Imagine a slick 5 star hotel, a quirky mountain B & B and a boutique guesthouse all rolled into one small but perfectly formed village retreat – Cases Noves is just that. Nestled in the heart of the popular village of Guadalest with views towards the castle, it is the perfect escape. We spent two nights here to celebrate my wife’s birthday and can only say that our expectations of simple bed and breakfast accommodation were completely blown away the moment we stepped through the door. We were warmly greeted by owner Toni who, together with his wife Sofi, have converted this old building, tastefully combining a modern edge with traditional Spanish ambience. Everything we needed to know was explained to us by Toni, including the use of the in-room iPad which is used to order your meals or choose a movie to be screened on the large flat panel TV. It also contains a wealth of information on the village and surrounding area. Our room, with castle views, was beautifully appointed with large screen TV, fridge, safe and kettle with a selection of teas. The en-suite bathroom was beautifully clean and very modern with a huge rainforest style shower. We opted for the evening meals and made our choice from the online selection using the iPad and after a quick aperitif at the generously stocked self-service honesty bar, headed to the dining room where once again we were to be staggered by what awaited. The quality and presentation of every dish was first class and cannot be overstated – it really was fine dining and as we understand, it is talented chef Sofi who responsible for this. If we had been impressed by dinner, we were overwhelmed by breakfast on the sunny terrace overlooking the valley of Guadalest. Although it was October, and we had eaten indoors on the cool evenings, the mornings were still warm enough to be outside, drinking in those views. Toni assured us breakfast was different every day and from the fresh fruit, to the smoothies, to the pastries and hot food, at least on our two days everything was different and beautifully presented. Toni served all the guests himself and was an extremely attentive host. Sofi spent most of her time in the kitchen but did come out to greet all her guests and make sure everything was to our satisfaction. There are only a small number of rooms (we counted four) but every guest is made to feel special. Guests are given a residents’ parking pass which allows access to a car park a short distance away and entitles the holder to discounts at various local shops and attractions. Even though they roll the streets up in Guadalest once the daily tourists have gone home, we enjoyed walking up to the illuminated castle through the deserted streets and having a drink with the locals in the few bars which remained open. But mountain walkers are probably too tired to party all night – for that there’s Benidorm a half an hour (or another world) away! This ‘Casa Rural’ is a hidden gem and we can’t praise it enough – hence the long review!
