The quiet hotel above Agua Amarga
This is the best-kept house in my portfolio. Sand-coloured walls instead of bright white, a desert garden with candelabra euphorbias, large wooden gates. Everything very quiet, very restrained.
And so you know where you stand: this is not luxury. We are still in Almería. It is high quality, very well run and the staff are genuinely lovely — but anyone expecting a five-star resort will be surprised.
I work there very happily. In a house where everyone stays two nights, the service is half the impression.
At a glance
| What it is | Quiet hotel in the hills, five minutes above the village |
|---|---|
| Celebrating | 15 to 80 guests |
| Sleeping | 12 suites and junior suites for 24 guests, some with a jacuzzi |
| Music | until 3 a.m., the party happens at the pool house |
| Catering | external caterers |
| Exclusive | compulsory – and a minimum of two nights |
| Children | officially adults only – with exclusive booking they may come |
| To the village of Agua Amarga | approx. 5 minutes |
| From Almería airport | approx. 40 minutes |
Two nights are compulsory — and that is a good thing
You cannot book this hotel for one evening. It is let exclusively, and for a minimum of two nights. That sounds like a hurdle, but it takes a decision off your hands: your wedding automatically becomes a weekend.
And because you have the house to yourselves, one more thing applies: officially it is an adults-only hotel. If you book it exclusively, the children may come. That is the question couples with family in tow ask me every single time — here the answer is yes.
The pool is the concept
A very large rectangular pool sits in the middle of the grounds. The tables stand along both long sides of the water. That symmetry is what people remember about this place — especially once the fairy lights come on in the evening and the palms and tables double in the water.
By the pool there is a small pool house serving cold drinks and snacks during the day. In the evening that is exactly where the party happens: the music runs there until three in the morning.
Where you marry
Four options, and you do not have to decide until late:
Up on the round terrace looking across the hills. Down in the olive grove. A short drive away, on the rocks. Or down at the beach bar on the sand of Agua Amarga — which is also one of my venues, so you can marry by the water and celebrate up here.
Where the other guests sleep
24 people sleep in the house. Up to 80 celebrate. So the larger part of your guests stay in the village, five minutes away — Agua Amarga is a lovely small village with restaurants and cafés, this is no makeshift arrangement.
In practice the closest people stay up at the house and everyone else stays down in the village. It works well because the distances are short.
The hotel in pictures
Is this the right place for you?
Yes, if you …
- have between 15 and 80 guests
- are planning a whole weekend — here it is compulsory anyway
- value quiet and a well-kept property
- have children with you and still want an adults-only house
- want a pool as the centrepiece of your celebration
Probably not, if you …
- expect five-star luxury
- want everyone in the same house — 24 sleep here
- only want to celebrate for one evening
- have more than 80 guests
Frequently asked
How many guests fit in the hotel?
15 to 80 guests celebrate here. 24 can sleep in twelve suites and junior suites.
Can children come?
Yes. The house is officially adults only, but with an exclusive booking children are allowed.
Do we really have to book two nights?
Yes, the hotel is let exclusively and for a minimum of two nights.
Where do the other guests sleep?
In the village of Agua Amarga, about five minutes away.
How late can we celebrate?
Until three in the morning. The music runs at the pool house.
How far is it from Almería airport?
About 40 minutes.
Nearby
Two more of my venues sit in Agua Amarga: the private finca up on the hillside, where 35 guests sleep and the party runs outside until three, and the beach bar down on the sand where you can marry.
