Hacienda de San Rafael

Hacienda San Rafael, formerly known as Hacienda del Canónigo, dates back to at least 1780, when documents reveal that it consisted of main rooms on the upper and lower floors, servants' quarters, main and secondary courtyard, garden, vaulted barns, storage rooms, wine cellar with jars and barrels, oil mill and wagon corral. Until the 1960s it was a working olive farm. The Reid family has owned it for nearly a century and a half. The younger generation, Anthony and Patrick, run the place and are responsible for its recent stylish renovation, transforming it into the luxury retreat it is today while maintaining olive oil production.

It is a gleaming white cortijo-style farmhouse with foot-thick walls and large shuttered windows, offering grandeur without ostentation. Basic elements of the original cortijo are preserved: terracotta tiles, thin bricks, enormously thick walls, shuttered windows and high ceilings with original wooden beams characteristic of Andalusian architecture. The central bougainvillea courtyard organizes the space and conceals the eleven designer duplex rooms. The renovation achieved a balance between rustic charm and modern sophistication.

The hacienda is located halfway between Seville and the coastal city of Cadiz, between rolling fields of wheat, sunflower and cotton. Seville with its cathedral, Alcazar and Santa Cruz quarter is to the north. Jerez de la Frontera with its sherry cellars and the Royal Andalusian School of Equestrian Art is to the south. The beaches of Cadiz are accessible for day trips. The route of the white villages crosses the region.