Mas Grau is one of the nicest independent vacation villas available in Catalonia (and I've been told by frequent renters of holiday villas that, all considered - especially pricewise - it is probably one of the nicest vacation houses in Europe). Set in on a wooded hillside in an area of farmlands only 8 kms SE of Girona's provincial capital - a fascinating historical city - this venerable fortified farmhouse occupies itīs hillside position surrounded playing fields and fruit trees and woods, and offers marvellous views of the tiny medieval hamlet of Estanyol, 500 meters away (www.mapquest.com actually shows this tiny hamlet in their page for Spain+Girona), and the Mediterranean Sea in the distance. One guest once called me to say that she thought there were only views like those found at Mas Grau in the most idyllic parts of Normandy!

The owner has promised me new pictures of this house very soon!

Mas Grau was built in the 12th century and was the fortress of local chiefton: the Viscount of Cabrera, whose coat of arms adorns the main entryway. It is one of the better examples of a fine Catalan masia, or farmhouse. The thick stone and wooden-beamed house is articulated around a walled-in and vine-covered patio with outdoor seating for BBQs, with an artesian well (covered for safety) and a utility room with washer/dryer and clothes lines and an extra refridgerator to handle overflow from the kitchenīs fridge if you make a big shopping. The main entryway opens on to the large central receiving room from which all the downstairs rooms are articulated. To the right, the two-tiered dining room, with two tables seating a total of 14 guests. Beyond and also accessible from the main living room is the kitchen, not very large, quite old fashioned, but well appointed with a refridgerator, gas stove, electric oven, extractor, toaster, juicer, mixer, several coffee makers, and even a wood-burning that looks like it could still be used.

Staying with the downstairs part of the house: at the far end of the entry hall is the large living room with a barrel-vaulted ceiling and divided into two parts: to the right, the fireplace area with wooden benches and cushions, and to the left, the main sitting area, with 2 sofas and 2 lounge chairs and what I have heard referred to as the entertainment system, in this case consisting of a radio/cassette/CD player, and a TV, DVD player and some satellite stations in English. Iīll have to check on what channels they get, what package they have bought into. The two parts of the living room are separated by a piano (undoubtedly out of tune since Geraldine Chaplin had it tuned some years ago). The Spa is to the left upon entering the large main hallway. It consists of a jacuzzi seating up to 4 or 5 adults, some stationary bicycles and other work out equiptment, and a bathroom with shower. The owner has put an electric counter on the jacuzzi so that electricity for the jacuzzi will be payed for apart, thereby avoiding situation where guests leave the jacuzzi on 24/7 as they donīt have to pay for it...

Now, here is a detailed description of the layout of the house with respect to rooms, bathrooms, and bed sizes. In the description below I will number the rooms from 1 to 7:

1) downstairs and on the other side of the house on a hallway just off the dining room is a bedroom with 2 single beds (90x190cm) and bathroom with shower at the end of the hall, 3 or 4 meters away. This bathroom could be for the ocupants of that room only as there is now the other downstairs bathroom in the spa room.

Upstairs there are three more bathrooms and 5 or 6 bedrooms, depending on whether you intend to use the attic room or not.

Working our way around the upstairs atrium and sitting area:

2) one room has two single beds (90x190cm) and a private bathroom with sunken bathtub.

The large upstairs central bathroom has two sinks, water closet and bidet separated by a wall, and a full bathtub. The upstairs central sitting room has a sofa and a couple of lounge chairs, a reading lamp and a card table.

3 and 4) next come 2 bedrooms with 150x190cm double beds. I think this is called queen size? One of these rooms is enormous and has a very nice terrace under a huge arched wooden beam - see the third picture below this text.

5) out across the terrace above the central patio, which you can clearly see in the photos, there is a very large bedroom (40m2) with two smaller double beds, the usual continental size of 135x190cm, and a full bathroom with bathtub

6)going around the atrium the next room is the one with the vaulted-stone ceiling, with two single beds (90x190cm) and...

7) an old wooden staircase leading up to the attic room, which has three single beds (90x190cm) - a 7th room which I donīt count in the website as I could only envision children wanting to sleep up there as a sort of slumber party room far away from the parents...

So the house sleeps up to 14 or 15 guests, but really, youīd be much more comfortable with fewer guests. We try to keep the maximum at around 12 or so, more if there are babies or very young children.

A feature that has proved very popular with past visitors is the well-tended vegetable garden that is entirely at your disposal. I'm told the produce is excellent. There is covered shed with room for two cars. The property is immense, and includes woods as well as plowed fields, and the area is criss-crossed with all sorts of well-marked hiking trails and maps of these are available at local tourim offices. The wooded areas of pine and holm oak yield all sorts of fresh mushrooms, especially in Autumn.

The owner of the house runs a hotel in Barcelona and is much loved by most of our past guests, as is her elderly father, who lives in a similarly magnificent masia a few hundred meters from Mas Grau.

All told, this is a magnificent house. This house and the use of my 85-page Insiderīs Guide to the Costa Brava is a winning combination. Please take a moment to read some of the Comments from Past Visitors in the link above.

• cleaning and linen change weekly
• public transport: bus to within 600 meters, train from to within 5 kms
• free firewood (oak)
• access to fruit and vegetable garden, great area for picking mushrooms
• cooks and cleaning help available upon request
• 3 km to riding club
• 6 km to tennis club and municipal pool
• a short drive to half a dozen quality golf courses
• two restaurants in town, 400 meters away

Get a load of the scale of this place in relation to Don Manelīs white car in this old photo!

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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!

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.

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Contact: Email: Charlie Williams
Call our Barcelona office: (+34) 93 268 2300 or my cell phone (+34) 656 364 960

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