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The property, occupies a fabulous spot in the heart of the Grazalema National Park overlooking the unspoilt lake and the majestic mountains beyond. It's just 5 mins from Zahara, 20 mins from Grazalema, 25 mins from Ronda, and an hour from the airports at Jerez and Seville (c.1hr30mins from Malaga).  The 100-year old cottage underwent a full and sympathetic restoration around 4 years ago, and has been finished to an extremely high standard throughout. It would be a great place to live for someone on a more limited budget, but its size also makes it an ideal weekend retreat or the perfect holiday home. It occupies a glorious 15,000m2 orchard with hundreds of mature trees, no near neighbours and some of the best views in Europe. The surrounding area is rich in wildlife and fauna, and has been blessed with wonders like the Garganta Verde (Europe's largest Griffon Vulture nest site) and El Torreon, the tallest mountain in this part of Spain.
The park area is highly protected and no development can spoil the natural beauty of the area, nor the peace and quiet. The cottage has mains electricity and a spring-fed well provides abundant free water. It would be possible to connect 'Iberbanda' for broadband internet access, as well as a 'phone. Unusually for this area, the cottage has been registered as a house (72m2) and is entirely legal (that took over 2 years!).
The accommodation has been beautifully finished with period features, hand-made terracotta tiled floors, exposed wooden ceilings, etc ... and was the subject of a number of magazine 'decor' features following its renovation - these included 'Casa & Campo', 'Living Spain', 'Spain', and 'Spanish Homes'. I'd be more than happy to send copies of such articles to you in due course. There's a large Sitting Room with a period stone fireplace and cast-iron log-burner, a fully integrated country-style Kitchen, one Double Bedroom (currently furnished as a twin), and a gorgeous Bathroom. There's a small attached storage shed, plus a terrace and pergola'd dining area which makes the most of those incredible breath-taking views.
There is an additional detached outbuilding which can be restored to provide a second bedroom with an en-suite (or alternatively a studio or office). A contact at the Medio Ambiente has confirmed that we can make this minor improvement without any problem, but it will not be possibly to register it within 4 years ... so officially it will remain an 'almacen'. This work could be carried out by our builder prior to completion, and would no doubt enhance the value of the cottage considerably. It will not, however, be possible to make substantial extensions quickly ... everything in the park has to be 'poco a poco'. Whilst this could be seen as a slight drawback, it really has to be taken as a huge 'plus' in that it offers a high degree of protection for the property's surroundings for the future.  
It has been rented for holiday lets for the last 3 years, with an average occupancy of an incredible 50 weeks per annum! Its location and quality have made it extremely popular, and with weekly rents ranging from 350-750 pounds, the annual income is in excess of 25,000 euros (for 2007 it almost reached 30,000). Any prospective purchaser is welcome to see the diary!!  
A purchaser can take over the entire letting infrastructure (ie agents, websites, cleaners, the family who tend the land, furnishings and accoutrements, professional photographs for promotions, etc), and our bookings ... so the transition will be smooth and painless.
Currently, the cottage is fully booked for March, April, May, June, July and September, and already half booked for August and October, as well as next Christmas. Mark promotes the cottage through one Dutch agent, Vida Rustica, and on the Owner's Direct website only (ref S5561) ... it has not been necessary to widen the marketing to date.
Needless to say you'd be more than welcome to come to have a look some sunny afternoon.

Precio: €360,000 ---------------------------(£239,750)

Request on the Ref. Mine-P-G-1