Cristina G.
Yelp
Casa Olea is a six-room, centrally-located B&B if you are visiting Andalucia. We were originally going to hotel hop while in Andalucia and so glad we found Casa Olea. Instead, we stay 5 nights and had a genuinely unique experience for several reasons.
Number 1: The B&B proprietors and the location of the B&B were exactly what we wanted. Tim, Claire and their adorable dog Ruby provided the perfect balance of privacy and attentiveness. Many B&B's struggle at providing that balance but they have mastered it. Casa Olea is nestled among olive trees just outside the little town of Zamoranos. Its location is very serene and a wonderful setting for some rest and relaxation by their pool or just walking along the quiet dirt road. Ruby greats you as you drive up to Casa Olea....almost feels like you are coming home. Every morning before we would head out, Tim would have maps of the towns we were going to visit. He gave us parking tips, driving directions, restaurant recommendations...anything we asked and it all helped tremendously as we set out for the day. All of Tim's recommendations were spot on.
Number 2: The food at Casa Olea was excellent. Breakfast is included in the room rate and was a nice start to the morning. It consisted of cereals, greek yogurt, pastries, fresh fruit, ham, cheeses, and this wonderful tomato/garlic relish. Juices, milk, tea, coffee are also available. The spread is plenty to start your day of touring. Casa Olea also has dinner available for an additional cost and it is well worth the money. Each morning you choose from two starters and two main courses. This was often a difficult task because everything that Claire cooks is absolutely delicious. Claire is generally in the kitchen making all of the delicious food but comes out to great the guests. Also, if you have dietary restrictions (vegetarian), Claire has wonderful meals to accommodate you. Tim makes sure everyone has what they need whether its hot tea after a tiring day touring the sights or a perfect red wine from the region to a soothing after dinner drink of Pedro Ximenez to finish the night off perfectly.
Number 3: The guests at Casa Olea allowed us to meet very interesting people form around the world. During our visit we had folks fro Spain ,Ireland and Florida which provided a rich experience in discussing everything to world politics to food recipes. All guests typically stayed at Casa Olea for dinner therefore providing a wonderful opportunity to get to know each guest even better. Towards the end of our stay, we had dinner "Family Style"....one large table with everyone seated. Very enjoyable.
I can go on and on about our stay and as you can see from my review as well as others that Casa Olea is a perfect place to stay. Tim and Claire really have done a great job in making every stay a pleasure and an experience you will not forget. I highly recommend staying here!
One request of future guests.....bring back maps of the cities you visit to replenish Tim's map stash.