Beautiful butterfly lands on the plum blossom which has just come out at the Finca

Friends have identified it as a Scarse Swallowtail.....

Another day in the office at The Coffee Box in Calpe. Come and say Hi and try our Barista style coffee, unique to Calpe!

Delicious freshly roasted coffee prepared with care for the perfect coffee experience!

Pepa and Linda come to say hello. Our resident lawnmowers!

Home roasting Ethiopian green coffee beans at the Finca, great fun and fantastic coffee smell!

A great afternoon on the mountain in sunshine!

Panoramic views

Dog walking early September morning

 

Testimonial

We had such a wonderful time with you at Casa McG, and you were such super hosts, it's really hard to say enough to thank you. Much love from both of us to you, Timmy, Elvis, Smudge, Fat Cat and Tigger, and not forgetting Pepper and Pepe. We miss you all!! xx 
4th June 2012 Steve and Annie Sweet

Guests and Donkeys and Horses

Our New Year's Eve guests kindly emailed us and this is what they said:

...thank you very much for everything, we all had a great time.

Thank you so much for letting us "take over your home!"  We felt more than welcome. 

I have attached some fotos that we took. 

We will defineteley recomend calpe mountain to all our friends! 

So thank you to Jason, Joanna, Pili and Remi we enjoyed having you to stay and seeing the New Year in with you.

Meanwhile the swimming pool is nearly finished and the courtyard has new paving half way through, getting ready for the coming season.  Many distractions stop us from getting on with the improvements, several friends call in with their friends nearly everyday, so it would be rude not to stop for a cup of tea and slice of Panetone.   Also there are always Peppa and Pere, our two naughty donkeys, to look after, not to mention Tim (our dog) and the cats.   Today has passed off like so many, breakfast on the beach followed by shopping, sometimes some business, then back to the farmhouse.  Fabulous winter weather for several weeks now, may give way to some welcome rain this week I'm told. Went to see a lovely horse this week who might just join our family too.....

First guests for the New Year

Our first four Bed and Breakfast guests arrived on New Year's Eve.   It was a perfect afternoon and the donkeys proved a great attraction, along with one of our cats, Amy, who decided that our guest's lap was the place to be in front of the fire for the evening!  A new patio heater made sure that the stars at mid-night could be enjoyed outside with champagne, grapes and warmth.  So that is how we saw the New Year in.  Welcome 2012. 

New Year's Day started warm and sunny with breakfast on the terrace and then a long quad ride for our four guests who returned to the finca around 7pm after a long day out exploring the Bernia mountain and one or two restaurants.

So we have began our New Year at the farm, as we mean to go on, with two donkeys, Pepa and Pere, our English setter, Timmy and the four rescue cats Amy, Elvis, Smudge and Tigger.   I think the list may be longer this time next year, four legged creatures seem destined to find us and stay, even when we aren't looking!

The finishing touches for the house include the swimming pool and courtyard surface which are half-finished.  I am looking forward to getting them both done over the next few weeks and then more photos will follow.   Wendy http://www.calpemountain.com/

Welcome to our blog

Our love of the UK and a traditional family life with a house, two cars, two children and a dog still left us questioning what was missing! So, somewhat surprisingly, we found ourselves annually pacing the beach on holidays abroad discussing what new challenges lay ahead. Despite a busy professional life as London Metropolitan Police officers as well as being “hands-on” parents for all hours off-duty, we still felt there was more to life and new adventures to experience.

A move abroad, literally to expand all our horizons and the welcome promise of more sunshine, seemed to be the answer. So we then had the task of deciding where to go. For many reasons Spain came to the top of the list because of its world location, climate, school choice, language, scenery and coast line.

Our love of country life meant that a simple house in a straight forward street was never going to satisfy our sense of adventure. So, to make things even more challenging, we decided on a traditional, stone-built, mountain farmhouse that was badly in need of rescuing. Its lack of easy access and no utility services did not present defects in our eyes. All we could see was the total beauty of its unique surroundings which we found overwhelming and now want to share with you.

It was always the plan to turn this wonderful place into somewhere like-minded people could discover, explore and appreciate. So it is our greatest pleasure to offer you a warm welcome to “Finca Sierra Olta” now brought into the 21st century mostly thanks to satellite communications and other ‘mod-cons’.

So fulfil our dreams and yours, stay with us, feel special and enjoy the stunning surroundings. This place will inspire you to do whatever you want and we can make that happen.

Wendy and Craig McGuinnes with family and friends - Hot Air Balloon ride over the Alicante area 17th July 2007