A restored farmhouse hotel in Spain’s remote and beautiful hinterland.
A beautifully restored early 19th century farmhouse, Mas de la Costa has been preserved with great care and attention, resulting in a gorgeously characterful main house, stables and barns made up of atmospheric stone walls, terracotta-tiled roofs and wooden rafters. Its location is also a major draw – deep in the Matarraña region, bordering on Catalonia’s Tarragona province, it feels remote and peaceful but with lots of access points to enjoy the surrounding nature through the rows of almond and olive groves and beyond into the wild, rocky terrain.
The lowdown
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Who For:
This peacefully located hotel surrounded by countryside works just as well for couples as families
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Getting There:
Fly to either Valencia or Barcelona; both are around 2.5 hours by transfer or with a hire car.
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Combine With:
You could finish off at Mas de la Costa after a few days’ city break in either Valencia or Barcelona. Or after a stay here, you could change up your scenery and take the boat to the Balearics from Barcelona.
Inside, the décor is traditional with exposed stone walls and wooden-beamed ceilings, and the bedrooms are spacious and elegantly decked out with timber floors, FRETTE linens, large windows to the views and tiled bathrooms. Some of the suites have their own outdoor space, be it a shady terrace or private garden. Inside here are also a number of cosy places to relax in such as the wine cellar, library or hammam and spa meaning that Mas de la Costa is a year-round hotel to visit, especially as the region receives hardly any rainfall.
Outside the gardens are landscaped with rocky designs that allow sprays of lavender, Mediterranean scrub and cypress trees to grow in between. The restaurant is housed in an adjoining stable where the culinary ethos is in line with the slow food revolution using fresh, local ingredients to create Spanish-inspired dishes. From here, it’s easy to explore the surroundings on foot or bike, enjoy wine tasting or discover medieval villages like Valderrobes, just three kilometres away. Come home for a dip in the outdoor pool, drinks at sunset then stargazing by night.
