Casa Sibarita

Press Reviews

AWARDS

i-escape's Annual Guest Awards 2011
Winner: Budget category.
See the full list of winners

i-escape's Annual Guest Awards 2010
Winner: Europe
See the full list of winners

REVIEWS

Top 100 Best Bargains Tripadvisor Travelers' Choice 2009

She Magazine, June 2009
'Try Casa Sibarita , a 19th-century townhouse in the small town of Rafelguaraf, on the outskirts of Valencia in Spain. It's a traditional structure with old world Spanish charm that has been decked out with modern art, sculptures, wrought-iron chandeliers and art-deco lamps. It also has a pool and there are great beached close to hand.'

The Times, April 2009
"A 19th century townhouse in the small town of Rafelguaraf, this place has a winning combination of old-world Spanish structure tempered with modern art, sculptures, wrought-iron chandeliers, art-deco lamps, as well as a lovely pool that gets the sun all day. You are on the outskirts of Valencia and just a short drive from the sandy beaches of Gandia."

The Guardian, April 2008
"This sensitively converted townhouse is a 45-minute drive inland from Valencia and half an hour from the beaches of Tavernes and Gandía. If you prefer two wheels, the owners will lend you bikes to explore the local countryside. The five bright, high-ceilinged rooms are tastefully furnished - try to book one with a terrace overlooking the 10-metre pool and courtyardgarden. Breakfast is fresh fruit, cured local meats and cheeses, home-baked breads and homemade preserves, yoghurt and cereals. Dinner is available too, with a Mediterranean menu that makes good use of fresh local ingredients - such good use, in fact, and at such a reasonable price, that booking is essential."

Guest Reviews

Reviews are only from people who have stayed there and booked through i-escape.

• “My wife and I stayed for 4 nights in Feb, with an excellent dinner prepared by Neil each evening.The hospitality from both Simon and Neil was equally excellent and the terrace room overlooking the pool was comfortable and spotless (if a little small), with lovely en suite & walk in shower. The location was great and we would not hesitate to stay there again.”
  William, United Kingdom (13.02.12)

• “Out and out the best i-escape place we stayed on our 4 month trip. A real gem .
  Although the small town where Casa Sibarita is situated is not, perhaps, the most interesting village, the proximity to Valencia made up for this, and also made for a quiet nights sleep.
  Neil produced the best food that we had in Spain (particularly breakfast which was outstanding) and at the best price too.
  Incredible value for money. We cannot praise Simon and Neil enough.”
  Elaine, Australia (29.09.11)

• “Very helpful and friendly hosts. Great food. Beautiful garden, lovely place. Simon and Neil made it feel like a home from home, and were very helpful organising baby food etc. Next time we would definitely try and get a terrace room (overlooking pool).
  
  Nice beaches at cullera”
  eloise, United Kingdom (25.09.11)

• “Simply put, Casa Sibarita was probably the most perfect place I could have chosen for a romantic getaway!
  As a first-time visitor to Valencia, I was a little daunted at the prospect of staying almost an hour outside Valencia with no rental car.
  However, I needn't have worried. The train service to and from Valencia du Nord was simple, regular and cheap (about 5 Euros for a return journey!) The cab (or bus) to the hotel was very reasonable too.
  
  Our hotel room was wonderful! I booked the Girona Suite - a tastefully decorated large room with a fantastic walk-in shower and beautiful terrace overlooking the gorgeous garden and swimming pool.
  Both Simon and Neil helped us greatly in planning our daily adventures and I have to say, their wonderful 3 course dinner menu had us both hurrying back to the hotel every night! Make sure you try the Tuna Croquettes as well as the Pork and Apricot Tagine. You will not be disappointed!
  Need something to read by the pool? The hotel has a huge library of books to choose from if you forgot your favourite tome at home. The Girlfriend was very impressed with the choice on offer!
  Valencia is a wonderful city to explore - lots of clean beaches, friendly people and fantastic architecture.
  
  The area around the hotel though was just as impressive! Cycling through orange groves, beautiful spanish countryside and meeting the locals was simply a joy.
  
  I cannot recommend this place highly enough - it's ideal for couples looking for a relaxing yet romantic holiday. You can do as much or as little as you want and Casa Sibarita is the perfect base for both.
  
  I've very much fallen in love with Valencia after our week-long stay and I for one cannot wait to go back!”
  Vikram, United Kingdom (17.09.11)

• “A gem of a place in a sleepy Spanish town. A really lovely place to stay. The best thing about this place is couple that run it. Neil provides the amazing food and Simon is a fabulous front of house and will happily recommend places to visit, restaurants, sites, beaches and the like. I would happily go back for another visit soon!”
  Tanveer, United Kingdom (08.09.11)

• “Neil and Simon have found and created a gem of a hotel. But it is more than a hotel, it is home from home. You are instantly made to feel relaxed and nothing is too much to ask. Whilst the property is not overly spacious, something that could be an issue if the hotel is full with separate guests i.e. not being hired by one party, it still oozes a joyous amount of character and warmth. Having a pool to dip into is a total bonus too. My wife and I arrived in the afternoon from our flight to Valencia having picked up a hire car from the airport and before we knew it, we were making our way through their house rose wine (great value!) and Neil's delicious lunch treats. Having a car is a must if you are going to be staying longer than a couple of nights. Putting the fact that public transport seems an issue in getting around here, you would be missing out on the beautiful drives that this region offersMy wife and I stayed at Casa Sibarita for 6 nights and had a wonderful room overlooking the pool with a spacious terrace. For the nights that we dined at the hotel, we ate superb, scrummy food with a good short list of regional wines to accompany (the house wines are very good value!).
  Overall, a cracking property in a great location...if you are looking for an authentic holiday in rural spain that is not far from a main hub (of Valencia), with delicious food, peronal service and charming accomodation, then this is the hotel to go to. Plus, with only 5 rooms, if offers a great property to hire privately!”
  Adam, United Kingdom (25.08.11)

• “A lovely hideaway boutique b&b, which is only 45 minutes by car from Valencia; 40 minutes from the beaches, and also very well situated for exploring the small towns and sights inland. The rooms are wonderfullly comfortable (and airconditioned!) - ideally, try to get one of the rooms with a terrace overlooking the pool. Neal and Simon are the most helpful and efficient owners/hosts. The railway station 10 minutes drive away at Pobla Llarga has regular trains to Valencia which only cost 5 euros for a return fare, much better to go into town and back that way
  The beaches are super - sandy, clean, not over-crowded even in August when we went and, a real bonus, the Spanish people that we encountered were both friendly and helpful (but few speak much, if any, English outside of Valencia).”
  Mark, United Kingdom (15.08.11)

• “we booked for four days and ended up staying for six. This a very nice hotel and Neil and Simon are great hosts. A great hotel to explore the surrounding region.”
  Wendy, United Kingdom (13.07.11)

• “Lovely! Rented the whole house and it was just wonderful. Every detail, perfect. Great hosts, great food, great rooms with clean, modern, comfortable feel. Couldn't have found a better place for the whole family.”
  Melody, United States (01.06.11)

• “Excellent food! I only wish I had saved enough room to fully enjoy the strawberry cheesecake!”
  Danielle, United States (22.04.11)

• “Excellent value for money.”
  Gareth, United Kingdom (28.10.10)

• “Neil and Simon are just wonderful hosts and made our stay at the Casa Sibarita a most wonderful memory which we will cherish for a long time. The included breakfasts were a real treat with Neil's homemade bread, jams, yogurt and granola plus meats, cheeses coffee and teas. Also the three course dinners and wines are provided at very affordable prices and were truly a hit for us. The Casa Sibarita is a very sensitively and sensibility renovated property and well appointed throughout. The in ground pool and enclosed stone walled garden provides a delightful oasis for a swim or just a quiet place to read or to soak up the sun. Give a friendly pat to Izzy for us if you ever decide to stay there.”
  Karla, Canada (13.10.10)

• “The hotel has a very relaxing vibe making it a great place to re-charge your batteries.
  The food and service was some of the best I have had and I would definately recommend eating in at least one of the nights if not all!
  Oh and Izzy the dog is a delight and is good pet therapy if you are missing your own.
  Rebecca”
  Rebecca, Netherlands (24.09.10)

• “Casa Sibarita is a fantastic hotel, with a friendly and relaxing atmosphere. Simon and Neil are wonderful hosts. The food is amazing – we ate in every one of our five evenings and just about managed to work our way through every flavour of the (delicious) homemade ice-cream. We didn’t need a car and had some relaxing days by the pool but there is plenty to do if you’re feeling more active. This hotel is the best value place we have ever stayed and we really hope to return.”
  Jonathan, United Kingdom (30.08.10)

• “Our hosts gave us effortless hospitality. Nothing was too much trouble and they were always happy to give us local information about places to go etc. We particularly liked the food which was superb, although the breakfast could have been more varied (change of cereal every couple of days for example but this is a small thing). Everywhere was spotless and the courtyard garden with pool was beautiful.”
  Liz, United Kingdom (28.08.10)

• “We've just returned from a 5-night stay. It was a superb break. Lovely house, great food and nice hosts. We're already planning our next visit.”
  Karen, United Kingdom (05.08.10)

• “A stunning place to stay with lovely hosts - and gorgeous Izzy the pooch. Would not hesitate to recommend it or stay there again.”
  Helen, United Kingdom (08.07.10)

• “Nothing bad to say about Casa Sibarita! Cannot fault the house, the owners, the food or the room at all. Neil and Simon are incredibly hospitable and make for a real home-from-home feeling. Our room overlooking the pool was beautiful with lovely exposed brickwork and a high wooden-beamed ceiling. The bathroom was fantastic with a gorgeous walk-in shower. The food was lovely, all fresh ingredients and cooked to order. Overall a stay at Casa Sibarita offers exceptional value for money. My only advice to anyone looking to stay there is you must hire a car since there is nothing really going on in Rafelguaraf so you need to drive to one of the nearby towns and villages or of course Valencia, about 30 mins away.”
  Lisa, United Kingdom (26.06.10)

• “This was the perfect place for 4 days chilling. Simon and Neil made us feel at home and relaxed. The food was excellent, the evening meals especially good and good value too. There is plenty to do locally - Xativa and Valencia for example, but we were just as happy relaxing around the pool and reading”
  Vivian, United Kingdom (09.06.10)

• “It was a fantastic place. We appreciated the house in every detail, it was like being in someone's home and Simon and Neil were very service-minded and helpful. We stayed for more than a week and had dinner every night. It was really superb and Neil managed to vary the menue quite a lot.
  It was also very relaxing to have a drink at sunset either on the terrace or at poolside.
  Even parking was no problem.
  We look forward going back there as soon as possible.”
  Lars, Sweden (26.05.10)

• “Exactly as described, Casa S. is off the beaten track, very restful, very pleasant, and features very well-prepared food and amenities.
  
  I recommend exploring the backroads by foot, bike, or car - I borrowed their bike, and had two enjoyable rides - around the orange groves, to the lovely little hilltown of Barxeta.
  
  A tip for car travelers - use GPS- especially if you don't have a navigator.”
  Harold, United States (19.05.10)