Villa Paula · 16th-century estate for 14, near Valencia

Villa Paula is a 16th-century estate fifteen minutes from the centre of Valencia and five from the airport. It is rented whole and always to a single group, from 7 to 14 people: no reception desk, no other guests and nobody else's schedule.

Seven bedrooms with names, not numbers, and five full bathrooms. Every room has hot and cold air conditioning, a Smart TV and its own paintings. Beds are split or joined to suit the group.

Inside: a dining room for sixteen, a Smeg kitchen with Carrara worktops, a cinema room with projector and 7.1 sound, an 18th-century billiard table still in use, and 240 art books beside the fireplace. Two wood-burning fireplaces, firewood included. China, glassware and cutlery for everyone.

Outside: a private pool open twelve months a year, a wood-fired hot tub for eight all year round, 40 metres of covered pergola, an enclosed and climate-controlled garden pavilion, and four separate fires: barbecue, open hearth, clay oven and paella fire. A 4,500 m2 garden with palms, jasmine and fruit trees, and the mandarin grove all around. Fibre-optic broadband in the house and in the garden. Parking, garage and an electric charging point.

The house keeps its original fabric. On the facade there is an 18th-century Virgen de los Desamparados, hand-painted on ceramic and restored by a ceramicist who lives half an hour away. The orange blossom that is our emblem today came from the border around her. Here pieces are restored, not replaced.

We are reachable 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Before you arrive we will do the shopping if you wish (you pay only for what you use, at cost), make up the beds to suit the group and cut flowers from the garden. During your stay we light the fireplaces and the hot tub whenever you ask, help with restaurants and arrange transfers with our own drivers.

ACCESSIBILITY
The car reaches the door and there is no step between the parking area and the inside of the house. There is a single step up to the bedrooms, with a certified ramp if needed. A wheelchair, a shower chair and handrails are available.

THE GARDEN
The garden needs work all year round. The staff come in early, clean the pool, tidy the area and leave: normally you will not cross paths with anyone. If on any day you would rather nobody came in, just say so and nobody does.

EXTERIOR CAMERAS
There is one camera at each entrance gate of the estate and its only purpose is to see who is calling so we can open remotely. None of them points at the house, the pool or the garden, and there is no device of any kind inside.

TIMES AND HOUSE RULES
Check-in from 15:00 and check-out before 10:00. Minimum age to book: 18. One dog up to 25 kilos is allowed, by prior arrangement.

Official five-star category of the Comunitat Valenciana. Tourism registration CV-ARU000608-V.