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Julie's favourite holiday houses

When Camille suggested blogging about my favourite holiday houses, I panicked a bit. There are so many that I love, and so many where I want to stay, and I haven’t even spent a holiday in one of our houses in Moroccoor villas in Portugal yet! We visited both, but that was to select houses for our portfolio, and not for cocktails and cheeky lie-ins.

So, what I’ll do here is select my favourite houses so far. We usually go with my brother, his wife and two children, “we” being my husband and I. It feels like holidaying with a group of friends really as we all get along well, and the children are little and make it extra special.

I will split this into two parts, the first four houses are in the South of France, and the rest are in Spain. Drum-roll and without further ado, here are my favourites… until next time ;))

1. Hacienda

This is a jewel in Languedoc-Roussillon. Hacienda is an impeccable house inside and out, and however much I was tempted to stay in with my sister-in-law and her children to enjoy the sheer comfort of this holiday villa with a private swimming pool, we got tempted by the endless visits in the area, from vineyards and wine-tasting, to a day out in Nîmes. Until the children got into a frenzy about wanting to go back to “our” private swimming pool and Leon the cat on the premises.

2. La Doudanne

This was an amazing holiday. Off we went again to the south of France, the usual culprits and two other couples, a total of ten people for a relaxing holiday in the Vaucluse. We were exhausted that year, for a variety of reasons, and Doudanne is this terrific house with a private swimming pool, in the heart of nature, was exactly what the doctor recommended. We could finally breathe, far from everything, yet we were a drive away from anything we wished to discover in this glorious region of Vaucluse.

3. La Douce France

This was the summer we went with friends for a sports holiday: swimming, hiking and cycling were on the menu, and solidarity was our leitmotiv. Who am I fooling? We had an amazing time, we saw the most fabulous views, and came back healthy as ever despite copious quantities of excellent food and delicious wines. Oh and La Douce France? It was cosy and impeccable, I was surprised we managed to leave.

4. Mas Jullian

I only visited this house for our portfolio and I’m longing to stay there. Soon. There is a timelessness about that place which I loved, a delightful feeling of going back in time. Mas Jullian has more of a park than a garden, and is a holiday destination in itself. I could just picture us with my brother and his family, sipping wine in the garden while the children run around in this endless space! We did manage to head out to the fabulous local market in Saint-Remy-de-Provence that day, which makes me want to go back to the smells of fresh olives as I’m typing this.

5. Casa Buena Esperanza

This is the first holiday house in Spain I stayed at, and it gave me a new outlook on Spanish luxury. Casa Buena Esperanza is a magnificent holiday house with a private swimming pool located in Andalusia and I honestly did not know where to look or what to enjoy first. The house is fabulous, the views are fabulous and the entire stay was fabulous. This time we were on holiday with three other couples, no children, and we were on the go all the time, making the most of the Costa del Sol and enjoying our holiday to the fullest.

6. Villa Allegra

After that first experience, you’ll guess where we went the following year… yes, same area, different holiday house. And again, the entire experience was one of luxury and comfort, and Villa Allegra enjoys an absolutely tremendous garden. A secret? There was a horse behind a fence at the back of the garden, and I would take my coffee every morning and go say ‘hi’. I love horses and this was my holiday treat . Private swimming pool and all the fittings and trimmings. We also continued our excursions on the Costa del Sol, we could hardly get enough!

7. Casa Julia

Still in our Spanish mood, we rented a holiday house on Costa Blanca this time and we fell in love with Spain again. What’s not to love? Casa Julia is a delightful and well-tended house, we had a beautiful swimming pool and sea-view. I did love it there, although I would tend to prefer a more strikingly modern house. Restaurants around the corner, white beaches and golf on the Mediterranean Sea. Not a dull moment here with so many possible excursions on the Costa Blanca to get on with!

8. Casa Vista

Back to Costa del Sol, this time to discover the bustling cities of Marbella and Malaga. Casa Vista is somehow close to both, in an oasis of tranquillity and a haven of greenery. And Andalusia has a lot to offer! Here again, I only visited for our portfolio, and I’m arranging to go next summer, possibly end of September, and drag my brother who holidays unconditionally in France. His children are still small so school is not ns issue yet. I’m sure my sister-in-law will enjoy it, the children definitely will, and my brother will love to be out golfing every other day. Fantastic holidays for everyone!

9. Casa Meridian

The last villa that I wish to mention is Casa Meridian. It is an absolute gem, with its luxurious interior and full sea-view, the exquisite swimming pool, and everything else you need is exactly eight minutes away: restaurants, bars and beaches. It was a unique stay, some friends joined us for a few days and against all odds, this gave my husband and I an unexpectedly romantic holiday when the others left... and our dog Plof was able to come with us to this pet-friendly house!

This blog turned out longer than I thought and stay tuned for my next selection. I’m hoping to enjoy a holiday house in Portugal or a villa in Morocco soon, although my brother is now insisting we should go green at an agriturismo in Italy. It actually sounds like a plan!