'Caserío del Mirador', Jalon Valley, Spain. Within an hour of Valencia or Alicante Airports.

Nestled amongst vines and olive grows with distant views to the sea, Caserío del Mirador is a wonderfully laid back and sociable retreat ideal for families but also great for couples and group celebration breaks. The Robinson family turned their back on London a few years ago. Several years on, they remain infectiously in love with the Spanish attitude to life, culture and cuisine and mix it up with a bit of urban chic to create a contemporary yet rustic retreat hidden in the Jalon Valley above Spain's Costa Blanca. Accommodation is in a choice of spacious self-catering apartments or luxury suites all with high quality, crisp white sheets and contemporary furnishings with Spanish/Moorish accents. Few guests make use of the self-catering facilities preferring to join the daily breakfast and lunch buffets laid out on a huge central dining terrace. Dinner party-style suppers take place nightly and focus on fresh local ingredients and regional specialities, helped along with plentiful supplies of organic wine, made just across the valley. The Sunday afternoon paella party is typical of the sociable approach to eating at the villa and earned high praise in a recent Conde Nast USA magazine review.