El Cortijo at Finca al Manzil
1/16
Rural Cortijo with Pool on a Wooded Mountain Slope
Cortijo Dining Pool and garden Living
Double bedroom Covered outdoor bed Siesta Shady places
Arrival Side view Pool Terrace views
Pool Surroundings Covered terrace Bedroom
More images

Rural Cortijo with Pool on a Wooded Mountain Slope

Montanchez, Extremadura, Spain, Europe
Price: From €220 per night Minimum stay 4 nights
Bedrooms: 3 Guests: 6
One Off Places rating: 8 reviews (8 reviews)
Property Info
Accommodation Type
  • Eco-houses
  • Houses / Villas
  • Country Houses
Property Setting
  • Mountainous
  • Village / Rural
Exterior Facilities
  • Garden
  • Swimming Pool
Interior Facilities
Log Fire
Activities
  • Cycling
  • Horse Riding
  • Walking
Bedrooms
3
Conditions
  • Child Friendly
  • Cook available
  • Other rental properties on site
Guests
6
Please note that the map is to provide an indication of the area and may not be exact.
One-Off Feature

Beautiful three bedroom cortijo set in 22 hectares on a wooded mountain slope in Extremadura, Spain.  Set in peaceful mountain scenery with a pool and exquisite views, it’s a wonderful place to slow down the pace of life, and enjoy exploring the surrounding area.

General Info

Set within the stunning scenery of the Sierra de Montanchez the cortijo is ideally placed right in between the fascinating towns of Merida, Caceres and Trujillo, which are all about 30 minutes away.  A ten minute drive gets you to the town of Montanchez with its famous jamon which is served in all the bars and the lively Saturday market.  The black Iberic pigs graze contentedly in the surrounding oak forests gorging on the abundant acorns.  Extremadura offers some superb bird-watching opportunities as it’s located on one of the major European migration routes and has great habitat diversity.  There are beautiful walks directly from the property.  The Sierra de Montanchez is blessed with a network of ancient paths only accessible by foot, nature is undisturbed and provides a rich environment for many species of wildlife, especially birds, insects and reptiles.

The Area Surrounding The Property / Accommodation

The walking, riding and birdwatching are wonderful experiences due to the lack of urban development in the sierra. Nearest village is Arroyomolinos, 2kms walk or 5 mins drive where the unique ruta de molinos climbs up through a stunning gorge passing numerous ancient watermills.  There is so much to see and do within an hour of Montanchez. Stunning countryside including mountains, plains, woodland and the very special dehesa environment of Extremadura, meadowland with cork oak and holm oak woods.  Bicycle hire is available for easy riding on the lanes around the finca.  We have 4 horses that are available for experienced riders and 1 donkey for gentler rides. There is also a riding stables nearby for trekking with a guide.  We run a 7 night and 4 night cooking holiday at Finca al-manzil once a month except in July and August.  

Getting There & Local Amenities

Getting There:
Detailed directions provided on booking.

Nearest Airport:
Madrid, Seville or Lisbon, all around 2 -3 hours drive

Nearest Train Station:
Merida and Caceres

Nearest Bus Stop:
Trujillo, Merida and Caceres, all 40km, we can arrange pick up.

Nearest Ferry:
Santander 450kms

Nearest Restaurant:
Meals available on site (pre order only) or 2kms to nearest restaurant

Nearest Shop:
2km

Nearest Market:
Montanchez  4kms

Car Hire:
Essential

Accommodation Details

Interior Details
The cortijo sleeps six people in three bedrooms.  It has been renovated with great care using traditional materials - the windows, shutters and doors all made by a local carpenter with seasoned chestnut wood.  There’s a double height sitting room full of books, DVD’s, comfy seating and doors to the porch and terrace.  It’s airy and cool in summer; warm and atmospheric in winter.  The kitchen is well equipped and has an old stone work table.  There is a huge dining table which gives access to the back terrace.  The three bedrooms are all ensuite, individually decorated and furnished with rugs and textiles from Morocco and Mali.  The upstairs double has access to a secluded roof terrace with mountain views.  Two twin bedrooms lead onto the covered porch through french windows with lovely countryside view.

Exterior Details
The porch and terrace has lovely views of the surrounding countryside.  The back terrace has a BBQ and dining table and sweeping mountain views.  There is a wonderful outside double bed with a canopy for sleeping out on balmy summer nights.  There is a path to the pool where Roman steps lead you into the crystal clear water.  We have made paths for easy walking, particularly to the highest parts of the finca where there is an olive grove and many traditional stone shelters, chozos, also plenty of springs and ponds, perfect picnic spots. The hike to the top is rewarded by wonderful views.

Further Details
We  have  powerful solar energy systems which have been carefully designed to run the house.  Besides powering all the lights, sockets, fridges and washing machines they also run automatically  borehole pumps, swimming pool pumps and at Finca al-manzil a tracker system which moves the solar panels into optimum position everyday. There is a lot of power being used but the system is designed for maximum usage of 3500 watts with optimum sun.

Conditions of Rental
Payment by bank transfer or credit card through paypal.  To secure the reservation 40% of total price. Final payment 8 weeks before arrival.  All inclusive except for logs for wood burner if needed which are charged according to use.  Swimming pool is operational from May 01 - October 15. Cleaning is once in a 2 week stay with linen change, extra cleaning and linen change can be ordered at extra cost.  Damage deposit of €150 charged with final payment (returned if house is left in good order less €30 final cleaning charge).  Dinner: @ €25 per person, choice of menus inc. vegetarian.  Moroccan/Iberic fusion cooking morning with Pippa @ €40 per person: minimum 2 persons; includes tuition plus ingredients for making evening meal.  Swimming pool is shared with barn rental if it is rented, exclusive use can be discussed. The pool is a big space with room for everyone, plenty of loungers and chairs and plenty of privacy in the pool area.

Reviews
8 reviews
Patrick Svensen
We rented the cortijo for 2 weeks in October, 2 couples, all professional photographers. We specifically wanted a place in the middle of nature in Extremadura and we were so lucky to find the cortijo, it could not possibly be better for the atmosphere and decoration of the house and the stunning surroundings in the Sierra de Montánchez. The situation is perfect for exploring further afield as it is right in the middle of the most interesting area and we even ventured into Portugal as a day trip. Our holiday was full of amazing impressions and wonderful memories made very special by the thought of returning to the cortijo at the end of each day.
October 2019
8 reviews
miranda ravenscroft
We were thrilled to stay at this wonderful place, even better than the photos. It has a very special atmosphere of relaxed country living with comfort and tons of charm. It felt like home with everything we could possibly need. Pippa was a great help with suggesting interesting trips and good restaurants in the area. We felt 100% relaxed when we left after the wonderful walks and swimming in the stunning pool. Definitely recommend a stay here to re-charge and luxuriate in the tranquility of the lovely nature.
September 2018
8 reviews
Miranda Ravenscroft
We were thrilled to stay at this wonderful place, even better than the photos. It has a very special atmosphere of relaxed country living with comfort and tons of charm. It felt like home with everything we could possibly need. Pippa was a great help with suggesting interesting trips and good restaurants in the area. We felt 100% relaxed when we left after the wonderful walks and swimming in the stunning pool. Definitely recommend a stay here to re-charge and luxuriate in the tranquility of the lovely nature.
September 2018
8 reviews
Marie-Claire Mansard
A holiday with some precious and special memories
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Finca al-manzil is really special, something that is getting quite rare in Europe today. Besides the good feeling that the whole finca is run on ecological lines....solar power and spring water pumped up from underground streams, it is also a place with attention to every little detail. It's not over done but one can just sink in to the atmosphere from the first moment. It's all unusual, wonderful decoration but practical and runs smoothly, just what we wanted for our Extremadura holiday. A huge thanks to Pippa and Manfred, we could not have had better hosts, so helpful but left us to enjoy the perfect tranquility of the cortijo and finca. Thanks!!!
8 reviews
William Marsden
We chose the cortijo at Finca al-manzil from a bewildering choice on the internet but it just stood out as the most beautiful house and landscape. We are experienced travellers and knew that there's always a risk choosing beauty over practicality. In this case there was a perfect balance. The house was even more atmospheric and charming than the photos and everything worked! It was hot as we expected in Extremadura, so our favourite place was by the pool, enjoying the views and dreaming.In the evening the house became our lovely retreat with its terraces and shady verandah, many happy memories of watching the sun going down with a glass of excellent wine from Extremadura and the equally excellent local jamon. We rarely return to a holiday house but in this case I think we will make an exception, thinking about dates in 2018....
Write A Review
Your Name:
Date Of Stay:
Your Review:
Note: HTML is not translated!
Rating:
Bad Good
© 2025 One Off Places Ltd