La Finca
El Cipreret (Little Cypress) is a 200 year old finca set in the Sierra de Mariola natural park just one hour north of Alicante. The park is one of Spain’s best kept secrets; an area of outstanding beauty, with endless forest trails. This is real Spain.
The overwhelming scent of rosemary, thyme and pine trees is the first thing that greets you when you arrive at el Cipreret. Linger a moment to take in the beauty of our farmhouse and gardens, the stunning mountain and forest views and the complete tranquillity. If you arrive after dark the sight of so many stars in the clear night sky is breath taking.
Completely run down when we first acquired it, we have restored and enhanced the farmhouse into a luxurious, contemporary space whilst retaining many original features .
Our eco credentials are strong. From generating our own energy to doing the right things for the environment. We grow much of our own organic vegetables and keep chickens for fresh free-range eggs.
The overwhelming scent of rosemary, thyme and pine trees is the first thing that greets you when you arrive at el Cipreret. Linger a moment to take in the beauty of our farmhouse and gardens, the stunning mountain and forest views and the complete tranquillity (apart from the cicadas and birds of course). And if you arrive after dark the sight of so many stars in the clear night sky is breath taking.
El Cipreret
Our Restoration Journey
We had a lot to do to rescue El Cipreret and complete the restoration. Follow us on Instagram and join our mailing list to see more information about Mariola Secreta.
Restoration
Restoring a 200 year old building in a Spanish national park is not for the feint hearted. So many different authorities to work with, licences to secure, an old building crying out to be homely once again, a location with important fauna and flora all require dedication and commitment.
We’re determined to retain as many of the original features of the main house, barn and courtyard buildings as possible. Our style can be described as rustic yet contemporary, luxurious yet simple. The barn will host a large open plan kitchen, dining and sitting room with views across to the peak of the beautiful Montcabrer mountain. Underfloor heating along with wood burning stoves will ensure the winter nights are cosy and warm. At 900m above sea level, our summer temperatures are less humid and considerably more comfortable than the coast and our winters drier with extensive blue skies and sunny days.
To the front of the main house we will add a rustic tiled veranda to offer a shady place to sit, eat and soak up the view. The ground floor of the main house will retain an open plan entrance lobby, treatment room and relaxed seating area along with a guest tea/coffee kitchenette and honesty bar. The 5 ensuite guest rooms around the beautiful courtyard garden will also benefit from a library/sitting room complete with the original ‘feeding mangers’ remodelled into a cosy snug.
We’ll be shopping for suitable architectural salvage items and old pieces of furniture to ensure we achieve a contemporary yet traditional look and feel.
Outside amongst the landscaped, terraced garden there will be a stunning ‘lap’ pool with views across the park and Montcabrer. With endless places to sit, relax and take in the beauty and tranquillity of our stunning location we are confident you’ll fall in love with the Sierra de Mariola.
Eco credentials
From a completely different era and way of life; the original finca had no electricity or plumbing, an open fire to cook on and relied on buckets down the nearby well for water. Not surprisingly El Cipreret has not been lived in for c 40-50 years.
Everything about the restored El Cipreret is designed to have as little impact on the environment as possible and to be sympathetic to the unique flora and fauna that surrounds us. Our location in the national park means we have to be completely self-sufficient for our energy needs. Thank goodness technology has advanced to provide us with a reliable source of solar generated electricity and hot water alongside a supplementary, eco friendly pellet boiler for underfloor heating and hot water.