INDEX 1.Booking and Pre-Booking 2. Arrival 3. Facilities 4. Electricity
FAQs
An quick information source for most of the pre-holiday queries you may have....
1.Booking and Pre-Booking
Ranchito is 1000m up a mountainside, is it chilly? -
From May to the end of October, as you would expect in Southern Spain, you can pretty much guarantee scorching weather, and you'll often find that on days when the coast is a little overcast, you'll be sitting looking down on the clouds in brilliant sunshine on the pool patio.
Added to that, with its mountain location, Ranchito can benefit from gentle cooling breezes at times that the summer heat can be truly oppressive down at sea level.
Evening temperatures? - these do fall with the settng of the sun, and in May and June, plus the back end of September and October, a jumper or jacket would be advisable much after 8.30pm if you're eating outside - its not cold by UK standards, but if you've had a day of strong sun, you'll feel the difference. Very late at night, after 11 or so, it can get very cold on clear nights (which is the majority) at these times of year.
Evenings in July, August and early September tend to cool much later, around 10ish, and to a lesser extent. A party of post GCSE students that I chaperoned were swimming at 2a.m. in July perfectly happily - and this was before we had installed pool heating!
At either end of the season, March and November, the weather can be a little more changeable. I have had holidays in gorgeous sunshine and been able to use the pool in both these months, but equally, we have had the odd snow shower in March!! November doesn't seem to suffer in that regard, but can sometimes fall prey to high mountain clouds that block out the sun, and will drop the temperature to English levels. Both snow and clouding in our experience, and from talking to locals, don't tend to hang around, in some instances clearing to briliant sunshine within hours.
How do I book? - There are 3 simple steps to booking your stay at Ranchito.
Firstly go to the "Prices and Booking" page of our website and download the booking form you'll find at the foot of that page.
Secondly, print off and fill this in.
Thirdly, send it to the address shown on the form, together with a 25% deposit for your accommodation only.
How do I know the booking is confirmed? - You'll receive by email, an automatically generated receipt for your deposit as we enter your payment onto our system.
How can I contact you? - I regularly check emails,at least 10 times a day, so you'll normally get a very prompt response through that route, but if you do have a more urgent query, or just prefer to chat, then please feel free to call me on +44 (0)7973 311908
When is the balance of payment required? - We require the balance of payment for your stay, PLUS £200 by way of a security deposit to reach us NO LATER than 8 weeks before your intended arrival date at Ranchito. Your security deposit will be refunded within 10 days of your departure from Ranchito, subject to the property being left in good order.
How flexible are the arrival and leaving days? - We always like to help out where we can, and especially since a day or so either way can often make a great deal of difference to the flight costs for a large party, so please talk to us. As a general rule, because of the weight of demand from July through to September, we have to insist on Saturday to Saturday bookings in this period, but all other times of year we operate a first come first served basis, and if there's no bookings near when you'd like to come over, we can be as flexible as you like.
How can I pay for the holiday? - Presently, we can accept cheques or Bank Transfers only. We are looking at Credit/Debit Cards, but being a relatively new business, the commission makes it very difficult to offer this competitively.
2.Arrival...
What if our flights are delayed? - We monitor your incoming flights in case there are any changes of plan, so you've no need to worry about contacting us if your plane is re-routed or delayed, we'll know.
What if we get lost on the way? - Ok, it can happen...but....there are full directions from all major airports, here on the website, just click this link to see them http://www.sunbreaks.tv/mapdirections/localdirections.html These directions should help keep you out of harm's way, but should you find it all going wrong, just call Robin (our property manager) on 0034 958064013 and he'll be happy to talk you back on track, or come out and rescue you, depending on where you are!
In addition, Ranchito is now on google maps street view, so you can satnav yourself in very easily, or print off your own 'streetmap' view of the instructions...
This is the top of the drive turning into Ranchito : http://tinyurl.com/yb9d82e
Will someone meet us at the property? - Yes, Robin will meet you on arrival and hand over the keys. He'll give you a very quick rundown on the very main points of importance, but we're well aware that you'll probably be a little frazzled after your trip and not in the most receptive of moods, so he'll back this up with a more leisurely visit once you have settled in.
What if we arrive in the middle of the night? - No problem. Robin is happy to meet you 24/7.
Should we "supplies shop" before arrival? - We'd always recommend this, and there are plenty of Hypermarkets on the way in from all the major airports, but should you not have time to do this, we always provide a welcome pack of essentials and groceries to get you started on your first morning, so its not really a problem if you don't shop before arrival.It is worth noting though, that Murtas, the local village, closes on a Saturday, but is open Sunday. So, if you're arriving late Friday night, you'll need to go to Cadiar (about 20 mins away) if you need supplies on Saturday morning.
3.Facilities
How about the pool? - As far as pool use is concerned, it is solar heated, and consequently the pool temperature will depend on the strength of the sun over the period preceding your arrival. July to September, there's really no need for pool heating anyway, so these months are guaranteed. May and June as well as October the pool is always "swimable", but if there has been an unseasonable amount of cloud cover, you may find a morning dip a little "refreshing" before the day's sun has had a chance to feed through the heating system...
Use of the pool in March, April and November is really a lottery, depending on the prevailing weather, but certainly possible.
Indeed, my nephews and nieces who have lived in the region over the last year have used the pool from February,regardless of the weather....
The pool is filtered and chlorinated using a new salt based system that avoids the stinging sensation experienced in many previous filtration systems.
How big is the pool? - It is 8m by 5m. Its deepest point is in the centre at 1.90m deep. At either end it is around 1.45m deep, and there are wide steps to enter the pool, so that non swimmers can comfortably cool off, either by sitting on these in the water, or by entering via the steps where the pool is shallower at around 1.20m
Pool cleaning? - All done by Rob,our property manager, (and inclusive in the price of your holiday), who will also ensure the correct chemical balance is maintained throughout your stay.
We have a baby in our party? - Ranchito has a high chair and a cot, to save you having to bring these with you. Also, Rob and his partner Nicola are very happy to offer a baby/child minding service if you'd like to go out for the evening as adults.
Television? - We have SkyTV at Ranchito, and if you bring your own card, you can access all services you subscribe to at home - except those requiring connection to a phone line.
Music? - We have several music systems at Ranchito, ranging from a small portable CD/Radio player based in the kitchen, but obviously able to be moved around, through to a larger system that plays Cassettes and Radio, and into which "Ipods" and similar can be connected. This system has wheels so it can easily be moved out onto the pool patio to give a wonderful sound through the large "Jamo" speakers. Finally, the surround sound system, connected to the TV in the upstairs lounge can also play music from Ipods by connecting to the phono sockets at the front of the TV. The necessary leads to do this are at Ranchito.
Barbeque? - There is a large, charcoal barbeque just outside the kitchen, ample to cater for the largest parties to stay at Ranchito. A bag of lumpwood charcoal is provided at the beginning of your holiday, and refills are available in the supermarkets in Cadiar Taxis? - put bluntly...no, this is rural Spain after all. That said, however, Robin is happy to run you to dinner on the odd occasion that no-one in the party wants to drive for the evening. Please speak to Robin while you are on holiday if you'd like to arrange this.
4.Electricity Positioned as it is, in a tranquil secluded location in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada, mains electricity has not yet reached Ranchito...but this is not something that will affect your holiday in the normal course of events.
We are fortunate to be blessed with abundant sunshine in this region, and we have a high capacity solar energy plant that generates a 3kw supply, backed up with a ( new in 2010) ultra low-noise petrol generator.
In practice, what this means is that you will generally notice no difference with your electricity supply than what you are used to at home.
When large parties are in occupation and many high consumption devices are in use, there is a risk that you can "trip" the supply. This is no big problem though, and Robin will show you exactly how to reset the power so that you'll be up in running again in a couple of minutes.
In the two seasons we have been letting Ranchito, this has only happened to two parties, and with a little consideration for what you are using, you'll have no interruptions whatsoever.