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| Finished lounge |
We gave it all a good lick of paint inside and out - and the boundary wall.
Then set about building the swimming pool.
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| Finished Swimming Pool - 10m x 5m |
And with three bedrooms, sleeping six and a bathroom - it was decorated, a fitted kitchen was installed, we had furnished it. We had a swimming pool and the beginnings of a garden and we celebrated with a 2 week holiday in our very own holiday home in July 2002.
For the next 5 years we indulged ourselves owning a fantastic, well equipped holiday home. In the company of family and friends we had wonderful holidays, made local contacts and explored further afield in Andalucia.
We also successfully experimented with letting the house for a few weeks each year via an internet holiday site which helped us to pay for it.
At the same time we continued with our careers up to retirement in late 2006.
It didn't take a lot of thought. We decided to try living here in our early retirement. So we sold up in the UK and brought our worldly goods with us, including a new young dog, Bounty who has since found a rescue friend to live with us too, Jenny. And we all love it!
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| Jenny & Bounty |
But we soon discovered that living somewhere was very different to holidaying in the same place. There was no storage to speak of - just a couple of wardrobes and chests we had fitted in the bedrooms for holidays - and we weren't too keen on the size of the kitchen/lounge - and in winter it was too cold to eat outside.
What to do? Extend and develop - and that's precisely what we have done both inside and out over the last 10 years - so that we can now entertain all those family members and our friends at any time of year in enough space with all the luxuries of modern living.
The layout of the property is now like this.
The house is 125 sq m built and here is the floorplan.
We have a modern kitchen with a utility lobby. A lounge/diner with cosy log burning stove for the winter. Three bedrooms, including a master suite with its own dressing room/study and full bathroom. A second shower room is also available off the hall. The hall also leads to the main door which gives access to an entertaining terrace with a huge family dining table situated under a shady grapevine trained over a pergola. To the rear there is a shady, cool outside summer lounge.
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| The fully equipped modern kitchen |
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| Log burner for winter nights |
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| The cosy lounge/diner |
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| The master bedroom suite |
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| Bedroom 2 |
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| The dining terrace |
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| The shady, outside summer lounge |
The garden is a joy and planted very much as an English country garden, with the emphasis on flowers, but filled with plants bought or propagated locally.
And there's always time to look at that view!
There are more than 40 rose bushes as well as birds of paradise, hibiscus, agapanthus, red hot pokers, clematis, geraniums, podranea, brugmansia - Angel's Trumpet, jasmine, Spring bulbs, cactus and agave, bottle brush, buddleia, wisteria, lavender, herbs and much, much more.
There is sufficient space in the raised veggie beds for us to grow our own salads in the summer and a few winter veggies too. We have oranges, lemons, almonds, figs, peach, pear and avocado trees as well as soft fruits and we are self-sufficient in olive oil from our centuries old olive trees. We have a grapevine over the dining terrace. Many hours are spent making marmalade, jams, pickles and chutneys.
And there is enough for us to be able to support local charities with our
home-made produce.
The pool can be secured when there are children here as it can be separated from the house by a picket fence right across the garden with removable (by adults) gates.
We have been blessed with grandchildren who visit each year with their parents and other relations, friends and youngsters love to come for the sun, so Pop built them a treehouse!
And we have had endless, fun-filled days in our generous swimming pool, which measures 10 x 5m. It is set within a paved area and is surrounded by shrubs and trees for privacy. There is a useful pump room and three garden sheds as well as a double carport.
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| Even Bounty enjoys a dip |
At any time of day or night you will always find
a perfect view from Cortijo Santa Rosa.
We can't think of a better place in which to live, retire or holiday.
But for us, it's time to move on.
After 15 years we are seeking a new adventure and the ability to
spend more time with our UK family and friends.
Cortijo Santa Rosa is for sale - €425,000, partially furnished.
If you would like to find more, please contact us.
E: Howe875@googlemail.com M: +34 677 007 997
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cortijosantarosaorgiva/?fref=nf
Make it yours!
· A fabulous family home in Southern Spain
· Gated, private & sought after location
· Stunning views of the Sierras Lujar & Nevada
· Totally legal and fully registered
· Connected to mains electricity & town water
· Acequia (irrigation) rights & sprinkler system
· Up-to-date septic tank drainage
· Fast internet connection
· Outstanding local medical & dental care
· Banks, bars, restaurants & shopping nearby
· Welcoming local & expat population
· Excellent road network
· Easy access to Granada & Malaga Airports
· Close to the Sierra Nevada National Park
· 1 hour from The Alhambra in Granada
· 1 hour from the ski slopes of the Sierra Nevada
· 1/2 hour from the Costa Tropical
· Suitable for holiday letting
· Usually 300 sunny days each year
