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ADIOS MADRID

WELCOME TO EL ROMPIDO

Dear friends,

**** WIFI:  

GANDARIAS & GANDARIAS 5G

PASS: 19021973 

**** Estimated 10min reading time: we suggest you do read it in full, please 

Welcome to your home! 

Yes, to your home, and our home too… Please treat it with care, as you would treat your most precious belongings. 

You will see it is full with furniture with character, which we have restored and try to keep with a lot of patience, care and love. Full with books, which we have arranged in “our” logical order – and happy for you to read and use while you are with us. 

Much of it has been inherited from our ancestors and we take pride in taking good care of it. And enjoying it. Hoping you will too.  Some additional pieces of info in case this is helpful:

  • We have a new nespresso coffee machine! Which you will hopefully enjoy. There is also tea available, please feel free to use as much as needed, as long as you then “kind of replace this please”, if possible, as we have guests coming “one after the other”. The perfect local place close-by to buy anything food-related that you may need: El Jamon, we will paint explanations on how to get there at the end of these instructions. By buggy !! 
  • Alternative supermarkets to El Jamon
    • Coviran: in El Rompido, you can access by buggy plus some additional walking
    • Carrefour, Mercadona, Aldi, Lidl. These cannot be accessed by buggy or walking, you need a car to get there  
  • We have put our private belongings in an extra room which is hopefully locked. Please forgive us if we left something out that we should not have
  • We have taken pictures of how everything should look, it is an inventory. Both for Katy, our home-caretaker, who has prepared our home for you with a lot of care and attention. And for you, and for us, to be able to control if anything is missing or different. Please forgive her and/or us, if anything is not as perfect as it should, and please do inform us if not everything is right, for whatever reason it may be, we obviously want and need to know
  • There is a closet with additional bedding and towels in the corridor where all rooms are, in front of the shared bathroom: in case you need anything additional?
  • There are a lot of blankets and extra duvets in different rooms and room closets, please feel free to use whatever is needed, and if any of it gets dirty, please we prefer you tell us, and that we get it cleaned, rather than putting it up where it was without being in perfect condition
  • If you need the house to be a bit warmer please shoot us an email or call us rather than trying to make it work: we have access to the heating system remotely and can adapt it to your needs
  • If you happen to speak Spanish, Katy lives nearby and is always around the corner. She speaks Spanish and Czech, she can pop-by and help you whenever needed
  • If your Spanish or Czech is not up-to-speed, we are here to help you and try to solve it. We live in Madrid but know the house inside-out, we live here three months every year
  • Kitchen appliances and other house details – more info in the appendix
  • The printer is placed in an odd place as neither the printer nor the wooden table underneath it should be in the sun… The ink is so often “dry” that it only makes sense to buy new cartridge if you need a lot of printing, otherwise there is a place we use for this in Cartaya, next to Mercadona
  • We have a system that we love that is: falling asleep with the windows super open, ie fresh air coming in. And then, at the programmed time, which for us is typically 6am, they close automatically. If you have an interest in this, please let us know, we will be delighted to schedule it for you as desired
  • “Mosquiteras”: there are mosquito nets everywhere for a reason … we hope you will not need them, we do use them all the time during the summer months. It is not too bad but it helps!
  • We are letting you use our electrical golf buggy, please do take good care of it, and please take pictures of it “before and after”: to avoid any potential misunderstandings if you happen to have an accident, God forbid. Please note that usage is at your own and full responsibility. This vehicle has no insurance. We left the key inside the house for you to use (see buggy charging)
  • The swimming pool at the urbanización is open daily until 8th Sept. 2024, after that only weekends ie 14-15-21-22 September, and timings are from 12 noon until 8pm
  • Please feel free to use whatever you feel like in terms of food, wine etc. If you feel it is fair to replace any of it, that is great too :- )
  • For those who are Catholic or religious / spiritual-inclined … there is a lovely church in El Rompido which we are very fond of, with daily Mass, at least during high-season. Not sure about other months, though on Sundays there will be Mass too for sure. Also in Cartaya, 15min drive!
  • We have also left our guest book for you, to tell us if you enjoyed it: hopefully you will feel at home and have the best time ever ❤

Useful numbers:

  • Manuel and Beatriz, +34 617 361616 and +34 639 001 567 respectively. You have our emails, or bbunzl@exclusivespain.es and manu@pragmatico.es
  • Katy, our housekeeper plus the one to solve any potential issues locally, +34 676 39 59 90
  • For tennis or paddle-tennis lessons, super teacher PLUS at a very competitive rate, Alejandro Carrasco, +34 671 91 44 57. Tennis courts are not the newest but around the corner and easily available. You can book them directly without Alejandro at the entrance gate. Alejandro is easily available via whatsapp though worried that if you call him, his English might not be good enough. For tennis lessons he thinks it is fine. He said he can probably borrow tennis rackets too
  • For additional bicycles to the ones we own, and many other activities too, including boat rental, Life Tours, mobile +34 677 37 62 06. Their English is OK
  • For boat rental at the local marina call Carlos at +34 605 414 761. He confirmed he is available 12 months a year for this, and his girlfriend speaks some English, he does not. For more sophisticated boat renting, Bellamar in Lepe: (+34) 959 38 36 29. Limited English when we checked…
  • Depending on the time of the year you come, public boat which takes you to the best beach, La Flecha: company Transbordadores Playas de Cartaya, +34 646 08 95 93. As of August 2024 it costs around EUR4,50pp for a return ticket, it normally works until mid October, sometimes only weekends, and then starting after Easter, it changes year to year
  • If you get stuck with anything and a hotel concierge may be able to help, the best hotels in the area are Hotel El Fuerte and Precise Resorts: in case you want to pop by and ask them for anything relating to the above and are struggling with English-speaking help…
  • If you play golf, there are two golf courts of 18 holes at seven minutes by buggy, it can be arranged at “Casa Club” for you to pay the greenfee: Golf El Rompido, +34 959 02 4222. Next to the hotel Precise. You cannot use our buggy there but they will rent you another one. We sometimes leave our golf sticks here, please feel free to use them if we have left them in the house 

Our top three restaurant recommendations:

  • Doña Gamba: top food at very reasonable prices, the one on the port is open most of the year, and its counterpart is in front of the church, also in El Rompido 
  • Casa de Palo, in the main street of El Rompido, on the beach, best tuna in town 
  • La Patera, traditionally the best restaurant in town, somewhat similar to Casa de Palo, and since recently owned by the same owners as Casa de Palo

Some other places we were recommended and did not yet get the chance to try out:

  • Fango, “the new kid on the block”, we have not yet been, we have been told it is more international cuisine, at higher prices than the rest of the restaurant options in the area
  • A “chiringuito” in the middle of nowhere, https://www.facebook.com/LarenaElRompido/

Some of the excursions you may want to look into, in addition to boating, tennis, bicycling, Segway tours, kayaking etc…

  •  
  • Walking or with our two bikes next to Rio Piedras, there is a lovely wooden path that starts next to Hotel El Fuerte and La Marina, close to the port: paseo Las Marisma. You can do a one-two-three hour walk, depending on your time and interest. We love it, and do it at least once per year with the kids 
  • Doñana, the natural park, with a 4×4 jeep, you cannot access with your own car. We have used the following in the past, quality keeps changing, we did not test their English: Visitas Sur, +34 648 762 914 and another provider via +34 959 430 432 
  • Marismas de Odiel, we found a “Trip Advisor” captain who took us on his boat: it was lovely, there are surely several ways to experience the bird / animal watching in the area
  • Monasterio de la Rábida, where Christopher Columbus met our Queen Isabel la Católica for the first time, to ask her for funding to travel to “Las Indias” … discovering the Americas in 1492
  • Aracena, its grotes “Gruta de las Maravillas”, “Museo del Jamón”, Minas de Rio Tinto
  • Cave visits by boat also in Portugal, many Trip Advisor options, Albufeira area
  • Dolphin watching in Portugal, several options via Trip Advisor, Albufeira area
  • Trying out various beaches in Portugal … always fun and different! For example, in Vila Real de Santo António, only 45min drive, 
  • There are some rally stunning blue-clean-amazing beaches in Portugal: which we do not know well enough to recommend. We need to keep investigating!

Sevilla restaurant recommendations, in case you want to travel a bit further:

Hoping you will have plenty of fun things to do while you are here, and if any issues, please do not hesitate to reach out. We are so happy to host you!

Un abrazo,

Manuel y Beatriz

APPENDIX

Communication in general: while you are at our house, any issues, please call us: not email or whatsapp but a call, we feel that will be the best in this case, as we are not always on whatsapp or emails … and we do not want you to have to wait until we “happen to see it”. We want you to feel at home, and we are your friends, to help you here, with whatever you need. And hopefully, also to make you fall in love with Spain!

Buggy: usage is at your own and full responsibility. This vehicle has no insurance. The most fun gadget in all the house! Please make sure you always keep it with locker, buggy thefts are very common … and this buggy cost us EUR7000, some years ago already. To go to the village with the buggy you need to park it in front of the last hotel entrance at “Hotel El Fuerte”, there may be other buggies parked there too. Another option is on the port pantoon, which is where we park it when boating. Please do not go full speed as it is not the newest buggy in town anymore!

Buggy security: you will see it is locked, this is because there have been a number of thefts, in regards to buggies and also bicycles. One of ours, in fact … Sorry that this is a bit of an extra ask, please do make sure you always lock it all, the buggy also with the yellow and red additional security gadget you will see we kept, even when it is “inside the urbanización”. Sorry about this! 

Buggy electricity charging: it needs to be charged every three-four rides to the village approx., we always charge it every evening, as it is not the newest … and the battery seems full, and then is suddenly “not full anymore”, within a short period of time, with not too much notice time …

Washing-machine: we normally have some washing-machine soap which we are happy for you to use. If you do more than a couple of wash-machines, happy for you to replace it or whatever you think is fair. We are only saying this because we may have some additional guests arriving after you do, before we return, and we want them to find something similar to what you encountered.

Dishwasher: we normally have some dishwasher tablets which we are happy for you to use. Same procedure as above! To turn it on, press the key which is totally left first. Then the key that is totally to the right and says “start”. That should be it. 

Planet friendly gestures… The two small garbage tins next to the door are used for glass and paper. The rest, we mix it, even though in Madrid we have five different garbage tins. Here in Huelva it seems everyone recycles less, also at the recycling plants, based on reliable sources of information… 

Ventilators: we love them! What is important is that each room has a separate little “fan control”, please do always keep an eye on them and keep them where they were. There is one in the main bedroom, one in the guestroom, plus two in each of the other rooms. There is also one outside which we rarely use in July and August… so you will not need it? In case you do, it is in the entrance area, in one of the two drawers.

Warming the house: we do it at a distance. You are unlikely to need it. If you feel you do, please drop us a line, Manuel will be able to turn it on for you, at the temperature you request. We typically take it off at night, for ecological reasons, but will do whatever you feel is best for you. We are one of those who like to sleep with open windows, in the summer and also in the winter… There are plenty of warm blankets. We often come in December too. You should be fine or at least so we very much hope!

Gardening: it is taken care by the “urbanización”, which means a gardener can be in front of your door or in front of the main bedroom any time of the day. It is sometimes somewhat annoying but this is not something we can control. We pay a monthly fee – which is an obligation to be part of this group of houses. They then come and go as and when they wish… The only green element which Katy needs to keep an eye on and water them: the olive oil tree in our patio.

Inventory / books: we hope you like books as you will see them everywhere… there is a story behind each of our books which we know and we venerate. We have read many of them and would want our children to read them too, the same ones, not a new version of such books. Have you heard that since recently the publishing industry is changing the books to adapt to the latest generation, who are reading less because of the time they spend on social media? So the new books have less words and more pictures….This is one of the reasons we keep those books. Happy for you to read them !!

Date / status of this summary: you are one of our first guests of this new season. Please do not hesitate to give us a call if you are in doubt or anything happens! Also, and most importantly, please do give us improvement ideas, we have so many things in our head … of what we want to do the next years with this house … but seeing it with fresh eyes surely helps. We are leaving here a small booklet for such improvement ideas, so we can action them when we return, hopefully soon. 

With many thanks to you for coming to our beloved “ADIOS MADRID!”

Manuel : +34 617 361616 and manu@pragmatico.es

Beatriz: +34 639 001 567 and bbunzl@exclusivespain.es

MAPS: (1) how to get to supermarket El Jamon (2) how to get to the port and catch the “La Flecha Ferry” to the beach, or to the village, and where to park in either of these cases (3) where does the beautiful wooden pathway start, that has nice views over the “Rio Piedras”, for a walk or a bicycle tour.