Superb Catalan Villa with private swimming pool and stunning views

We had an amazing week in the villa! The beautiful view and perfect pool were ideal for our two families with three older children. The location is excellent for all kinds of trips.The living room is very spacious, and all the bedrooms are a really good size. The only thing we missed during the first two nights was air conditioning, as it was quite hot, but the fans in every room were a great addition.The village is very quiet, so if you’re looking for a peaceful stay, this place is perfect. The villa has everything you need – the BBQ area is lovely for cosy evenings.

Stayed in July 2024. Great views and a good location for getting to go to beaches and the foothills. Villa was rustic but clean inside. Would have been nice if the pool and area had been cleaned before our arrival. However there were nets to clean it with and someone came mid week. Overall though a lovely stay

A lovely house at the foot of the Pyrenees nearby the sea and mountains, lots of things to visit in the area and a great private pool. Situated at the very end of a winding mountain road means it has a lovely view and calm environment. Even though it was quite warm (30-35°C) the house was cool enough even though there was no air conditioning (keep those shutters closed!

This was our 2nd stay and as great as always. Love the location. It has everything you need. A home from home.

We had a very enjoyable week's stay in August 2018 at the villa which was set on the top of a hill up some lovely winding roads with some stunning views of the mountains and sea. The most impressive view was from the lovely balcony with comfy sofas and a table and chairs where we enjoyed our breakfast and other meals each day. There were only 3 of us so we had plenty of space as the villa was set over 2 floors. The villa was well equipped with 2 bathrooms with showers in the main building and a well equipped modern kitchen. There was plenty of seating to chill after a busy day. The pool was great for cooling down from the heat of the day. We did not use the downstairs flat. It was about a 10 minute drive down the winding hill into Laroque Des Alberes which was a nice little town with a selection of restaurants. We tried the pizzeria and the Cafe Des Artistes which was run by an Irish couple. We also visited Ceret which was great for the art gallery and restaurants and Coulliere which was a lovely seaside harbour/beach with lots of cobbled streets full of shops and restaurants. You have to get there early to park though. We also visited the Valley of the Tortoises which was about 20 minutes away and was a nice little Tortoise zoo for a half day trip. We flew to Toulouse and can highly recommend the scenic drive on the D117 recommended by Oliver to Laroque as the views were amazing. It was quite a long drive but we broke it up with photo and refreshment stops. What a great place to visit and a great location.

Sometimes a beautiful view is just not enough to compensate for the deficiencies and discomforts in the accommodation. The view is indeed spectacular, the location is ideal if like us you have dogs and want immediate access to beautiful and quiet walks, and the terrace has very comfortable sofas for enjoying the views. However, this house really is desperately in need of some TLC: - Not enough duvets for the number of beds ( those that were available had blood stains on them and the sheets mildew stains) - panes of glass cracked and taped up with sellotape - main front door lock broken so that the door could not be locked or unlocked from the inside (could only be locked and opened by going outside and using the door key) - broken furniture in bedroom - several light bulbs not working - No satellite or terrestrial TV. In fact TV unusable, despite owners directions about how to stream or cast using an App - broken shelves in the fridge (limiting storage space) - radiator propped up on bricks in the hallway - broken toilet seat in downstairs shower room But worse than any of this is the owner's attitude. We arrived at 9 pm on a Saturday night having picked up provisions on the way, only to find not one single sheet of toilet paper in the entire house. When we finally managed to contact the owner (he had written his mobile phone number down on the house information incorrectly) he was indifferent and seemed to think that it was not a legitimate expectation that there would be any toilet paper because it was a "self catering arrangement". Furthermore, following a fault in the plumbing which resulted in raw sewage flooding the downstairs shower room and hallway, and taking over an hour to clean up (by us), we received a perfunctory apology from the owner and the offer of a cheap bottle of red wine by means of recompense. When he was challenged on his lack of customer service, we were informed that he "just takes the bookings", (omitting to mention that he also takes the money!) and that he would give us our money back if we wanted to leave - this was on the third day of a 10 day holiday! This could be a really wonderful holiday destination and worth a 5 star review if some care and attention were applied not just to the property, but also to the paying customers.

We stayed in this lovely villa for two weeks in August 2017 and had a fabulous holiday. We are a family of 6 with three teenage boys and an 8 year old. The house was just how it was described on the website. The downstairs apartment was useful as a place to change for the pool and we used the fridge in there for drinks etc. We had a few lazy days by the pool but most of the time we were out and about. The beaches are lovely and not too busy. The lake at Saint-Jean-Pla-de-Corts was a favourite with the boys with its inflatables on the water, pedalos and zip wire across the lake. The inflatables cost €8 for an hour and are great fun for all ages. Collioure is a lovely place for a day trip but very busy with tourists so an early start is recommended. We enjoyed walking up the driveway from the villa and going out on to the mountainside and went on a few walks. The pathways are signposted and the views are breathtaking. We used the tennis court a couple of times. It is next to the public pool 5 minutes downhill from the villa. The pool looked nice although we didn't use it as the pool at the villa was lovely. The tennis court is free to use, you just need to write your name and villa address on the booking sheet at the court. It was well used in the evenings when it was cooler. We ate in the villa most nights making use of the barbecue and sitting on the terrace or the balcony taking in the amazing views. We ate in the pizzaria in the village one evening which was delicious. All in all we had a very peaceful holiday in Laroque des Alberes especially when our boys were making use of the wifi and we were drinking wine on the balcony watching the sun go down. We hope to return one day.

We vacationed there in July 2016, and enjoyed it so much we returned for a week this year. This is the best way I can recommend this property - it is the first time we have returned to a summer rental.