Here is a selection of our guest reviews.
“No exaggeration, visiting Villa Amapola was the best family holiday we've ever had. The location is breathtaking, the villa itself is lovely, and having a private pool in the Spanish heat is just wonderful! Our hosts were very friendly and helpful but never intruded on our privacy; and privacy is one thing you get in abundance at the villa, where you really do feel like you're in a world of your own. The huge library of books is also a bonus!”
Ben & Vicky Bussey, UK
“Villa Amapola exceeded our expectations! An idyllic farmhouse property very well equipped with so many beautiful terraces and shady spots to sit in and just chill. We used the swimming pool and adjusted after a while to the temperature of the refreshing water. The outdoor barbecue was wonderful and the sunsets were truly spectacular. Shane and Bea were so helpful and attentive but also very discrete. They booked for us a wonderful guided walk by Kristina and they also arranged a surprise birthday meal for our daughter in Torre del Mar. A memorable and peaceful holiday . Thank you .”
Cathy Beverley, UK
“Our stay at Villa Amapola was idyllic. It is a traditional Spanish Villa with wonderful outdoor areas. The view out to Lake Vinuela and the mountains is exceptional. It’s position is peaceful and tranquil for total relaxation but close enough to easily access beautiful Andalusian towns. The local area is great for running, walking and cycling. The library of books is stunning The swimming pool was cold but exhilarating and great for family fun. The steps leading up to it make sure you’re fit by the end of the holiday. Shane and Bea we’re excellent hosts and couldn’t have been more helpful.”
Gill Collier, UK
“We had a really lovely stay at the villa. The pool is a very good size and has stunning reviews from it’s terrace. The villa itself is spacious and includes everything you could need, with many seating areas and lovely viewpoints. It’s rural setting allows you to relax, and after familiarising with the small roads once or twice you can easily find your way to and from the villa in daylight. There are many places of interest, including Granada’s Alhambra, Nerja Caves, Malaga and it’s many art galleries including Picasso and the Pompidou Centre as well as natural wonders such as El Torcal.
L/M, UK
“A magical week for us…time to reflect, think, play and be together. We had such a wonderful stay at Villa Amapola. The remote setting and views are spectacular. We had many happy evenings cooking together in the enormous kitchen and sitting out on the terrace, under the stars. We all loved the private swimming pool and enjoyed several excursions to the beach nearby. It's a place to enjoy a slower pace of life, to revive and restore you, true food for the soul. Wonderful!”
Gabrielle Kuzak, UK
“What a pleasant, peaceful, heavenly spot here on a hillside in the south of Spain you have found, and made special. We relaxed in the shade and cooked lovely meals in the big country kitchen - so well equipped and with lovely ceramic tableware. The extensive book collection was a delightful surprise! We hope to come back again.”
Marianne Heide, Denmark
“Third time back here! Thanks for a fantastic 2 weeks. Loved the paddle boats and pedalos on Lake Vinuela. Next time will come back when a bit cooler to mountain bike the perimeter. Water park on Burriana beach was excellent, as were ice cream cocktails after sunset at Torre del Mar. Will always remember Periana fiesta, including foam party and giant water slide! But mostly have enjoyed the fantastic retreat here, it will always be a special place for us, thank you.”
Henrik and Sarah, UK
“We’ve had an amazing stay at Villa Amapola. The house is gorgeous, not to mention the incredible views! Thanks for all your ideas of places to visit - we visited the Alhambra palace - absolutely beautiful. We’ve relaxed and laughed our way through the holiday!”
The Jensens, Denmark
“What an amazing stay we had. The house is fantastic, the views stunning. Shane and Bea are very generous and welcoming hosts, so helpful, and recommended great restaurants and excursions. We would love to stay here again.”
Natasha Armstrong, UK
“Another amazing week at Villa Amapola! Fantastic April weather - we enjoyed walking to Periana and hiring bicycles. Had some fantastic lunches including a midday set lunch menu at Euro 7.50 for 3 courses! Lovely walks along the beachfront, and a visit to an organic beach bar. We can’t wait to come back.”
The Williams, UK
“We had a wonderful stay at Villa Amapola. Nothing can beat the views here and the villa and terraces are amazing! Loved all the flowers, shrubs, trees, and the birds. We will have many wonderful memories of our stay here.”
The Gordons, Canada
“Thank you for creating such a wonderful refuge. Stuffed with delights, from the swimming pool and barbecue to the amazing library of books, films and music.”
Jessica Mellor-Clark, UK
“What a lovely stay at beautiful Villa Amapola. Gorgeous house with lots of interesting places to explore and sit. We enjoyed the many collections - including the music!
The views are stunning, and change through the day. We spent as much time as possible in the fabulous pool.”
Helen Stokes, UK
“Our first visit to Spain and we were looking for something off the beaten track - we loved the charming villa. Really well equipped, good size and layout, so many areas to relax and enjoy the incredible views - the sunsets are amazing!
Thanks for a fantastic taste of Spain.”
The Fall Family, UK
“The most romantic spot in Andalucia! At this very moment, we couldn’t be happier staying in the fabulous Villa Amapola near Periana. It is sooooooo perfect – thank you!”
Jan & Geoff (Nova Scotia)
"What can we say, the house and views surpassed any place that we’ve stayed in before. The homely atmosphere and eclectic mix of artworks and ornaments has made this brief visit an extremely happy time for all of us. We spent many a night in the fantastic kitchen playing games, listening to music and drinking too much of the local wine!
The only negative thing I can think of is that it’s going to be extremely difficult to book a holiday location as beautiful as this again and such a lovely house will be near impossible to find.
We will all leave here having very fond memories of an idyllic holiday that will stay with us for many a year. Thank you again for letting us stay in your fantastic home!"
David & Angela, Steve & Sue, Paul & Rose (UK)
"I’ve tried to capture some of the "La Amapola spirit" with my camera, although nothing beats the real thing. We hesitate between telling everyone we know about how wonderful your house is and keeping the secret to ourselves.... also, the child friendliness and safeness of the place! We are counting the days till we can come back next year."
MM (France)
Your villa is stunning - will be recommending to all and sundry!
Jackie R (UK)
"Blissfully Relaxing! La Amapola is in one of the most beautiful locations in southern Spain. The view from the large hill-top swimming pool is absolutely spectacular, stretching down over olive groves and meadows of wild flowers to the blue lake below and on to the sea. The house itself has a vast kitchen and verandah and attractive bedrooms. The couple who own it are very hospitable and helpful. We had a wonderful time and can't wait to come back!"
Polly RB (UK)
"Wer einen wundervollen Ausblick und eine phänomenale Weitsicht liebt, muss einmal zu Shane und Bea reisen. Das Landhaus liegt sehr abgelegen, ist leider nur mit dem Auto erreichbar und es brauchte unseren ausgereiften Pfadfinderblick, den Weg auf Anhieb zu finden. Der Empfang und auch die Betreuung während unseres Aufenthalts war sehr sympatisch, zurückhaltend und freundschaftlich. Bea umsorgte uns fürsorglich. Die warme Atmosphäre spürt man auch in den Räumen, überall stößt man auf persönliche nett platzierte Kleinigkeiten. Der Garten und die ganze Umgebung ist liebevoll gepflegt und eine Wohltat für das Auge. Gerne folgten wir Shanes Kulturtyps, denn er kennt die Gegend gut. Wir erkundeten Malaga, Alhama de Granada und besuchten Granadas Alhambra. Landschaftlich ist diese Gegend wunderschön, sauber und gepflegt. Besonders beeindruckt haben uns die großen Schafherden. Es war ein gelungener Familienurlaub und entsprach voll umfänglich den Beschreibungen auf der toll gestalteten Homepage.
Barbara, Götz, Till, Finn und Lilja (Switzerland)
"We can't even begin to express the lovely time we had here in your magnificent villa. Such a beautiful place, true heaven and so difficult to leave! The region is amazing in beauty and tranquility! We sure plan on returning as one week was not nearly enough!!"
MS (Israel)
“Wonderful villa with lots of sunny spaces, cosy corners and beautiful views. Absolutely fantastic kitchen to work in, with music wafting around the beams above. Loved the rural feel and wild birds and flowers.”
JD (UK)
"It is only because I am convinced we will be back again that I agree to leave La Amapola! Thankyou once again for providing the perfect house and surroundings for a lovely vacation!"
Anne M (Denmark)
"First of all thanks for meeting us in the middle of the night! We immediately felt at home thanks to the warm welcome, the shopping you did for us and the wonderful collection of books, CDs and movies. Perfect house, perfect surroundings, perfect views, perfect hosts, perfect stay!"
Eva, Erik & Karina (Denmark)
"What can we say? Bliss! Thank you for creating such a delightful place to stay. We have had the best time and we really hope we can come again with our families!"
Tim T (Australia)
"The house is beautiful and has all the little extra comforts/luxuries you could want, and the pool is huge and in the most incredible spot with these views of the lake and sea just to die for. You can see all the way to Morocco on a clear day, every direction you look is just incredible. Overall we had such a great time here and can’t recommend it highly enough."
Joe S (Holland)
"What a house and what a spot! What a view!"
Torben & Lene (Denmark)
"Your house is a very special place, we enjoyed it so much, as all these people from different places in the world, nice to read their stories! Thanks for the special atmosphere you created."
Peter van E (Denmark)
"Many many thanks, a beautiful house on a beautiful hillside! Absolutely idyllic, perfect setting. We will certainly be back and will certainly recommend!"
Colin C UK)
"You really have a magnificent place here and we have enjoyed every minute of our stay!"
Sebastian & Lene (Denmark)
"Thank you for our stay, we loved it! The house is beautiful, the kitchen perfect, beds are sooo comfy! Had the best sleeps ever! Even our 16 year old wants to stay longer! We will be back!"
Rosey B (UK)
"What a spectacular pool! Perfect for diving, swimming and splashing about in! Huge, deep, with incredible views and amazing sunsets looking out over the mountains and valley to the lake and sea."
Tom & Sal L (Canada)
"I found La Amapola advertised on the net 5 years ago, thought it looked amazing, but it wasn't quite where we wanted to go, but kept hold of the details.. and finally we went. And we are so glad we did, the house is even more wonderful than the photos, with fantastic unspoilt views and a lovely pool, and a genuinely warm welcome from owner Shane. The house has a really warm feel, has been beautifully kitted out, full of books and music, which we played in the big kitchen, when we could drag ourselves from the views. We have kids 10 and 4 who loved the house too, and of course the pool, the only downside is we had to leave."
Rob W (UK)
"Highly recommended! What a great place to come and unwind and relax. A fabulous house in a fabulous part of Spain. We have had a great holiday – birds (golden eagles, nightingales, swallows), flowers, scenery and a lovely climate in May. Loved every minute of our time here!"
Rob S (UK)
“I took a photo of our breakfast – oranges and strawberries laid out on the mosaic table – as proof that this was the view that started each day here. Gorgeous view, quiet days, still nights and a calm spirit. Thankyou!”
Ben & Beth D (Canada)
"This house is very beautiful! And the view is splendid! La Amapola, lost in the mountains, is a paradise! The flowers, the butterflies, the sun - I want to stay here all my life! Thank you!"
Lune A (France)
"What a fantastic house, filled with personality and warmth. Thank you for your kind assistance with the printing of important papers, and getting an extra baby bed for us."
3 generations from Denmark - Annette & Erik
"What a great decision to book a week here! We felt inspired in this beautiful environment, and it was so relaxing watching the sparrows and swallows. The personal touches - flowers in the bedrooms, mini toiletries in the bathrooms, the welcome basket - were all really lovely.
Our evenings were filled with the sound of Nina Simone and Johnny Cash on the stereo – reminded us of our childhoods!"
Ursula F (UK)
"Thanks so much for everything. We love your house and its location. Peaceful, comfortable and gorgeous views. And sunshine! One of the most relaxing hols we've had, we're going home refreshed. Hope to see you again."
Toni & Richard (UK)
"Perfect in Every Way!
We had the most amazing week at La Amapola starting with a warm welcome from the owners and a lovely welcome hamper. The house is beautiful, tastefully decorated and furnished. The beds are really comfortable and the linen of high quality. La Amapola has the biggest kitchen in the world with lots and lots of bowls, pots and pans, sharp knives etc. We arrived in the dark and were all keen to see the view when we woke up in the morning. What a view, just amazing, we spent many hours just sitting on the veranda listening to the birds and stillness and looking out of the mountains and lake. Really spectacular! The Wifi worked really well which was a bonus to all family members who are unfortunately addicted to social media. The selection of books and videos is huge. The evenings got a little chilly, so we would light the fire and cuddle up in the comfy lounge watching a really good movie. One week wasn't long enough so we will have to return for longer! The area is really lovely too, with a great restaurant in Periana, good value, lovely food and huge portions. We would highly recommend La Amapola to everyone."
Wendy B (UK)
"What more can you want from a holiday? Stunning views, an amazingly large pool, grapes hanging overhead ready to eat on just one of the gorgeous terraces, and all the books and DVDs you need to see you through the next 5 years! Highlights included watching baby swallows taking their first flight. It was amazing to see them over the next week soaring around us and drinking from the pool.”
Ben W (UK)
"We have travelled all the continent and have seen many places, but La Amapola is the most special of all. Views are stunning, garden perfect, kitchen fabulous. Thank you! We will be returning soon!"
Martyn & Sandra P (Holland)