Hotel Finca el Cerrillo sits just outside the village of Canillas de Albaida. The Hotel was created from an olive mill that sat on this site for over two hundred years. The terraced gardens were once home to paseros (raisin beds) where the owners made raisins from the Moscatel grapes as families in the area still do today.
Sue and Gordon Kind bought the run down property in 2001 and spent two years rebuilding to create a haven that is popular with walkers, painters and people who just want to relax. Their challenge was to preserve the charm and character of the old Andalucían Finca that they had fallen in love with whilst installing modern comforts.
Today their hard work has paid off and their 13 rooms boast air-conditioning for the summer months and underfloor heating for the winter. The original mill room with its stone pillars provides a comfortable lounge that hardly changes temperature throughout the year.
The sparkling pool and mature gardens have wonderful views down the valley as well as lots
of shady spots to relax in.
Guests are encouraged to feel ‘at home’. When we visited one guest was curled up on a sofa
in the lounge with a book from the Hotel library and another was relaxing outside in the shade of the carob tree. Lounging on the Moorish day bed and sipping a glass of wine from the Honesty bar, Margaret told us that she and her husband were regular visitors to the Finca. Over the years they had seen the gardens (literally) blossom into the leafy green oasis
that it is today.
We were staying for dinner served in good weather on the terrace. The tables were set with white tablecloths, fresh flowers and candles. Although everything was beautifully presented, there was no hint of stuffy formality. Sue told me that they want guests to feel
relaxed and not to have to worry about what they are wearing. Some guests like to dress up
as part of their holiday whist others welcome the chance not to have to bother. Nobody seems worried about anything as we enjoy a pre-dinner drink.
When the food arrives the buzz of conversation stops as the diners appreciate their well- presented plates. We start with a selection of tapas. My companion, Lisa, loves the Morcilla (local black pudding made by Antonio in Canillas) drizzled with cane honey and the
homemade chicken liver pate served with a red fruit sauce. I do not eat meat so prefer the
shrimp fritters and the water melon and Burgos cheese salad with fresh mint dressing. For
my main course Christine, the chef, has prepared a boneless fillet of bream served with a
light vegetable broth and Patatas a lo Pobre (poor man’s potatoes.) Lisa and the other
guests are enjoying a rack of lamb with a herby crust which she tells me is delicious. Lemon
tart made with fruit from the garden is mouth-watering served with Valencian orange slices
and homemade ice cream. After dinner some people take their coffee to the carob tree to
share a cigarette (and by the sound of it a very funny joke!) Lisa and I decide that we will
skip the coffee and take a night cap in the Treehouse bar.
A short stroll on a lighted path through the olive grove brings us to ‘Basil’s Bar’ at the
Treehouse. We take our drinks into the overarching tree canopy, subtly illuminated by a softly glowing ‘moon’ hanging high in the branches. Looking back, the Finca is silhouetted against the starry night sky with Mount Maroma as a backdrop. It is one of those magical moments – a magic that Finca el Cerrillo weaves for its many returning visitors.
See advert below for contact details and their special dealn July over feria weekend.
