower room with wc, basin and shower.
Separate wc.
Door into garden - a patio runs right across the back of the house, half of it shaded by wisteria and bougainvillea. There is masses of room for a table seating 10, a separate childrens' table if desired, an old stone serving table and sun loungers in either sun or shade. Beyond this is a particularly attractive 80ft Mediterranean garden, encircled by the mountains, with cypress, orange and lemon trees and every sort of sweet smelling, flowering shrub.

Upper level:

Master suite, reached by internal stairs. Double bed, French windows onto its own private balcony, bathroom (continental bath with shower, basin and wc), and huge terrace (37sq m) with panoramic views, barbecue and areas for eating and lounging in both sun and shade - perfect too for late night star gazing with brandy in hand. Accompanying nightingales guaranteed in the spring. This whole area can be shut off from the rest of the house.

one of the en suite roomsA second master suite, newly added, is reached by external stairs just outside the door into the garden. Wood burning stove, more regional old furniture (as in all the bedrooms), writing table, two French windows with the best view in the house, and a really charming bathroom, with the same view, full size bath, shower, bidet, basin and wc.

A second warning: we have no washing machine! We are waiting for (promised) mains drainage, and I am afraid our septic tank just couldn't cope at the moment. However, the good news is you can still get your clothes washed, ironed and neatly folded locally within 24 hours.

Services and Staff:

Electricity is 220 volts. Cooking is by butagas

The couple who look after the house for us and do the changeovers live in Llansa, 5 miles away, but Elo, a friend who lives in the village, keeps an eye on the house in the winter, does the watering and is available to show you around when you arrive and deal with any problems during your visit.

one of the rooms with single bedsCommunications

Airports: Girona and Perpignan both an hour away, Barcelona two hours, Toulouse, Montpellier and Carcassonne about two and a half hours. All served by cheap airlines.

the other suiteNearest station is Llansa (5 miles away). Direct trains to Madrid. Direct trains from Paris to Cebere on the French border and then a ten minute local connection to Llansa.
Car sleeper from Calais to Narbonne during the summer.
Driving: motorway all the way from Calais to Figueras which is half an hour away, or countless different routes on small roads through beautiful rural France.



the back door to the garden....









a photo Charlie took of nearby Port de la Selva on one of the days he visited this house









dining al fresco




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.