Reviewed by Tom Bell
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HOTEL LOS CASTANOS - REVIEW
You’re in the mountains. Chestnut forest surrounds you. The postman takes October off to join the harvest, and when it’s over the village celebrates: roasted chestnuts, a suckling pig, a band in the square and all-night dancing.
Cartajima, population 100, is that rarest of Andalucian finds: an untouched white village. Everyone has a bit of land, and olives, avocados, peppers and tomatoes, lemons, plums, peaches and figs all come straight from the mountain in season. The hotel is small and intimate, welcoming and indulging. You get whitewashed walls, open fires, a big airy sitting room and six super-comfy rooms; all have small balconies, three of which look over the valley. At the top of the house, a roof terrace and a plunge pool; at the bottom, a dining room for delicious home-cooked suppers. Walk out the front door and find tracks that lead into the forest, or jump in the car and head to glittering Ronda; it’s a fifteen-minute drive. If you want peace on the side of a glorious mountain, you've just found it. A great little hotel run by a delightful family.
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