Casa Rural La Alfarera

The owner, Teresa, was lovely, and the house worked really well for us. It’s roomy, clean and comfortable, with large bedrooms, each with a private bathroom and air conditioning. The kitchen and living room are less updated, but everything there worked fine. There are two patios, and the little pool in one was handy for cooling off. The dogs loved having both patios, too, and it was great that we could bring them along with the rest of the family. The village has all the amenities you need. The one thing that got in the way was the wasps. We know they’re common in the countryside in summer, but there were so many that we think there may have been a nest in the patio, and at times we couldn’t really enjoy being out there. That’s why we took off a star. Removing a nest should be an easy fix; otherwise, everything was great.

Calling this a rural house seems misleading to me. It’s four rooms rented separately. We didn’t use the double-bed room because it smelled of tobacco, and the rest of the house had a terrible smell too. The kitchen and living area is a tiny shed outside the bedrooms. To get there, you have to cross a patio that stank. I can’t understand how the Regional Government of Castilla-La Mancha allows that shed to be used. There’s damp everywhere, and cables hang loose, plugged from one power strip into another. As for the so-called pool patio, the photos say it all.

The owner was attentive and helpful, and the house felt cozy for the price. There are four roomy bedrooms, each with a private bathroom. They’re decorated in different colors, with matching furniture, and looked really nice. The terrace has plenty of space to sit down for lunch or dinner, and there’s a small pool. It was shallow and small enough that we felt more at ease with the children swimming, though it’s really just for cooling off. The kitchen is compact but had what we needed. If you’re planning to cook a lot, bear in mind there are only three electric burners, which may not be enough.

We’d happily spend another weekend there. The price was reasonable, the house was spotless, and Teresa was kind and attentive. Across our nine stays, we’ve never had trouble with hot water from the 150-liter heater. We only used the kitchen for breakfast. And the porras at the nearby bar are delicious.