Finca la Serenidad Bed & Breakfast, Paraje el Selvalico, Bedar, Almeira, Andalucia, Spain

An interview with the innkeeper(s) of Finca la Serenidad Bed & Breakfast (14th of January 2010)

Jane Breay

One year in this property

Finca la Serenidad is the realization of a dream born nearly 30 years ago. It is a brand new house, completed in 2009 and we still have many acres of land to landscape. We designed it ourselves with the intention of offering B&B on a very intimate scale: only two guest rooms with a shared sitting room. We do it because we love to entertain and to meet new people, and we took as our model the best of the many Chambres d'Hôtes in which we had spent many wonderful holidays in France. Terry is an enthusiastic gardener so the outside is his priority, and I love to cook and fiddle with fabrics, so I am always changing curtains etc. I am fluent in French and also speak reasonable Spanish and Italian and we love to have guests from other countries. Finca la Serenidad is not our first B&B: the whole process of planning and building took a very long time and because we couldn't wait to get going we bought another house locally where we began in 2006. Our original B&B, Las Tortugas, is now available as a holiday let for up to 10 people.

Our location is truly paradise for those seeking total peace and tranquility in a beautiful rural setting. Our guests appreciate our 'mi casa es tu casa' approach, the relaxed approach, our great breakfasts and very sociable dinners. We have only one house nearby and they are far enough away not to disturb us - and anyway they are very nice neighbours!

Without exception, our guests have been kind enough to comment on the warmth of the welcome ('nothing is too much trouble'), the relaxed atmosphere and the 'great food'. Other things which are much appreciated are the 100% cotton sheets, large fluffy towels, firm comfortable mattresses, the great pool and views, the location which is wonderful as a base for walking - even the loan of our dog, Kippy, who is always ready for a walk. Touches like the provision of hairdryers and beach towels, to save luggage weight, are increasingly appreciated.

The guest sitting room has tea and coffee-making facilities (ingredients provided), toaster, microwave and refrigerator, plus all the crockery and cutlery required for making a simple meal if you do not want to go out to eat or do not want a full meal made for you. We are happy to do laundry for you if required and an iron and ironing board available on request. The guest sitting room has tv (free to air satellite channels) and dvd player. Guests are welcome to use the pool, surrounding terraces/sunbeds and barbecue at any time. There is a boules pitch on the bottom terrace: boules provided and we are happy to show you how to play if you are a novice (we are not very good!). There is a wifi internet connection which should be available throughout the house although it is currently not available in the guest rooms - we hope this will be rectified soon. However there is no problem outside on the upper terrace and in inclement weather you can share our study!

The house is designed on two terraces, with the guest area occupying the lower floor which has independent access. There are two double guest rooms each sleeping a maximum of two people, making a total of 4 people. The guest sitting room is shared between

Los Olivos bedroom has a 1.6m bed and access to the shaded west facing terrace: a great place to watch our wonderful sunsets. The bathroom for Los Olivos is immediately next door and the whole suite is separated from the public area by a curtain. The bathroom has a large walk-in shower, wc and vanity unit. Los Naranjos bedroom has a 1.5m bed, built-in wardrobes and an ensuite bathroom with bath (shower over), wc and handbasin. This room also gives onto the west terrace. There is a mandarin orange hedge immediately outside the terrace: wonderful smells of orange blossom in the spring and fruit in the winter. Both rooms also have views of our large olive trees, hence the names 'Naranjos' and 'Olivos'.

Both bedrooms and guest sitting room have air conditioning/heating units and the guest room has a log burner for chilly evenings. Each bedroom also has its own tv, with Los Olivos having a separate satellite connection and Los Naranjos on the same 'circuit' as the guest room. Tea and coffee making facilities are in the guest sitting room adjacent to the bedrooms.

I prefer Los Olivos because I love a big walk-in shower.

Prices are per double room per night with breakfast and are fully inclusive. The breakfast is a very extensive continental style but cooked breakfast is available with a small supplement for a minimum of 2 people. One night free for stays of 7 nights (except July and August). If two people would like to occupy the whole guest floor, even though using only one bedroom, this is possible with a 40% supplement.

At present we are not offering any particular packages but we would welcome enquiries and will make a proposal as most things can be arranged. We do not consider the house very suitable for young children as there are too many outside stone steps and high terraces.

Our standard breakfast includes fruit juice (fresh in season), fresh fruit, cold meats and cheeses, home made bread and preserves, yogurts, cereals. A cooked breakfast is available for a minimum of 2 people, supplement €3 per person.

Breakfast is served when and where the guests would like it. In warm weather they usually choose to have it beside the pool. In winter it is served up to 9.30 in our dining room or if guests wish to be more flexible on timing they can have it 'self -service' in their own sitting room. Cooked breakfast is served only up to 9.30, on the pool terrace or in our dining room depending on season.

We can accommodate most requirements but might struggle with vegan as we are not too familiar with all the requirements of a vegan diet. We just ask that you let us know in advance so we can plan appropriately and it is extremely unlikely that we would impose any supplement.

Dinner is available most nights (24 hours notice required) €23 per person for aperitif, 3 courses, wine and coffee.

There is not kitchen as such but there is a fridge, microwave, kettle, toaster and coffee-maker in the guest sitting room which can be used to store a small amount of food and prepare simple meals. Crockery, cutlery and glassware are all provided. Guests are asked to use only plastic/melamine crockery around the pool.

We do not consider the property appropriate for children under 14.

We would love to welcome your pets but we do have a dog (German shorthaired pointer) who although large is very timid and often frightened of other dogs. We also have 3 cats. If you have a small dog who is generally not aggressive towards other dogs or cats, then we can discuss.

We do not allow smoking inside the property and request that smoking guests do not smoke when others are eating, even outside.

Guests cars are parked immediately outside their own entrance.

We regret that the layout of our property and the land is not really suitable for wheelchair access, there are a lot of steps and the bathrooms are not adapted.

Burglar alarm, smoke alarms

If there are no guests leaving/arriving the same day our guests are welcome to arrive any time after 11 am and may stay until 5pm on the day of departure. If we have guests arriving and departing who will occupy the same room, departure is before noon and check-in after 3pm. We can advise before travel if you will be able to arrive early.

Minimum two nights, four nights in July and August.

Email or telephone is fine for reservations. A room will be provisionally reserved until receipt of the deposit (the first night or 25% of the total, whichever is the greater) and full information about the principal traveller (name, address, home phone, mobile for arrival day, passport number), at which time we confirm the reservation and send specific instructions for finding the property.

Deposit is not normally refundable in the event of cancellation. However in some circumstances if we can re-let for the same nights we will refund the deposit less any extra promotional costs and only up to the level that we are able to re-book - in other words if we have to make a special price because it is very close to the date we would not make a full refund. We strongly recommend guests to take appropriate travel insurance.

Deposits are payable by transfer. The balance is payable on arrival in cash or by transfer to arrive two days before arrival.

We are completely relaxed about dress code - if you would like to take a naturist approach around the pool, for example, you are very welcome to do so - we are not overlooked by neighbours. However if you wish to do so, if there are other guests we ask that you ask us to consult them for their views. Finca la Serenidad is for relaxing so for the comfort of all guests we ask that noise is kept to a minimum late at night. At mealtimes we expect ladies and gentlemen to wear something over their bathing attire.

Our house is in a great location for winter walks. You can burn off a bit of energy with horseriding or golf 4 courses in the locality) or go karts. The natural park of the Cabo de Gata is on our doorstep with its wonderful beaches and marine life. In summer there is an aqua park at Vera and the popular resort of Mojácar with its blue flag beaches.

Our house is located just 2km beyond the village of Bedar, on the way to the next village of Serena. To get to Bedar you leave the E15 motorway at junction 520 and follow the signs for about 7km.

We choose to stay in B&B even if there is a great hotel in the locality because we love the human contact, particularly in B&Bs which offer dinner, where we have had many memorable evenings and made a host of new friends. Because we only have a maximum of 4 guests, we often invite some of our own friends to make it a more convivial experience and indeed we are intending to start a dining club whose members may be invited to share our meals. We love the informality of most B&Bs - the feeling that you are simply staying with friends who are kind enough to do all the cooking and cleaning! Some B&B guests like to have their room and bathroom tidied every day, as in a hotel, others prefer to do their own thing. We just ask that they tell us if they would prefer do make their beds etc themselves, in which case we just take your towels to air them and every three or four days we change the sheets and towels.

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