Studio and Accommodation
Our art courses come with half or full board accommodation in the stunning, family-run country retreat ‘Rincon de las Tobas’.
Guests are accommodated in stylish and comfortable villas with pool facilities and spectacular views, only a stone’s throw away from the art studio and 2 km from the village of Higuera de la Sierra.
Each villa has two bedrooms and two bathrooms, and can lodge a maximum of four people in Double or Twin rooms. Let us know if you are looking for a housemate and we can arrange a shared villa. All rooms are beautifully furnished and well equipped, boasting a delightful mix of rustic charm with modern facilities.
Finca Las Tobas Art Studio
Finca Las Tobas is a nine acre estate located on a south facing slope surrounded by dry stone walls and just a few paces from the villa accommodation. The studio building was originally a ‘Majada’, a crofter’s retreat, sheltering both the farmer and his animals. Today it has been transformed into a delightful country house and studio, retaining its original stone walls and surrounded by spectacular views.
Enjoy working in the light and airy studio, or practice your creativity outside in the surrounding hills and valleys. This is an idyllic secret hideaway that art enthusiasts will surely love, in an area of outstanding natural beauty. The Sierra de Aracena and Picos De Aroche Natural Park is a protected ecosystem only one hour’s drive from; the Province of Sevilla to the East, the Portuguese Bajo Alentejo to the West, the Sierras del Sur de Extremadura to the North and the coast of Huelva to the South.
Rincon de Las Tobas Rural Villas
Your stay during the course is at “Rincon de Las Tobas”, where guests are accommodated in three stylish and comfortable villas only a stone’s throw away from the studio.
The villas have beautiful views, superb terraces and a swimming pool ideal for cooling off in the summer months.
Each of the three villas is wonderfully comfortable, fitted with modern furnishings, and nestled in beautiful, rustic surroundings. Lovely texiles, log fires, central heating, satellite, flat screen TV and DVD, dishwasher and washing machine, a real home-from-home. Each villa has a double bedroom with en-suite bathroom, a twin bedroom with adjoining bathroom, kitchen, lounge and terrace looking out onto an amazing valley of cork oaks and olive trees.
This is a unique and ideal location to indulge in a relaxing artistic retreat, and an opportunity to make new friends, while taking on a more natural pace of life and enjoying the local food, including the prized local jamón, wild mushrooms and chestnuts.
In summer afternoons you can languish in the pool, with nothing to break the silence except for birdsong and the occasional call to cattle, and in the autumn and winter months we gather around log fires. There is something here for everyone.
Check-in
Check-in is from 14:00 on your day of arrival and check out before 12:00 on your day of departure
Services
The houses are serviced once, midweek during your stay.
The pool is available from May until late October.
Additional services can be requested at extra cost:
- House cleaning
- Laundry and ironing
- Local products for sale
- Extra linen change
- Extra change of towels
Higuera de la Sierra
The friendly village of Higuera de La Sierra is only a short walk or ride away (2km), with its white houses and winding streets. An excellent place to sample some of Andalucia’s culinary highlights; Wild mushrooms, local cheeses, tomatoes from the garden, and superb pork. The local mountain ham “Jamón Ibérico” is perhaps the most famed throughout the world. The bars and restaurants are family run and very relaxed and friendly. Remember though this is a remote part of Andalucia, so don't expect much English to be spoken.
Food and drink
Continental breakfast is delivered to your villa which includes a selection of tea, coffee, juice, fruit, bread, cheese, local pate, butter and conserves. We have a picnic lunch each day at the studio with refreshments available throughout the morning. Each evening we’ll have a group dinner either at the Finca or in a local restaurant, a chance to sample local delicacies, a glass of wine and chat about the day’s events.
Temperature
Finca Las Tobas is located at a height of 750m above sea level, on a south slope with sunshine in abundance, especially during summertime. The site is dotted with huge old oak trees with shadows large enough to have an entire class working under it. In the spring it can be around 25°C and in summer even up to 35°C, but at night it cools off to a more comfortable temperature. Apart from March and November it rarely rains.