Palacete de Cazulas

OTIVAR, GRANADA

An exquisite historic country house/boutique hotel 30 minutes’ drive from the Costa Tropical

OTIVAR, GRANADA

€3,495,000

  • 1,362 m2 Built Area

  • 4,538 m2 Plot Area

  • Main House with 12 ensuite bedrooms

  • Gatehouse with 5 ensuite bedrooms

  • Casita 2 - a self-catering 2 bedroom cottage

  • Olive Oil Mill, currently used as an events space
    Stables and outhouses

  • Glorious gardens with breathtaking views

  • Large spring-fed pool

  • Tennis court

The year 1492 is one of the most notable in Spain’s history. It was in January of that year that the Catholic Monarchs, Isabel and Fernando, captured the city of Granada, ending over 700 years of Moorish rule in the Iberian peninsula.

In the breathtaking mountains above Almuñécar, a Mudéjar Palace was purchased at this same time by a Christian nobleman, Don Rodrigo de Ulloa, Chief Treasurer to the Catholic Crown and a close advisor to Queen Isabel. Ulloa became instrumental in the restructuring of these former Nasrid territories, and over the ensuing years the Palacete de Cazulas developed as one of the finest noble houses in the province of Granada.

The last aristocratic owner was the Marquesa de Montanaro, who inherited the estate in the late 19th/early 20th Century but whose family had owned the property for the previous 500 years. The palace remained in the Marquesa’s name until she died in 1971.

The current owners bought the palace in 1994 and began a careful programme of restoration, retaining the historic integrity of both the interior and exterior spaces.

This is an exquisite home. The historic palace sits at the centre of what is ostensibly its own hamlet, complete with ancillary properties, a pretty chapel, a former olive oil mill and glorious Nasrid-style formal gardens. The property was purchased and restored with the intention of creating an historic boutique hotel, and it has evolved over the past couple of decades in such a guise: hotel, casa rural, a gorgeous wedding and events venue and a private home.

Despite, or perhaps because of, this beautiful building’s history, everything here feels immensely welcoming in an elegant and stylish way. The heritage does not overwhelm, but rather creates a gracious environment in which to disconnect and escape; an environment that has been shaped by 600 years of stewardship.

In addition to the main house, there is a separate 5 bedroom Gatehouse (rebuilt in 2017), a charming 2 bedroom cottage, the former Olive Oil mill that is currently used as an events space, stables and a very pretty chapel.

The stately gardens step gently down the hillside, with manicured borders shaped by pathways and miradors that provide glimpses everywhere of the valley beyond. There is a large spring-fed pool and a tennis court, and terraces and patios that draw heavily on Moorish design and architecture.

THE MAIN HOUSE

Credit must go to the current owners’ sense of style and design that they have managed to create a truly comfortable family home in such a stately building, and this is no easy feat. The property wraps around a central courtyard, and everything flows in a very easy manner.

There are four lovely reception rooms: a large drawing room with an impressive vaulted ceiling and enormous open fireplace; an intimate dining room; the ‘Marquesa’s Room’ which is today a charming library; a sitting room with another magnificent fireplace bearing the ancestral coat of arms. What is striking about all the rooms in every part of the house is that the windows are large and natural light floods in.

The kitchen, during the property’s restoration, was made into a very lovely, convivial space designed with catering in mind and there are various adjacent crockery, linen and food storage rooms.

At the rear of the house, there is the museum or games room, and it is here that there is a copy of the original 1492 deeds of the property. The current owners have collected an eclectic mix of antiques that appear to have belonged to the house since the 15th Century, such is their relevance and suitability; nothing is out of place.

There is a ground floor bedroom and a staff room/bedroom.

The main guest bedrooms are on the first floor, and there are 8 bedrooms here, all with ensuite bathrooms, and then a 9th bedroom is accessible via a rear staircase.

The 12th bedroom is located in the tower on the second floor.

There are numerous linen cupboards and additional rooms that could be used for additional accommodation connected to main bedrooms.

At the top of the main tower, there is a mirador that currently houses 4 large water tanks for domestic water supply; the views from here are amazing!

LOCATION

 
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PURCHASER INFORMATION

Purchasers need to budget for between 8 - 10% of the purchase price to cover taxes and legal fees. This includes a Purchase Tax* of 7% of the purchase value of the property, and this is payable by the buyer within 30 days of completion of the purchase. The buyer is also responsible for their own legal fees (typically 1% of the purchase price), Notary fees (in the region of €800) and land registry fees.

*New-build properties are exempt from Purchase Tax, but 10% IVA (VAT) is payable on the purchase price.

We do not charge the buyer any commission.