A birthday break to remember with James Villas

Not all emails are created equal and when James Villas emailed me to ask if they could send us away on holiday, it was definitely a GREAT email day.

We chose to go to Villa Andrea in Andalucia (Southern Spain) as it was somewhere neither myself nor hubby had ever been to before and the villa looked amazing.

After our flight with a very excited Ava, we picked up our hire car and began the journey to the villa, which is located near Nerja. The directions were exceptionally thorough, however a critical sign had fallen down which meant we got lost! (10 minute drive).  After driving down some very precarious tracks(!), we called our James Villas contact who immediately came and found us and took us to the villa.

Villa Andrea is situated at the top of a very big mountain and the drive up there wouldn’t be for the nervous driver, but was absolutely fine for hubby. When we got to the top it was totally breathtaking, the perfect villa with an amazing view. Pure heaven.

The welcome hamper was AM-AZ-ING! I immediately loved the staff at James Villas as they had left me a big box of PG Tips! They’re real-life heroes people! Ava was thrilled with her Paw Patrol ball and the fridge was stocked with essentials, including beer and wine!

The inside of the recently renovated air-conditioned villa was just as perfect as the outside. There were tiled floors throughout the open plan spacious living, dining and kitchen space. With three bedrooms (one double and two twin), a modernised en-suite attached to the main bedroom and a separate bathroom. Outside there were two seating areas (one under a terrace), which both made the most of the incredible view over the mountains, countryside and coastline. With sun loungers and a big parasol by the pool, what more could you want? Such a personal relief for me was the great wifi connection!

The swimming pool was perfect for a family holiday. Ava was so excited and wanted to get straight in. There was also a great BBQ area and a separate utility room with washing machine etc. As hubby was flying back to France the day after we got back, having this washing machine meant he could return home with a case full of clean clothes.

On our first day we made the short drive to Nerja, the closest town to the villa, to have a look around. Nerja is totally stunning and we loved having lunch in a little place overlooking the beach.

We were totally unprepared for a beach day, but we ventured down anyway as Ava was dying to get her feet in the sand. As it happens the sand was scorching and her sandals had to make a quick reappearance!

The James Villas staff had recommended Frigiliana, a traditional white town which nestles in the mountains. I was really excited to wander round with my camera. It certainly didn’t disappoint! It was such a stunning village; actually quite breath-taking. Our first stop was lunch, with hubby and I giving the tapas a whirl (yummy!). The view over lunch was a perfect holiday moment.

We took the land train tour round the village which meant Ava was in her element, she even got to get in the cab after our trip.

The playground was probably the best situated playground we have ever been to and it was awesome to watch Ava playing while we soaked up the amazing views and warm rays.

On one of the days we ventured the short drive to Playa Burriana. This was such a fun place to visit, with play areas dotted down the beach front and lots of restaurants right there facing the sea.  We built sandcastles, collected water and skimmed stones; the perfect way to unwind.

We had the most amazing time on our James Villas holiday. They had thought of everything and even dropped off DVDs for Ava when the forecast predicted rain!

I could genuinely not recommend a James Villas holiday highly enough, especially for families. It’s sometimes hard to find somewhere suitable for kids and still aesthetically pleasing for us adults, but they nailed it.

Disclosure: We were sent on this break in return for an honest review.