Casa De La Panaderia

The house was much bigger than I expected, really pretty, and had everything we needed. It’s in Cabañeros, a truly amazing area with loads of charm.

The four bedrooms are the best part: each has its own bathroom, the beds are really comfortable, and the rooms are well heated. The bathrooms are new, too. But there’s nowhere for everyone to eat together. The living room is small, split in two, and has a filthy old three-seat sofa. There aren’t a table and chairs for seven, so having lunch or dinner together was a nightmare. The living room was filthy, and I don’t understand how the floors can be so uncomfortable and poorly maintained when the bedrooms have been renovated. I wouldn’t come back, especially in winter. The kitchen is outside the main house, across the patio, and it’s cold. The old bakery’s wood oven shown in the photos filled the whole kitchen with smoke, so we stopped using it. The person who looks after the place has to explain how to light, clean, and refill the pellet boiler every day. The owner was very rude about our dogs, despite having said pets were fine. He said they couldn’t come into the house if they’d left hair on the floor, which was news to me, and complained that we’d moved furniture, though we put the dining tables back. We were two couples with children, a grandmother, and the dogs. When he inspected the house, he became quite offensive. If that’s how he behaved while we were quiet, I can’t imagine what he’d be like with partygoers. Never again.

The owner was friendly and helpful throughout our stay, and the bedrooms are lovely, each with a private bathroom. The heating is fantastic. The house doesn’t have a proper living room, though. You might fit a table in the entrance hall, where the floor isn’t level, or in the anteroom by the upstairs bedrooms, but there’s very little natural light there. The patio is small and a bit slippery. I wouldn’t choose it for a family with children unless you’re going in summer to use the pool, or mainly plan to sleep there and spend the days hiking. Before going, it’s also worth asking whether things like salt, sugar, shower gel, napkins, tablecloths, and firewood for the oven will be provided.

The town is pleasant and the people are friendly, but the house came with flies, termites, and cats everywhere. If bugs are a problem for you, find somewhere else. The pool feels dangerous, since you could fall off the ladder, and some of the stairs to the second floor are very uneven.