Cortijo Laguna de Espejo

It gets very hot in the rooms without air conditioning, and the cleanliness inside the house was a bit disappointing. The place and its exterior are nice, but the owners kept half our deposit for no reason. They don’t keep their word, so get everything signed or they won’t honor what they promised. I can’t recommend it.

The house is practical and pleasant, tucked away but still well connected and close to Ronda, so it works well for a getaway. The trouble came after we left. We’d left it spotless, as our family always does, but days later they wouldn’t return the €500 deposit. First they blamed the number of guests, even though we’d agreed on a fixed price. Then they said the charge was calculated per person per night, which had never been mentioned. After a lot of arguing, they kept half the deposit. It’s shameful to run into such unprofessional people.

We stayed in Casa Jara, the smallest of the three houses, and it had everything we needed, fully equipped. It’s about one kilometer from Ronda town and has the Q for Quality award. The owners are lovely, friendly, and attentive. We brought our dogs with no problems. There’s a pool, barbecue area, and a space for leisure and games. A great spot to relax, have fun, and disconnect. Highly recommend.

The building looks nice, but the accommodation itself left a lot to be desired. The beds were the worst part. The double mattresses were fine, but the smaller ones were unbearable to sleep on, and the single and extra beds were worse. We spent a fortune renting three houses and then went 12 days without proper sleep on vacation. When we complained, they told us to move mattresses between bed frames, as if that would fix the springs digging into you. We also had to wait a day while they supposedly cleaned because of Covid, but from what we saw, nobody came in to clean. When you take the sheets off the sofa, don’t be surprised by what’s underneath, and don’t slump into it unless you want your back to suffer. I’m speaking from experience. The wooden frame lost its foam decades ago, and it looks like it’s been waiting for a cleaning ever since. A large family should bring pots, pans, glasses, and so on. Even putting together supplies from all three houses wouldn’t have been enough. People may suddenly come onto the property too, whether it’s the gardener, the man feeding the horses, or someone else. The pool is the best thing about the place, but watch out for the ping-pong table beside it. It’s propped up with bricks, so don’t hit the ball too hard or lean on it, or it could fall on a child and send you rushing to the hospital. After what I’ve seen lately in Spain, I’m thinking about buying a stable, laying out some pallets, and renting it by the season. That seems to be how tourists, from here or abroad, are being treated.