Arriadh Hotel: boutique hotel with pool near Ronda, Andalucia, Spain

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SUNSETS & SECLUSION

Blink in disbelief at the majestic views and glorious sunsets visible from this luxury six-bedroom hotel. On a hill above a picturesque Andalucian village and surrounded by beautiful vistas, the choice is yours: retreat into the hotel’s peace, or trot out for Tapas? It’s a toughie.

The Location

The property is a brisk walk from the village of Arriate and is just 10km from the town of Ronda, which famously perches on the edge of a 100m deep canyon. If you take the easier, more direct route that the owners advise then it’s just 6km, taking you straight to the largest underground parking in Ronda.

Surrounded by arable farmland and with views of mountain peaks, the hotel is wrapped in landscaped terraces and a new swimming pool now completes the package. A key aspect of this hotel is that it enjoys the best of both worlds. You could easily spend a few days here and barely brush with civilisation, enjoying the seclusion of the hotel and an occasional trot down the hill for local Tapas, or you could use this as a base for exploring the plethora of activities and places of interest in Ronda and its surrounding area.

Make time for Granada and Seville too and if you want some beach action, try Estepona or sophisticated Marbella just a little over an hours’ drive away.

Apart from all that, there are wine tours to try, Tapas restaurants to indulge in, hikes to take, nature reserves to explore and scenic routes to travel through – if you can actually tear yourself away from the splendid hotel and its home from home relaxing vibe.

To get there, fly to Malaga, Seville or Jerez and hire a car to drive the 1h 30mins (approx) journey to Arriate.

What We Like
Facilities
The Owners

We love how this place is difficult to define. It’s not really a hotel, neither is it a B&B. It’s like staying in a modern Manor House. Guests feel comfortable enough to leave their bags and books in the living room area and it all feels incredibly homely – a place where you could put your feet up on the sofa, grab a magazine and lose track of time
Arriate is such a delightful village with a truly unique atmosphere. People here aren’t from Ronda, they’re from Arriate with an independent spirit and they’re incredibly warm and open
The pool is a welcome (and some would say necessary) retreat in the summer months
Bathrooms are integrated into the room – not to everybody’s taste, so they also have traditional-style rooms with closed bathrooms
There are a number of superb walks that you can do from the front door; a priceless advantage if you love to hike and ramble
Both John and Wilbert are natural hosts and very competent chefs. Their home-cooked evening meals are a delightful array of local produce served with ease and good taste.
Arriadh comes from the Arabic, “garden of flowers and fruit trees”. In the grounds you can find olives, cherries, almonds, apples and pears. It lives up to its name and they even have a pepper tree!

Six rooms, all equipped with an en suite bathroom
On the first floor, there are two ‘classic’ bedrooms with a ‘closed’ bathroom
There are four modern double rooms, with ‘open plan’ bathrooms: one on the ground floor (making it easier to access if required) with two ‘classic’ rooms and three on the first floor
There’s a dining room where breakfast is served. On Mondays when the good local restaurants are closed, they also serve a three course dinner. On other days they cook meals on request
When the bar is closed there’s an ‘honesty’ bar, always filled with local wine, beer and soft drinks
A beautiful swimming pool completes the package

John used to be a bulb farmer and Wilbert comes from a marketing background, so neither have a background in the hospitality business – not that it shows! They repeatedly came back to this corner of Spain before they finally took the decision to buy the property. They revel in their new environment and in running the hotel, their personalities compliment each other perfectly.

Reviews

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Connall Patton : March 2015

We found the Arriadh Hotel through Further Afield and spent a wonderful four nights here in March 2015. Wilbert and John are consummate hosts: their thoughtfulness pervades everything from the sleek design of the rooms, to the little basket of fresh fruit that accompanies breakfast. A particular highlight was the option of dining 'at home' at a family style evening meal with the other guests: we enjoyed this so much, we did it three times, even though Arriate (only a short walk away) has a number of genuinely First-rate eateries. Highly recommend and terrific value.

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Donald Kapraun: December 2014

We had the joy of having the Arriadh Hotel almost completely to ourselves just after Christmas. Wilbert and John are incredible hosts! They were extremely helpful in making suggestions and in giving the directions to get there! My husband and I were fortunate to have Wilbert and John prepare a meal to celebrate our honeymoon. It was a true culinary experience topped off with homemade honey ice cream. The accommodations were fantastic and it was a treat to lie in bed at night and look out the glass doors and see the stars over the beautiful Andalucían countryside. I highly recommend this gem!

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Sven : November 2014

Extremely handsome, small hotel (only 5 miles from Ronda center). We had a upper floor room (nice and big), also the bed was very big and comfortable (hard to find that in Spain - I'm 6.2f) and with a boutique-style bathroom. We had terrific views of the valley and Mountains and the distant town of Arriate, with the bed positioned to take in those views.The evening meal which we had was a excellent 5 stars one and also the breakfast was plenty and high quality. Host owners Wilbert and John could not have been more friendly and available. I will be back. Highly recommend.

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