This short piece advertising a Spanish holiday villa for rent was written for use on a travel website. Note, for the sake of privacy we have changed certain details from the original text.

The Villa is one of fifteen in the secluded and private development of MARINA DEL CASARES, close to to the town of Casares on the Costa Del Sol in southern Spain.

The location is at the eastern edge of a national park in surroundings that are essentially undeveloped commercially or residentially.

MARINA DEL CASARES is positioned some 150m back from a cliff edge which itself rises 80m above sea level. This position, apart from ensuring that it enjoys breath-takings views, means that it gets the full benefit of cooling onshore breezes during the hottest part of the day. Although the surrounding area is characteristically dry and sparsely covered by the naturally occurring scrub-type vegetation MARINA DEL CASARES itself has a well developed "imported", landscaped garden. The fifteen houses are all detached, single storey "pueblo"-style buildings, well spaced within their own gardens. There is a communal swimming pool.

The villa faces south, and has a terrace running the full width of it's frontage, which provides an uninterrupted 180 degree view of the Mediterranean. The house is "U-shaped", and between the arms of the "U" is a sheltered patio which incorporates a covered passageway. It is possible therefore to find shade as well as sunshine at any time. The house contains three bedrooms, two with double beds, one with twin beds, two bathrooms, a very spacious lounge/dining room and a kitchen. The maximum occupancy is six persons.

Casares itself and MARINA DEL CASARES are both somewhat "off the beaten track". It is therefore essential to hire a car from the airport both to get you to the villa and to give you reasonable mobility during your holiday.

Five minutes by car is the small, attractive and unspoilt fishing village of Sabanillas. There is a fine sandy beach some 400m long and 25m wide, backed by a choice of beach front bars and restaurants. Elsewhere in the village are a supermarket, fruit shop, pastaleria, tobacconist, a few clothing and gift shops and a diving centre, as well as bars and restaurants. There are no high-rise apartments or fast food cafes or English bars. Sabanillas is essentially a Spanish resort and very little English is spoken.

So if you really want a holiday "away from it all" this truly is one of the last few places where you might find it. Bring a good book then simply relax !

Alternatively, if you do want to venture further afield, MALAGA (the historical provincial capital) is one hour's drive, TABERNAS (home of spaghetti westerns) two and a half hours, GRANADA (one-time Moorish capital) two and a half hours and GIBRALTER about an hour's drive. Additionally there are castles, caves, bodegas, restaurants, golf, tennis, bowls, fishing, water sports and some of the most spectacular mountain scenery imaginable, all within moderate driving distance. Lastly, the town of ESTAPONA, with it's charming waterfront and marina, is fifteen minutes drive to the east. Larger than Sabanillas it has all the shops and services which are lacking in the village. Each Sunday morning there is a street market along the waterfront that is well worth a visit.

Between ESTAPONA and MARINA DEL CASARES is PLAYA DE LOS FRONTERA, a huge expanse of sand and rocks yet one of the quietest beaches around. Towering above is MESA NUEVE from which a superb view of the surrounding area is guaranteed.