Nestled amongst 180 acres of olive and almond trees, with beautiful views down the valley to the Mediterranean and even Africa beyond, Padre Aviles is a haven for parents and young children. Despite the brilliantly convenient location, just 30 minutes from Malaga airport (reached from most UK regional airports) and 10mins from the nearest beach, this traditionally restored former 17th century convent is wonderfully tranquil and relaxing. It's also extremely welcoming for little ones, thanks mainly due to the fact its owners, expats Claire and David, have a gaggle of youngsters themselves, and provide a host of play grear to keep them entertained but with minimal impact on the natural beauty and relaxing atmosphere of the setting.
The traditional Andalucian stables have recently been converted into five luxurious 3-bedroom, 2-bathroom, self catering apartments. The south-facing position, high ceilings and white-washed walls give them a lovely fresh bright feel, whilst touches like hand crafted wooden beds; pretty tiles and cosy wood burning stoves give them traditional elegance. Luxury touches come in the form of granite topped kitchens, mod cons like kettles (so often overlooked in Spain/France), dishwashers, washing machines and microwaves, which can make life a lot easier with little ones in tow. There are also DVD players (bring kids favourites) and stereos. All apartments have lovely south facing terraces with good quality teak furnishings and BBQs. Their beautiful views over the pool, valley and sea make them a wonderful spot to enjoy dinner and drinks once the little ones are in bed.
El Almendro - Situated in the converted Old Stables, El Amendro is a beautiful 3-bedroom, 2 bathroom apartment on the ground floor. It is ideal for those with new crawlers/toddlers since it is all on one-level. It has a lovely calm and tranquil feel thanks to the decor's neutral tones. It is also romantic with a four-poster bed in the double room and a free standing woodburning stove in the lounge. There's plenty of space to relax with two large 3-seater sofas.
Please note that one cot and one highchair are now provided free of charge.
Padre Aviles is only 30 mins from Malaga airport, 20mins from Malaga centre with the Picasso Museum, the Alcazaba and fabulous shopping. The beach and it beachfront restaurants are just 10mins away, and there are 3 golf courses within 15mins. The famously picturesque white-washed village of Frigiliana is within 20 minutes and major towns such as Granada(1hr), Ronda(1hr), Seville(2hr) and Cordoba(2hr) are all within easy access.The very spanish white washed village of Olias is 1.5 km up the road and has a village shop where you can buy all the basics and fresh bread. Another 6 km north will take you the the "Montes de Malaga", Malaga's National park.
Owners Claire and David speak fluent French and Spanish, as well as English and are a great resource not just for fun things to do with kids in the area, but also to help if problems like car breakdown or medical emergencies occur.
Click to enlarge
Check-in time: 14:00
Check-out time: 10:00
Reservation Deposit: 25%
Balance: 56 days prior to arrival
Check-in time: 14:00
Check-out time: 10:00
Reservation Deposit: 25%
Balance: 56 days prior to arrival
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Sleeps 7+infants in 3 bedrooms |
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![]() | 30 mins from Malaga airport. |
![]() | The nearest beach is 7km (10min drive) away. |
![]() | Restaurant within 15mins walk |
![]() | The swimming pool is 22 metres long and boasts a large shallow end which is 10 m x 5 m and 1 m deep. A wall separates the shallow and the deep end. Its is unheated but available year-round and the water temperature rarely drops below 27 degrees between May-Sept. |
![]() | The family's former au pair is available for babysitting - rates on request |
![]() | Cots, highchairs, plastic crockery and cutlery are provided. |
![]() | A selection of toys and book are available. |
![]() | Owner, Claire can provide homemade meals and cakes for children and adults if desired, and can also do your first supermarket shop, so that upon arrival, you can get straight into the holiday mood without worrying about dashing out to the shops. |
![]() | There is a large wooden climbing frame, as well as a little tikes car, tricycles etc. |
![]() | Private furnished terrace |
![]() | Available in public areas but not in apartmenst themselves. |
![]() | Two tennis courts. Basic equipment available on loan. |
![]() | Several of both available on request. |
![]() | Log burner in the lounge. |
Please click the text to scroll through reviews.
We stayed at El Almendro apartment at Padre Avila for one week in August, with our 4 year old son and my parents. The apartment is not luxurious or designer led, but comfortable and clean. This particular one is great because it's further from the swimming pool and doesn't have any neighbours on the bedrooms side, so it's very quiet. The location in the mountains means great views and peace away from crowds, but the road is full of hairpin twists and turns, so we didn't venture out at night as much as we would have otherwise. But it's a short drive to and from the airport. We really enjoyed our stay and my son made friends with the other kids. The only real downside was the fact we weren't allowed to use the swimming pool by the main house, as that is larger and has a dedicated paddling area which would have been great. We had to stay by the stables pool, which is fine and has plenty of shade around it, but it would have been great to u ...
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Fantastic holiday, great venue, very clean with amazing views would highly recommend
we have just returned from our stay at Padre Aviles with our 1 and 3 year old. Overall, we had a lovely time. The property is well located for all of the attractions of the costa del sol, the views are great and the property is well furnished (washing machine and dishwasher a definite plus!). It is also a nice size on a small complex of 6- allowing privacy but also scope for the children to make friends. The only aspect that let it down slightly was the standards of childrens play equipment- we had to report that several of the trikes were broken, the swing ball had no ball and the sand pit was not covered over at night which made it a no go area as far as we were concerned, as the owners had cats and dogs. Although the baby facilities were fine for our one year old, we think we would have struggled with a younger baby as there was nowhere for pram walks and I am not sure what was available by way of baby equipment. We enjoyed our ...
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The accommodation was outstanding, the only slight downside for us was the fact that we had to drive for 20 minutes to shop/eat/drink. However the setting is idyllic, the owners are incredibly friendly and helpful.
The accomodation was great - and Claire was fab - providing lots of kit for our tiny baby. Only downside was that we didn't realise from the description that you had to drive to get anywhere... which wasn't ideal with a 15 week old baby who still needs a lot of walks in the pram.
We received a very warm and friendly welcome to this super little development. The former stable (I think) building has been converted to an extremely high standard with first class furnishings and equipment. My family (kids - 14, 11 and 8) and I would love to go back one day.
We had the most wonderful stay with our 3 children at Padre Aviles over New Year. Claire and David were incredibly welcoming, the apartments were beautifully kitted out with everything you need with 3 young kids (ours are 5y, 3y and 5 months) and the views from the balcony down the valley were breath-taking. Highlight: local walks to nearby v unspoilt village, Olias. Our only sadness was that we were staying during the winter and so didn't get to use the amazing pool so we're already planning our next trip..... THOROUGHLY recommend a stay here!
We had a fabulous time! Can't wait to go back.
The accommodation was excellent and the owners of the apartments extremely helpful. Our one criticism would be that the apartments were let down by having poor quality appliances - the dishwasher wasn't very efficient, the oven didn't work particularly well and the fridge was not very cold. Everything else was top quality.
Outstanding - and we had a thoroughly enjoyable holiday. I have to say everything was first class - the apartments were all furnished to a very high standard, extremely well laid out, excellent facilities - and the location is breathtaking. Secondly - the swimming pool and tennis courts were perfect and the only way to get our kids out of the pool or tennis courts was to take them out on a day trip or put them to bed!
*Ratings by verified BFB guests who stayed here with young children.
Rated by 5 guests.